On the Road to a Better Me

I don’t remember who said it, or when they said it, but what they said regarding the numbering of scripture passages, which often makes little sense, was that it was done by someone while riding a horse. The reality is only slightly different.

The Bible texts were divided into chapters and verses to facilitate reference and citation. The verse numbering of the Old Testament done by Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, in the early 13th century.

The credit for chapter divisions in the New Testament goes to Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro in the 13th century, and the system of verse numbering in the New Testament was developed by Robert Estienne (aka. Stephanus) in the 16th century. Later, after Stephanus death, his son Henri tells us that his father put in the numbers while traveling “inter equitandum” which has been taken to mean “while riding [on horseback]”.

That it often makes little sense is because today, we read the Bible in English, but the chapter and verse references were applied in several different languages – Hebrew, Greek and Latin – and phraseology doesn’t transition linearly. Eugene H. Peterson, who authored The Message, had to struggle with this when going back into the original texts to create his modern language paraphrasing, and his solution is to group sections.

In the passages that follow, I present Mark 7:14-23, from both The Message [Message] and the New American Standard Bible [NASB], which is my go-to for study. The numbering problem becomes immediately evident in that neither gives language for verse 16 which, in the current King James version, reads “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”.

Now, to the message for today – and it’s a powerful message that amplifies the meaning of free will, which gives us the control over our beliefs and behaviors.

In these texts, Jesus is speaking to Jews, and in Judaism, the dietary laws are known as Kashrut. They prohibit the consumption of certain items such as pork and shellfish, and meat and dairy products should not be mixed, and kosher slaughter and preparation practices must be followed.

In Islam, dietary laws are outlined in the Quran, and the consumption of pork and its by-products is strictly prohibited. Halal (permissible) meat must be prepared through specific methods, and alcohol is also prohibited.

Hinduism has various dietary restrictions depending on personal beliefs and sects. Many Hindus are vegetarian and avoid consuming beef because the cow is considered sacred. Some also avoid eating pork and certain types of fish.

The issue however is not what goes into one’s mouth, but what comes out. We have freewill in both but exercising it in regard to what we say is most important.

• ^14-15 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Listen now, all of you—take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.” [Message]
• ¹⁴ After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person.” [NASB]

For some unknown reason, the people he is addressing don’t understand (or don’t want to). What we speak is the most powerful representation of who we are, and most of us know that once something is said, it is close to impossible to take it back. So part of defining ourselves to others is self control of our mouths.

• ¹⁷ When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, “We don’t get it. Put it in plain language.”
  ^18-19 Jesus said, “Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you see that what you swallow can’t contaminate you? It doesn’t enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed.” (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.) [Message]
• ¹⁷ And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thereby He declared all foods clean.) [NASB]

Then Jesus elaborates on his message by enumerating the things that come out of mankind’s hearts.

• ^20-23 He went on: “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.” [Message]
• ²⁰ And He was saying, “That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person.  ²¹ For from within, out of the^]hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, ²² deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile the person.” [NASB]

It’s completely up to us to control what goes “in” as well as what comes “out” – I don’t think I need to expand on that. Without conscious effort we become a product of the environment that we choose. I guess this is where I can quote the missing verse – “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”.

Lord Jesus, I pray for your guiding strength in all that I do, and in all that I say. I ask that you make me a guiding light unto others to be better day by day, as I work to become a better me. In Jesus name, Amen.