Introduction

Hello, everyone. We will continue our study of Mark, chapter 7. The theme of this chapter is “Holding to Human Traditions or to God’s Commandments.” In this world, believing in the Lord can be a very strange business. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, and these Israelites were quite “remarkable”! Moses gave them God’s commandments. They did not keep them. Instead, they kept human traditions.

By the time of Jesus, people who read God’s Word and had undergone rigorous theological training had studied a great deal, yet failed to grasp the essentials. What had they learned? A whole collection of human traditions. It is a very strange thing.

I once wanted very much to study theology. But I withdrew not long after starting. Why? They taught a great many things that Jesus never taught. What Jesus taught, they did not teach. What Jesus did not teach, they taught at length. And there were assignments to write! Those assignments took considerable effort.

It struck me that this practice of holding to human traditions had existed from the time of Moses to the time of Jesus. Now history is repeating itself. Can you still call this Christianity? Christian seminaries teach a whole collection of human traditions. It is baffling.

Why does this happen? Has God lost control? No. God is sovereign. He allows people to distort His Word, and they then hold to human traditions. The result is a faith in complete disorder. On the surface, it all looks respectable. Everything they say sounds like the Word of God. But what happens in practice? You see one thing after another that leaves people utterly confused.

The Pharisees and Scribes Were Concerned with Human Traditions

Some Pharisees and several scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. They saw that some of His disciples ate with defiled hands—that is, unwashed hands. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands carefully, holding to the tradition of the elders. (Mark 7:1–3)

When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other practices they have received and observe, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and bronze vessels.) The Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” (Mark 1:4–5)

These Pharisees treated such matters as extremely important. Christians today have a particular habit. I do not know how many among us still pray before meals. The prayer goes something like this: “Lord, thank You for giving me this food. Lord, please cleanse this food so that we will be healthy after eating it.” Then they carry on at length. After that, the second, third and fourth person also pray over the meal. They put a tremendous amount of effort into praying over food. It has become a tradition.

Yet, let me tell you, at that same table, some people are already blind, some are going blind, some are lame, and others have pain here or there—menstrual pain, headaches, stomach pain, and so on. But nobody cares! This is a common phenomenon. It has always astonished me.

That is why the brothers and sisters in our church are blessed. When you come among us, what concerns me is what concerns God. I know very clearly that God does not want people to be sick. He does not want people to believe in Him while remaining burdened by illness. Some think, “Even if I am sick, I will still go to heaven.” That is not right, is it?

Once, I attended a Christian seminar. A woman was sitting at the next table. Her husband was a deacon in the church, perhaps even a fairly senior leader. His wife’s brow was tightly furrowed.

During the tea break, I turned to her and asked, “What is wrong?” She said, “My leg hurts. The pain keeps me awake. It hurt all night yesterday, and I did not sleep.” She had come to this Christian seminar, but did anyone attend to her? Nobody! They were discussing the power of God, yet there was no sign of God’s power.

In fact, leg pain and menstrual pain are both connected with the filth in a person’s heart. There is no shortage of human traditions being held within! What they have learned is not God’s Word. It is not sound teaching. So they suffer, and they have brought it upon themselves.

I told her, “If you cannot sleep tonight, contact me.” I gave her my telephone number. At one in the morning, she called. I was still working. I led her in prayer until three, and the pain disappeared completely.

I was pleased too. The next morning, I returned to the seminar. She and her husband came over, both very happy. Her husband said to me, “Pastor Liu, you should ask God for a gift: you snap your fingers, pray, and—just like that—the pain disappears.” I looked up to heaven and sighed deeply.

Do you know why it took two hours? Because her mind was full of rubbish. It was like a toilet encrusted with grime—yellow and foul-smelling. It was hard work! I would lead her in prayer for ten minutes, then explain God’s Word for five. Another ten minutes of prayer, then another five minutes of teaching. The purpose was to remove the filth within her, to remove the traditions within her.

