Mark 7

In Mark 7 the Pharisees questioned Jesus as to why His disciples did not wash their hands before eating. Knowing the Pharisees this was probably a technicality that they were trying to make a big deal about. It doesn't say what the disciples were eating, or if their hands were dirty - just that they didn't meet some standard of ceremonial cleansing that the Pharisees insited on.

Jesus's response hints at the the nit-picking nature of the Pharisees question. They are only trying to honor God in appearance, but their hearts are not focused on God's law - rather their hearts are focused on their own law. And Jesus points out how the Pharisees commit even worse offences against God than someone simply not washing their hands because the Pharisees will take a family's wealth and leave the elderly destitute.

Jesus explained to the disciples that the heart of God's law is not about what you put into your body, but what comes out of your heart. There are laws in the Old Testament about what foods they should not eat, and what processes they should go through to keep themselves clean - but those are for their health and well-being, not for some empty ritual. If you actually dig into the laws about unclean food and purification, and consider those laws in light of the living conditions of the Israelites at that time you will find that those laws were very practical and beneficial for them. Over time, though, the religious leaders twisted those laws into legal and religious rituals.

Then Jesus went to a different place and it seems like He was needing some rest because He didn't want anyone to know where He was. Someone found Him, though, and Her faith is a great example to us. She asked Jesus to do something He was already doing everywhere He went - cast out a demon from a child. Jesus denied her request, not just by saying no, but by calling her and her child dogs. Rather that turn away insulted or dejected she persisted and humbly accepted His insult, and Jesus granted her request. We must be willing to be humble before the Lord when we ask Him for things. It's not that He is not able to grant our requests - but what is our heart attitude toward Him when we ask? Don't approach Jesus as a magic geanie who is always there to grant your wishes, but as your Lord at whose feet you gladly sit.

Then Jesus left that region and went across the sea again back into gentile territory. By this time, the man who had the legion of demons cast out of him into the pigs would have been spreading word about Jesus around the region. So when Jesus arrived they recognized Him and brought Him a man that nobody else could have healed. Jesus made the man able to hear and speak, and this would have been a powerful confirmation to the people in that region of any of the stories they might have heard from the man that had the demons cast out.