Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. Mark 7, 15 - 16
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12th April In the cage 
A tiger is shut in a cage in the zoo. There is a notice: "Eats man". Somebody asks - Has it eaten men? - Never. - How do you know that it eats man? - Go into the cage and it will answer you! An honest man is like this tiger. His heart is in a cage where the bars are called: reputation, good habits, fear of punishment and tactfulness of conscience. |
All these things are excellent and human life would not be possible without them. However, there are fortuitous causes which are strong enough to break down the bars of the cage. These bars are desire, jealousy, anger, assurance of the secret or of impunity etc. Then one can see what the "good" heart is capable to do.
Human wickedness didn't have it's full measure in the wilderness but in a civilised and very religious country on earth. This country is called the Holy Land.
In order to understand the real feelings of man in regard to God one has to consider the cross of Jesus.
However, at the cross one also sees on the contrast the wonderful love of God who gave us in our hopeless state a wonderful cure: the atonement of the only righteous for our sins.