Let me remind us from yesterday’s post the list of 13.

1. Base and malevolent thoughts and schemes
2. Acts of sexual immorality – any/all acts outside the Garden Marriage
3. Thefts
4. Murders
5. Adulteries – wait, didn’t He mention sexuality immorality, already?
6. Acts of greed and covetousness
7. Wickedness
8. Deceit
9. Unrestrained conduct – this is so broad – like, this could be anything!
10. Envy and jealousy
11. Slander and profanity – profanity? My goodness, I hear it everywhere!
12. Arrogance and self-righteousness
13. Foolishness (poor judgment)

Base and malevolent thoughts and schemes. What could JESUS mean by these words? 

Some years ago I discovered online the 1828 edition of Webster’s Dictionary; it’s an honored and enlightening tool.  So let us see how Noah Webster defined base.  

BASE, adjective
1. Low in place. obsolete
2. Mean; vile; worthless; that is, low in value or estimation; used of things.  source 

And the word malevolent; what did he say about that one? 

MALEV’OLENT, adjective Having an evil disposition towards another or others; wishing evil to others; ill disposed, or disposed to injure others. A malevolent heart rejoices in the misfortunes of others.
1. Unfavorable; unpropitious; bringing calamity.  source

Mean, vile, worthless; having an evil disposition toward others, wishing evil to others, unfavorable. 
Clearly, JESUS is instructing me to carefully govern my thinking about myself and others. It is not okay with Him for me to occupy myself with mean, vile, and worthless thinking about myself and it is equally unacceptable for me to entertain myself with untoward (thinking) rejoicing at the misfortune of others.  

How interesting it is to me that this would be His first mention here. Perhaps it is because starting here, down this forbidden path, could lead me to the others listed.  

More simmering ~ ~ ~ until next time 

Mark 7: 20 And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. 21 For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). 23 All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.” source

13 Things

Sunday’s Class Text was Mark 6; so, when I opened my Bible this morning, perhaps not strangely, it opened to Mark 7. The left side of the right-sided page said read me! I did.

²⁰ And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. ²¹ For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). ²³ All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.” source

I made notes. I asked questions. I numbered the things He listed – 13 of them.

1. Base and malevolent thoughts and schemes
2. Acts of sexual immorality – any/all acts outside the Garden Marriage
3. Thefts
4. Murders
5. Adulteries – wait, didn’t He mention sexuality immorality, already?
6. Acts of greed and covetousness
7. Wickedness
8. Deceit
9. Unrestrained conduct – this is so broad – like, this could be anything!
10. Envy and jealousy
11. Slander and profanity – profanity? My goodness, I hear it everywhere!
12. Arrogance and self-righteousness
13. Foolishness (poor judgment)

Verse 23. All these evil.
Yes.
He said evil.
All 13 listed He, GOD, called them EVIL.

And did you notice the list begins with thoughts?
We have to think it, to do it.
Perhaps the most damming thing we think is that these 13 things are not evil.

What is evil anyway?

Well, man’s dictionary defines it this way:

wicked, bad, wrong, morally wrong, wrongful, immoral, sinful, ungodly, unholy, foul, vile, base, ignoble, dishonorable, corrupt, iniquitous, depraved, degenerate, villainous, nefarious, sinister, vicious, malicious, malevolent, demonic, devilish, diabolic, diabolical, fiendish, heinous, odious, contemptible, horrible, execrable, lowdown, stinking, dirty, shady, warped, bent, crooked; archaic dastardly, egregious, flagitious  source

Get the idea?

Back to verse 23. All these evil things come from within us.
Does that mean, if we do these things, these things are IN us? That our inner being is evil?

Would GOD lie? The Bible says He cannot lie.  (See Titus 1:2)

Let us let that simmer for a while.
Because I know the story does not end here!! :) 

Do you?