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 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 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 this 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 a defile a man."

- Mark 7:1-23

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus had sent the disciples off across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida, and He went to the mountain to pray, when evening came, 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 tells us that the issue here is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which Jesus never prohibits (Matthew 5:17-19, 23:23).  What is at issue is the setting of human tradition which is contrary to the tradition of God, as Christ points out here.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law, which the Pharisees and the scribes held as authoritative as the Law, and often superseded it.  Therefore, in Jesus' example, according to this tradition offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for anyone else -- including parents.  My study bible notes that secondary traditions such as this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is contained in God's commandments.  

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 this 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 a defile a man."  My study bible explains that food cannot 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.

It's interesting to observe Jesus' actions with regard to His followers, His disciples.  When they are criticized by the religious authorities, the Pharisees and the scribes, Jesus responds with a rigorous defense.  And as we may observe in other passages, He does so not simply by defending them, but by going on the offense.  He responds with His own criticisms of the practices of the religious leaders and their hypocrisy.  As is also consistent in Jesus' teachings, and especially in His criticism of the religious leadership, there are two important points to the criticism.  First of all, placing the desires of men (the tradition of the elders) above the desires of God (as taught by the Law).  And secondly and concurrently, the fact that God's Law is made through compassion, whereas the desires of human beings -- even couched in tradition -- reflect hidden motivations of selfishness, and run contrary to God's love and mercy which is the intent of the Law.  The Law was given to create community, right relatedness, and any tradition that obscures this aim runs contrary to the intentions of God.  Therefore Jesus states that a primary commandment, to honor one's father and mother, cannot be superseded by regulations regarding giving.  Let us keep in mind the dependency of elderly parents upon their children at this time.  There were no pension systems, but people -- as is true throughout history -- were dependent upon their children in their old age.  To prevent one's own income from being used to help support one's parents when elderly is a kind of hard-heartedness, even if for stated good intentions such as a gift to the temple.  Moreover, Jesus also teaches the crowds in today's reading, and goes yet further in His criticism of the leaders, based on their own criticism of His disciples who have not practiced ceremonial washing.  It is not food that spiritually defiles human beings.  It is rather that which "comes out" of human beings which is defiling.  This somewhat poetic and cryptic statement is explained more deeply in private to His disciples.  If we take in a food that isn't good for us, the body rids us of it.  But the issue here -- as was mentioned, interestingly, in yesterday's reading regarding the apostles hearts that could not take in the miracle of the loaves -- is precisely the human heart.  Do foods enter the heart?  What is it that dwells in our hearts?  It is the things we harbor there, in our center, that may come out of us to be expressed in the world which defile us:  evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  Through Christ's teaching, the Church historically has understood that a truly reflective life, mindful of what is in our hearts, becomes His command.  More than outward appearances, the essential importance of care of the heart becomes the standard and the norm in Christ's teaching.  His harshest criticisms are for the hypocrisy of the leadership, which couches these "evil things" that proceed out of the heart behind a formal observance of Law and tradition.  Jesus calls us to a deeper practice of humility before God, a deeper union with Creator than an appearance-based understanding of how we are taught to live.  This is not to throw away the law or even tradition, but to find a deeper and greater understanding of union and obedience before Creator.  He expresses a profound compassion and love as the currency of relation and communion with God, one which holds the "praise of men" to be secondary.  John's Gospel tells us that "even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  Today's many versions of political or social correctness may also serve to mask hypocrisy, focusing attention on particular outward appearances and even usage of particular words, rather than the compassion and sincerity of the heart.   Perhaps that should not surprise us in a time when a deep love of God is something that is "optional" and extraneous to modern social norms.  We are going to worship or serve something as human beings, whether or not we are conscious of the needs of the soul to do so.  The importance, then, of a consciousness of the heart becomes all the more important, and a value that we should not lose.  Let us consider the cruelties that are covered up through an emphasis on outward appearance, the "little things" that slip out from us when our only concern is conformity.  It takes courage to love God with all one's heart and mind and soul and strength, and to live life in the world accordingly (Mark 12:30-31).  The Scriptures are filled with people who throughout history have embodied that courage; sooner or later there is always conflict with "the world."  Let us consider the state of our hearts, the love of God that may fill us and cleanse, the virtue that heals the world through this depth of the place of the soul.