Let me tell you: whether you have leg pain, headaches, menstrual pain, cancer, or any other condition, remember that none of it is undeserved! Why could she not be healed with a snap of the fingers? Because after that snap, her mind would still be filthy! That is why, when I lead people in prayer, sometimes they refuse to accept what I say. Once I see that, I know it is hopeless, and I leave it there. My words are too strong for them.

The Pharisees and scribes cared about human traditions—whether people washed their hands. Yet they paid no attention to the blind, the deaf or the lame. They even said, “You deserve it!” When the same thing happened to them, they deserved it too! But the problem is that this was not God’s will. I think that if I am expected to heal with a snap of my fingers, he should also learn to spend two hours leading his wife in prayer. How do you explain that?

Let me tell you, in many churches they call this heresy and that heresy. But in my view, some so-called heresies are a little more sound than those who call themselves “orthodox.” Why? They have turned the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ into a powerless gospel. Where, then, has their “orthodoxy” taken them? Tell me. Straight over to the Pharisees! Is that not so? What concerned the Pharisees was whether the disciples washed their hands.

You Abandon God’s Commandments and Hold to Human Traditions

A few human traditions do not frighten us. What frightens us is abandoning God’s commandments. What did Jesus say? His words in the following passage are excellent. Let me read them to you:

Jesus said, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites. As it is written: ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Mark 7:6)

They worship Me in vain, teaching human commands as doctrines.’ You abandon God’s commandment and hold to human tradition.” He also said, “You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commandment in order to keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:7–9)

These are Jesus’ words. The Pharisees did this sort of thing repeatedly! I do not know whether the people among us have taken this in. Perhaps even if I tug at your ears every day, you still do not hear.

Let me give you an example. One day, a daughter argued with her mother over brushing her teeth. Her mother was very economical with toothpaste and used only a tiny amount. The daughter thought this was wrong and tried to correct her: “You should not use so little. We have plenty of toothpaste at home.” Afterwards, she came to ask me privately. She had come to the right person.

Once people cling to human traditions, they can easily overlook God’s commandments. Do you understand? Many of our brothers and sisters have filthy hearts, yet think rather well of themselves. Why do I say she asked the right person? I told her, “You brush with toothpaste. I brush without it.”

Later, I worked it out. I had experimented. Whether I brushed with toothpaste or without it, apart from a little toothpaste flavour in my mouth, the toothpaste did not do much. Do you know that? If my teeth were covered in grease, then using a grease-removing detergent would make sense. But my teeth were not greasy. They just had plaque. For that, I tell you, I simply use a toothbrush and water, without toothpaste.

Someone said, “Teacher, you are quite something. Are you not stopping the toothpaste sellers from making money?” No. I am not trying to save money on toothpaste! Why do I brush without it? Because after brushing, little bits of toothpaste stick to the washbasin. I particularly dislike toothpaste becoming deposits on the basin after people brush their teeth. A lump sticks there, and they leave it! Toothpaste stuck to the basin looks disgusting.

Does that count as a tradition of mine? I do not know! Does toothpaste have an abrasive effect? Possibly. But I will tell you honestly: my experiments showed that my teeth were the same after brushing, with or without toothpaste.

You can try it, though not on your teeth. If a mark on the floor is not grease, using detergent to clean it is pointless, is it not? This sister argued with her mother over just such a matter. In fact, there are many ways to brush your teeth. A little salt will do too, because people can have bad breath. If your mouth does not smell, you can brush without toothpaste.

What I want to tell you is this: learn to maintain a good relationship with your elders. If your mind is full of these things and you care about such trivial matters, you are bound to overlook God’s commandments! The things these Pharisees studied were therefore extremely complicated.

Sometimes people make life very complicated. After going out and coming home, they worry about whether to wash their hands, rinse themselves or take a bath. They attach too much importance to these things. What is the result? They make life exceedingly complicated. During COVID, people wore masks, did they not?

