There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."

He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many other such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"    When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

- Mark 7:1-23

Yesterday, we read that when evening came, the boat carrying the disciples was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land, where He had remained behind to pray (see Thursday's reading).  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many other such things you do."   At issue here is conflict between the "traditions of men" (that is, traditions built up in interpretations of the Law) and the Law itself, the commandments given to Moses.  Jesus is saying that these are in conflict, and that the religious leadership prefers these precepts developed in the "tradition of the elders" over the Law itself.   The Pharisees and scribes held these traditions to be as authoritative as the Law, and in fact in practice they could supersede it.   Jesus gives the example of Corban, an offering promised to God in a way that allowed property or earnings to be used by the owner, but no one else could thereby use them, including parents.  My study bible says, "Secondary traditions such as this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is contained in God's commandments."  The implication of Christ is clear:  the human traditions are used in contradiction to God's commands.  In this example, the tradition clearly emphasizes the human flaws of greed and selfishness, rather than the commandments which uphold community.   The tradition has distanced people from God.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"    When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   My study bible says, "Food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things [which Jesus names here] are not from God, and these are what defile a person."

It's an essential part of Christian heritage for us to understand what Christ is saying here, and what my study bible says about things that are created by God.  We have to recall the time when Christianity was founded, particularly in the context of the varied philosophies and practices of the time based on the idea that all "matter" was base, and it was "spirit" that was good.  The bible talks about what is worldly, and the things of the "flesh," not to indicate that the things of the body are base or bad -- but rather to teach us about a life where the only thing we consider is the body separate from God.  The distinction is between a purely materialistic perception, and one that is "whole," if you will; that is,  a life in which communion and community involve God in all things.  It is in this sense of wholeness and healing that the things which are created by God are good:  everything is made for glory.  This is the traditional teaching of the Church.  Christ's healing ministry, even His very presence in the world as incarnate human being, gives us exactly what wholeness is:  God with us.  His very incarnation teaches us about the essential goodness of the body and the things necessary for human life, even all things created by God, as my study bible puts it.  There is no division between spirit and matter in this point of view; there is only the danger of focus only on the material and excluding God from the full picture of our lives, our communities, our relationships, and all the rest of the things we do with our lives.  In this sense, true wholeness is right-relatedness, righteousness, with God -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- as mediator for all things.  It is interesting to look at the word that is translated as defile.  It literally means to "make common."  But its root is the same one that we use for "communion."  What it indicates is the stripping away of holiness, the taking away of God, making "profane" instead of sacred.  In Jesus' point of view, all these things that go into the mouth are created by God, and therefore cannot defile.  But what defiles is what we create that is not of God, out of "synch" with God's creation and creativity that is also within us and a part of our own capacity for creativity.  In this picture, we have capacity for what is good, and for what is not good, outside of the life that God calls us to, outside of communion with God.  And in this sense of things, both examples in today's reading, as given by Jesus, tie together.  We can use our possessions for good, to support life and true communion, as we are called by God to do.  Or they can be used for ill, to destroy the kind of relatedness that the commands given to Moses were meant to uphold.  There is a false dichotomy, in this given picture, between matter and spirit.  If we are really to understand Christianity, it is important that we see that.  The real conflict is between a life without God, and a life with God -- and we remember this includes the mysterious working of the Spirit in our midst, something we can't see or predict, but whose effects we know (John 3:8).  We have taught to us what many of these effects are:  "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  What we need for human life, a life lived in the joy of communion with God -- such as the fruits of the Spirit -- is all essentially good.  Jesus will be criticized time and again for the way His disciples enjoy life with Him, for the way in which He upholds life.  He is the One who made water into wine for a wedding feast.  Let us try to remember what it is that defiles, and what it is that makes truly holy.  Our goal as faithful is to be at that wedding feast of joy, true union with the Bridegroom.  It is what strips that joy from life that truly defiles.