14 And having called again the crowd, he said to them, Hear me, all [of you], and understand: 15 There is nothing from outside a man entering into him which can defile him; but the things which go out from him, those it is which defile the man. 16 If any one have ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Mark 7:14-16
Commentary on Mark 7:14-23
(Read Mark 7:14-23)
Our wicked thoughts and affections, words and actions, defile us, and these only. As a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so does a corrupt heart send forth corrupt reasonings, corrupt appetites and passions, and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God, and a sense of the evil of sin, will cause a man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within.