Once, I visited someone. After entering the house, I had to raise my hands in “surrender,” because he took some insecticide—or some other spray—and sprayed me all over to “disinfect” me. Whether that disinfection did any good, I do not know! I sighed inwardly. People worry about this and that, but the toxins outside are not what matters most!

Take smog and smoke haze. Some time ago, Singapore was blanketed by smoke from land-clearing fires in Indonesia. Outside, the smoke was choking. It really was toxic. People are very concerned about toxins that enter from outside. But let me tell you: the poison from that haze cannot compare with the poison produced by eating one fruit a day from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. People eat from that tree every day. They judge this person and that person, find this displeasing and that displeasing. It makes me sigh deeply.

Let me tell you, what is the best way to look after your health? Clean up your heart. Judging people by moral standards is a terrible thing. Did we not speak about “judging” in the previous chapter? The defilement caused by judging others is far worse than smog or smoke haze. It is far more potent than the coronavirus.

Think about it. Filth keeps accumulating inside a person, and one day cancer develops. With cancer, the foul fluid coming out of the cells is terribly filthy. If that foul fluid touches other skin, that skin will rot too. How foul must it be?

The poison produced by abandoning God’s commandments is far more serious than the question of washing your hands. That is why Jesus said, “You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commandment in order to keep your own tradition.” God’s commandments are not about whether we wash our hands. They are about cleansing our hearts!

Let me take this a little further. In my recent study, I have found that people generally think they are quite good. But when they look at others, they think those other people have serious problems. Is that filthy? Very filthy! They see the speck in someone else’s eye but cannot see the beam in their own.

People cling to human traditions because they do not understand that we ought to be careful to obey God’s Word. Whether it is smog, smoke haze, or whether the food in a restaurant is clean, once you have eaten it, it does not matter. In the end, it all goes into the latrine. Is that not so?

Recently, the mother of one of our sisters—a traditional Christian—has been utterly opposed to our church. She does not consider whether something is God’s commandment or a human tradition. This is simply what she learned in church. With little education, she relies on hearsay. She does not know what the Bible says, yet clings stubbornly to her own set of beliefs.

Recently, this mother became seriously ill. I do not know how to comfort our sister. I can only say that each person has their own lot. Perhaps God will show her grace and mercy and enable her to understand. She has believed in the Lord all her life, yet does not know God’s will or His commandments. She holds only to her own little set of beliefs, clinging to human traditions. What a cause for sorrow!

Let me tell you, Chinese Mingding Doctrine accepts criticism from others. If you say we are wrong on a particular point, we will examine what God’s Word says. If we are wrong, we will change. I will not argue stubbornly with you. But if what you offer is human tradition, then forget it! Is that not so? Although I will not say, “Get lost,” I will say, “Step aside!” How much suffering must people endure? None of the suffering people endure in this world is undeserved!

You Do Many Other Things Like This

That is, clinging to human traditions. Jesus gave an example. Let me read it to you:

“Moses said, ‘Honour your father and mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a person tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have received from me is Corban’—that is, an offering to God—you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the Word of God through the tradition you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.” (Mark 1:10–13)

The Pharisees loved money. Jesus said, “You do many other things like this.” What things? Setting aside God’s commandments. When did God ever say that you could stop providing for your parents? Why did they teach this? Because these Pharisees badly needed people to make offerings. Do you understand?

If someone asked the Pharisees, “Pastor, should I give this money to my parents or give it as an offering?” the Pharisees would say, “Of course you should give it as an offering. God will provide for your parents.” What lay behind those words? The Pharisees needed to count the offerings behind the scenes! Then what else did they say? “It is all right. From now on, you do not need to provide for your parents, because you have already given this money as Corban.”

Tell me, is that God’s Word? What filthy teaching! Brothers and sisters, think this through again. There are many such things! Matthew speaks of the hypocritical Pharisees and scribes. They did a great many things of this kind—an appalling number.

They taught people to “swear by this” and “swear by that,” to “do this” and “not do that.” Good heavens! Hardly any of it agreed with God’s commandments! They were practising hypocrisy. Why were they hypocrites? Because they loved money!

