WE KNOW IN PART

In maturing in the word of God, it becomes  expedient to avoid isolating individual verses of scripture because of the potential for them to steer us off course. Interpretive and contextual variations may be necessary. In our text today, Jesus speaking to the Pharisees and scribes says these words: “

Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them”(Mark 7:15).

On its own, any one could run with the conclusion ‘whatever the senses perceive and allow in, does not matter, it is only what comes out’. Standing on this text alone as an anchor, it may be hard to sway this conviction. However, in Luke 8:18a and Mark 4:24a, we read these words of Jesus ‘be careful how you hear’ and ‘be careful what you hear’.

Therefore, the text earlier was not an invitation to lose all filters, unclamp all fetters and let everything in. That only becomes the message if not considered in a balanced or holistic manner. Likewise, knowledge in many facets of life, including scripture is complementary – what you know is certainly not all there is to know about a subject. We therefore ought to remain amenable and open to this complementation to ensure that we come into entire body of knowledge.

In this life, we each know in part, and whatever the sphere is, it will take an aggregate of all the parts to complete the picture. So don’t boast.

#sly