What comes out of a man, that defiles 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 his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many 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 the 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 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, after the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  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 his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   My study bible suggests that the issue here is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which Jesus most certainly doesn't prohibit (Matthew 5:17-19, 23:23).  The real issue here is setting human tradition which is contrary in practice to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law.  For the Pharisees and the scribes this tradition of the elders was as authoritative as the Law, and often superseded it.  It was their tradition.  In accordance with it, offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in such a way so that property or earnings could still be used for oneself during one's lifetime -- and were excluded for anyone else's use, including parents, as in Christ's example.  My study bible comments that secondary traditions like these obscured the primary tradition of the Law, contained in God's commandments.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13. 

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 the 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 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 comments here that food does not defile a person, because it is created by God, and is therefore pure.  Evil things are not from God, and these are what defile a person.

One important thing to note in today's reading is how Jesus defends His own disciples when they are criticized by others, and corrects them in private.  He really goes on the offensive, so to speak, when the Pharisees and scribes criticize the disciples because they haven't performed a ceremonial washing.  But Jesus will always remind us of the primary aims of the Law, and the true love of God.  He does not tear down the Law given to Moses by God, but rather asserts what He says of Himself in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 5:17-19), that He has come to fulfill the Law.  He comes, as the prophets who were sent before Him, to draw people back to God, to remind us of the love of God, and what that love of God means in terms of our behavior toward one another.  The real heart of our understanding of how we are to regulate our behavior in this world in accordance with the will of God is understanding what evil is and what it does.  Foods to eat cannot in and of themselves be evil.  The good things of creation cannot be inherently evil.  But we can define evil in terms of a spiritual battle, a theme which is always, so far, either overtly or subtly behind everything we've read in Mark's Gospel.  There are "two kingdoms" seemingly at war here, although to really understand what evil is, we go to the Patristic tradition of the Church, and come to understand evil not as an equal force, but rather the absence of the good.  In other words, where we ignore God or choose to defy what we know of God's love and the teachings that stem from this love, there we find evil.  Jesus cites the things that are evil which may be found within human beings.  He says, "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 things that Christ names are the things we find where we ignore or defy what we know of God, where selfishness (in the sense of the absence of the love of God in our choices) comes first.  Moreover, a loving God asks us always to return to that love, and extends to us mercy and forgiveness.  So much, in Christ's teaching, comes down to the heart, the true inner self of a human being, because that is the place where we allow God to dwell within us, or we shut the love of God out.  Even in terms of a broader spiritual battle (such as the temptations offered to Christ by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13), Jesus' repeated response is simply to invoke the love of God as that which guides all choices.  When Jesus performs exorcisms in the Gospels, the demons are forces that defy God, yet they have no power against Christ and must obey His direct commands.  In other words, even in the direct expressions of the demonic, or of the evil one, the Gospels tell us a story about hearts and minds, about choices regarding the love of God.  This is what it all comes down to, as Jesus will teach when He's asked what are the greatest commands of the Law (see Matthew 22:36-40,Mark 12:28-34).  This is what we need always to remember for ourselves.  It is what it all boils down to.  It is why the practice of constant prayer is so important.  In order to find our way in life, we need the discipline that keeps us in the right place and on the right road.  It is why, if we are serious about our faith, we learn to "guard the heart" by coming to know ourselves better, by observing our own thoughts and impulses, coming to terms with our own internal weaknesses and temptations, and seeking a humility that asks of us dependence upon God, knowing how grace can be at work in us and helping us through all things.  This is where we start:  with the love we know of God, and in the love we may return and share, in which we can participate and commune (1 John 4:19).  Let us start with Christ who came to be one of us simply so that we may know this truth.  Let us consider His deep loyalty to His disciples, and how we share in that love.  Let us remember God.