If you gave them the money intended for your parents, how happy would they be? Listen to that reasoning. Is that not so? A person’s parents have no money at home and nothing to eat, yet he says, “Oh, I have left my parents behind.” Who taught that? I have never taught it!

Brothers and sisters, let me tell you: honouring and providing for your parents is the only commandment with a promise—that you may live long on the earth. What does “live long” mean? A person who neither provides for nor honours his parents will certainly have his life shortened! Not living long means a shortened life!

If a shortened life were the only problem, that would be something. Are there still people among us living off their parents? All day, their minds are fixed on their parents’ little property and their parents’ money. If you know your mother has several hundred thousand in her hands, you start thinking about it again. Are there people like that? If that is you, you must change! If you do not, you may not live long!

Human traditions and God’s commandments are often opposed. Human traditions include many moral ideas. If you follow human moral standards, let me ask you: would you minister to a prostitute? We would find it difficult to understand Jesus ministering to prostitutes. Even today, large numbers of Christians remain bound by moral ideas. That includes their views of Tamar and Judah.

A seminary professor said, “Every time I read Genesis 38, I weep, because Judah fell into depravity!” He did not understand what he read. He was not reading the Tao Te Ching; he had read worldly morality into the passage. Even understanding the Tao Te Ching would have served him better.

If someone who seduces others comes to you, will you minister to that person? Take the news that has recently filled social media: a prominent businessman had an affair. Many sisters among us were deeply distressed. Perhaps some also regretted that it had not happened to them. How nice it would be to marry a tycoon!

What Enters from Outside Cannot Defile a Person; What Comes from Within Can

Jesus called the crowd to Him again and said, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters a person from outside can defile him. What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” (Mark 1:14–15)

These words are not hard to understand. When you eat something, nobody finds it disgusting. But when you vomit it out—good heavens! It is revolting. We need not even speak of what comes out from above. What comes out from below is disgusting too! Do you understand? So when Jesus said, “What enters from outside cannot defile a person; what comes from within can,” He was not talking about vomit or excrement.

When you eat, there may be a beautifully prepared fish, a fine dish of pork trotters, or a grand imperial banquet. At least it looks presentable. But once you have eaten it and vomited it out, it is no longer an imperial banquet. It is disgusting! But that was not what Jesus meant. After Jesus left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples asked Him about the meaning of the parable.

He said to them, “Do you also fail to understand? Do you not know that whatever enters a person from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes into the latrine?” In saying this, He declared all foods clean. (Mark 1:17–19)

He also said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the human heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evils come from within and defile a person. (Mark 1:20–23)

What you vomit is certainly disgusting. But what comes out of your heart is even more disgusting! Brothers and sisters, think carefully: how much of what goes through your heart could you put openly on the table? Much of it cannot be brought into the open.

Recently, I discovered something that left a deep impression on me—a good impression. In Paul’s letters, when he had grown old in ministry, he said, “I am the chief of sinners.” At first, he said lightly, “I am a sinner.” Later, it became, “I am a middling sinner.” Then later, “I am a great sinner. I am the chief of sinners.”

People do not understand. How could someone serve all his life and end up as the chief of sinners? They cannot make sense of it. Why? The reason is simple: the more a person knows God, the more filthy he sees himself to be! If you have only half a bucket of knowledge—an unfilled bottle that rattles—you do not know your own limits.

But if you truly reach Paul’s level of ministry, you will discover, “Good heavens, I am so filthy inside!” So I must warn you: if you think you are quite good, that is dangerous. Why do you think you are good? Because you are ignorant!

You do not know how many of God’s commandments you have abandoned, or how many human traditions you have clung to. You think that what enters from outside can defile you, but see nothing wrong with what comes out from within. You regard it all as normal, do you not?

There is, in fact, a great deal of filth within people: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. Unless a person’s inner system of values changes, he is bound to be very filthy.

