Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

 In our society today, the aspirations seem to be able to gain great wealth and then retire in splendor until death. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him, "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not commit murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me." But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:18-25). Then of course their was this certain rich man. "Now there was this certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores." (Luke 16:19-21). We could imagine that Lazarus was probably not very clean and his clothes were in tatters, while shunned by many of the guests of the rich man as well as he himself.

 That brings us to our question, "What defiles the man?". We can look at another parable. A large landowner who had two sons and the younger asked that his portion of the estate be settled to him, and the father obliged him. He went off to a far country where he squandered his portion in loose living and found himself working as a servant feeding the swine pods that he longed to fill his own stomach with. Then he told himself that he could be living as a hired hand for his father and be fed better that he was, so he went back home, "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him , and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to his father, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, let us ear and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found' And they began to make merry." (Luke 15:11-24). When the other brother heard the commotion and inquired of it and was told what happened, he became angry And would not go in the house so his father implored him to, "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.' And he said to him, 'My child, you have always been with me, all is mine is yours. But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'" (Luke 15:25-32). Show mercy to receive mercy, forgive and you shall be forgiven (Luke 6:36-37).

 And so, for the answer to our question, we turn and read, "Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." (Matthew 15:11). So there we have the answer to our question, as it is the words that proceed out of the mouth of man defiles him, and not the dirt that may be on him!

Let us guard the things we say and what we do in this life, not showing personal favoritism (James 2:1-4), but walking and talking as He walked. But remember, "No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? " (James 3:8-11). Let us be on guard constantly for life!