“It is what comes out of a person that defiles.” (Mark 7:20) This was Jesus’ defence of his disciples’ eating with unwashed hands. The Gospel of Matthew makes this point quite concretely: “[T]o eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” (Matt 15:20) because all food are clean (see Mark 7:19). It is implied in the Bible that the Pharisees were not pleased with Jesus after hearing these comments. Jesus explained what he meant to his disciples: “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within. And they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23) What this means is that people care about the exterior while God looks inside our hearts. Being watchful of what we say and keeping silent are the first step toward achieving holiness. When one is appearing silent on the surface but is worried about everything inside, this person can hardly achieve a state of peace in the heart. Jesus’ way on this is very simple: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) When he was being tempted, Jesus replied with words from the Scripture: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God…Do not put the Lord your God to the test…Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” (Matt 2:1-11) If our own thinking is based on the words of God and we are careful of what we speak and do, then we can live a holy life.