Missing the obvious...

But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:15-20 ESV) We are not that different than Peter, often not understanding plain truth because we are set on thinking there must be another way. The Pharisees had the people of Israel so indoctrinated into the external that the eternal became unclear. So Jesus restates: "where do you think all this sinful action came from? Something you ate?" As strange as it may seem, yes, we often do think and act that way: we want to blame someone or something outside of ourselves for our sin. But we cannot. It comes from within, and can only be changed from within. And we cannot do it ourselves. We need Him.