Once, while ministering, I asked, “Old Ma, what do you do?” It said, “I am in charge of the sewers.” I said, “Being in charge of the sewers must be very smelly!” Have you noticed that some people carry a foul smell? That smell should have something to do with Old Ma.

What you eat from outside goes into your stomach, then is passed into the latrine! But let me tell you, many Christians, including pastors, are very particular about food. Have you seen that? Once, one of our sisters hosted a very prominent “master” in her home. Every morning, he ate organic food. He said, “I eat only organic food.”

Whether food is organic or not really cannot defile a person! You will find that I am not particularly concerned. I eat it, and I am still alive. What goes in cannot defile a person. I have few such requirements. Why? Because I worry about fewer things! You must be careful about what is in your heart. Perhaps nothing is wrong with you now. But by the time something goes wrong, it may be too late, because your heart is filthy!

Once, I saw a washing machine with a sign on it: “No underwear or socks allowed!” She had to wash underwear and socks by hand. Where was the problem? “No underwear or socks allowed.” In fact, this is really not a major issue. What concerns me is how distressed such a person must be.

Suppose one day someone suddenly says, “Sister, I accidentally washed my socks in it yesterday.” She replies, “Oh no! I washed my things after you!” She feels distressed, does she not? In fact, the other person had not washed anything yesterday. She deliberately said it to upset her! It is easy to make yourself miserable, is it not? You insist on this and demand that, and others can then control you.

Anyone who wants to control me will find it rather difficult. If you washed them, you washed them. What of it? If a washing machine is not for washing those things, what is it for? The more particular people are, the more easily their circumstances can control them. What enters from outside cannot defile a person. Only what comes out from within can defile a person! This is what Jesus taught.

It is what comes out of the heart that matters. Do not be preoccupied with physical things or fleshly concerns. Whether the food you eat is a little dirty or not is nothing compared with the poison that comes out of your heart. You may have evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft and murder within you. And not only these: you also think well of yourself and have a strong sense of morality. How filthy is that? If you do not get sick, who will?

In fact, I really do think that I am filthier than all of you. Why? The more I read God’s Word, the filthier I see myself to be! Now I wonder why I still do not feel that I am the chief of sinners. That is not good enough. I am still a long way off! What is inside the heart is too important!

The Greek Woman’s Heart

Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not remain hidden. Immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him and came and fell at His feet. (Mark 7:24–25)

The woman was Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. She begged Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. Jesus said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She answered, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” (Mark 7:26–28)

He said to her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon had gone. (Mark :7:29–30)

Let me tell you, I admire this woman. She was extraordinary! If it had been you, hearing, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” would you not have flown into a rage? You might have said, “What? Am I a dog? Who are you talking about?” Then Jesus would look sternly at you, and you would say, “What are you looking at?” The other side would answer, “What if I am looking at you?” Then—bang—a punch! A fight would break out!

But let me ask you: had this woman heard about Jesus? She had! Perhaps only a few days earlier she had heard Jesus preach, “What enters from outside cannot defile a person; only what comes out from within can defile a person.” This woman then began to act: “I must go and see Jesus. I know my mind is terribly filthy. Whatever others say about me, I get worked up. Now I am suffering the consequences. My daughter is demon-possessed. It is terrible! This cannot continue. I must change!”

When she came before Jesus, did He know that her heart was filthy? He did! Did He know that she wanted to change? He knew that too! Jesus knows the human heart. He knows everything! Then He said these words—very powerful words: “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Those do not sound much like human words, because they are God’s words. God’s Word came forth: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.” Why? Jesus wanted to heal this woman! Her response was remarkable. It did not matter if she was a dog: “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Even if I am a dog, I still want to receive grace.

I suspect this woman may have heard the story of Rahab of Jericho, as well as many stories about the Israelites. Then she heard that Jesus had come, and thought, “I am determined to receive it! Even if I am a dog, whatever You call me, I will not forget how terribly my daughter is suffering from demon possession. I want to be cleansed. I want the defilement that comes out of my heart to be completely removed!”

