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"And He [Jesus] called the people to Him again and said to them, 'Hear Me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.' And when He had entered the house and left the people, His disciples asked Him ... And He said to them, ... '"What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.'" (Mark 7:14-17a, 18a, 20b-23 ESV)
When I was young, I had a friend who was raped. I listened to her as she cried. It was painful. But the hardest part was when she expressed how guilty she felt—as if it were her fault that someone had attacked her; as if somehow she were responsible.
Absolutely she was not—the man who did the evil was 100 percent responsible for the crime. And yet, she felt guilty. It's what we call "false guilt," and it can be just as painful as the real kind. Plenty of people feel false guilt because something terrible happened, and though they could not stop it, they feel responsible. And they suffer.
If you struggle with false guilt—or if you aren't sure whether the guilt you feel is false or true—what can you do? How can you get rid of it? The same thing we do with all guilt—take it to Jesus. And the first thing He says to us is in the story we just read. Jesus says, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him"—nothing else. Nothing that happens to you from outside can make you unclean—not non-kosher food, not an attack by an evil person, not demonic possession, not being made the scapegoat by others for decisions that you didn't make. Understanding this can set a lot of us free from false guilt.
But what if that's not enough? What if we still feel guilty, in spite of logic? What if we worry that in some degree we consented to the evil, and we just can't be sure?
Jesus calls us to Him anyway. He says, "Come to Me. Bring your trouble with you. You don't need to carry it any longer or analyze your motives any further. Give it to Me, and I will deal with it, true or false." That is the whole reason for His cross and resurrection. He is the One Isaiah was talking about when he said, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ... He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4a, 5).
Whatever it is, don't carry it any longer. Put it down at the feet of Jesus. Let Him take care of it—and you.
We Pray: Lord, You know what I struggle with. Please take it away, and help me! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on August 30, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever struggled with false guilt?
2. If so, how did it affect your life?
3. What could you say to help someone find help and hope in Jesus?
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