Clean Hands, Dirty Hearts, and a Gentile Who Gets It (Mark 7:1–30)

Jesus exposes the illusion that holiness starts on the outside. The Pharisees obsess over clean hands while ignoring hearts hardened by tradition, but Jesus declares that defilement comes from within—not from food, culture, or contact with the world. Then He steps into Gentile territory, where an unclean outsider displays the clearest faith of all, trusting that even a crumb of His mercy is enough. The reversal is unmistakable: religious insiders miss it, while a desperate woman receives grace. Who is this Man? He is the One who crosses every boundary, exposes the real stain, and cleanses hearts by grace alone.