What was Jesus doing by saying this? He was testing her. If you are worthy to receive grace, you can get past whatever is said about you, because your concern is for Jesus Christ to heal your little daughter. Do you understand? If we cling to human traditions, try saying that to a Pharisee! A dog? Would he let you off? A Pharisee would not. But you could call this Canaanite woman anything.

In fact, let me tell you: how did this Canaanite woman’s daughter come to be so badly demon-possessed? It must have been brought on somehow! Nobody knows how many wicked things this Canaanite woman had done. The Bible does not record them. But she had a resolve within her: “I want to be cleansed inside. I really am filthy within.”

So, brothers and sisters, if you truly know how filthy you are inside, your self-esteem becomes meaningless, does it not? When a person has suffered, repentance becomes the only way out. This was not an attack on her faith. It was an attack on her self-esteem. Human self-esteem is a very detestable thing.

Ask yourself: do you have a strong sense of self-esteem? Are you fiercely determined to hold your own? If so, that is very filthy! The Greek woman’s heart was extraordinarily strong. Her child’s demon possession had put her through one struggle after another, until she understood her own measure and knew that she was not even as good as a dog. Do you understand? “All right, I am a dog. It does not matter.”

From the Canaanite woman’s logic of being a dog, I developed a logic of being dog excrement. Do you know that I have what I call a “dog-excrement theory”? If Jesus said to me, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” I would say, “Lord, calling me a dog is already a compliment. In fact, I am dog excrement!”

Let me tell you: if you want to receive more grace, and you have this “dog-excrement theory,” your life will be remarkable. You will become extremely strong within. Nothing can hurt you. Nothing can strike at your self-esteem any more, because you do not have that thing at all.

Jesus Looked Up to Heaven and Sighed

Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. Some people brought Him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside, away from the crowd, put His fingers into the man’s ears, then spat and touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” (Mark 1:31–34)

His ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly. Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone. But the more He instructed them, the more widely they spread the news. They were utterly astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 1:35–37)

There is a key expression here: “Looking up to heaven, He sighed.” What was He sighing about? Jesus was sighing because so many people held to human traditions and violated God’s commandments. Let me tell you, this must have been connected with sin.

Jesus looked up to heaven and sighed: people had kept so many human traditions, yet had brought so many problems upon themselves. Only God’s commandments matter; the other things solve no problems. He looked up to heaven and sighed, and only then said to the man, “Ephphatha,” meaning, “Be opened.”

Do you understand the connection behind these words? Jesus indeed bore our transgressions and carried our curses. Those curses fell upon Jesus Christ. Jesus bore them. That is why, when He said, “Be opened,” the man’s ears opened. Is that not so? What was He sighing about? He sighed because people observed human traditions and had a strong sense of morality, yet violated God’s commandments and came under a curse.

Brothers and sisters, we must truly learn a lesson from this. Jesus often sighed. He often lamented human foolishness. People really are foolish! Why did Jesus look up to heaven and sigh? Had they not kept all those human traditions for nothing?

Tyre had its culture and the traditions of its people. Sidon had its traditions. The region of the Sea of Galilee had its human traditions. It is deeply lamentable! These human traditions are of little use! Is that not a cause for sorrow? People keep human traditions for a lifetime, yet they serve no purpose.

So, brothers and sisters, let us change gradually. Replace human traditions with God’s commandments. God’s way is not difficult to follow, nor is His Word difficult to understand. Let all of us learn a lesson here. What should we do? Do we hold to human traditions and human moral ideas—perhaps concerning what we eat—and observe many utterly useless practices? Or do we hold to God’s commandments?

If we are sick, the situation is clearer still. There is no need to think twice: there is too much filth within us that needs to be cleared out. May God have mercy on us and bring us out of sin! May we truly understand what is filthiest of all.

That is all for today. May God bless you! Goodbye, brothers and sisters!