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 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, the boat in which the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land, praying on the mountain.  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 notes here that the issue is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions; Jesus does not prohibit such (Matthew 5:17-19, 23:23).  At issue here is when human tradition is set contrary to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law, my study bible explains, which for the Pharisees and the scribes was as authoritative as the Law and frequently superseded it.  In accordance with this tradition, offerings (which were called Corban) could be promised to God so that property or earnings could still be used for oneself during one's lifetime, but not for anyone else, including parents.  These secondary traditions, my study bible notes, obscure the primary tradition of the Law, contained in God's commandments.  As will be the hallmark of Christ's response to the Pharisees and scribes, He criticizes them for their hypocrisy and therefore failure of true priorities.

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 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."   Here 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 those are what defile a person. 

Jesus gets down to brass tacks, so to speak.  He levels the playing field with His criticisms that bare what is real and what is not, what counts, and what is extraneous criticism just for the sake of criticizing.  Again, we find ourselves in a place today where the world is faced with a pandemic, and all kinds of responses are possible.  With Jesus, we always see the emphasis on what is entirely real and valuable, what counts and what matters the most.  Moreover, His entirely helpful emphasis on what is truly defiling and what is not makes us focus.  What are we doing that is harmful?  Do we influence others in a bad way, or do we help?  Today, in the midst of fear of how we approach an epidemic of a virus, there is extreme emphasis on cleanliness, on our need to protect one another, on avoiding contracting disease through sanitary and other protective practices.  But when these things become more important than understanding the character of hope and love, we lose our way.  What is truly defiling and what is not?  Do we lose ourselves in the frenzy of the time, or do we focus on what is important for ourselves as persons?  We should not lose track of the things that are really meaningful at this time, the things that uplift, and the things that destroy.  Too much useless criticism, for the sake of criticizing, or merely for political or personal gain, only adds fuel to the fire. It adds to the stress of time, and tears down our capacity for hope.  There are those who might take advantage of such a time of uncertainty and its accompanying temptations, manipulating others for gain.  But if we pay attention to the priorities here given by Christ, we will stand in good stead throughout this period of time.  What really defiles us?  Jesus names evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All of these things may be temptations to weaknesses at this time.  And note especially the focus of Jesus, which reinforces our Lenten concerns:  the focus is not on what is going on outside of us, for that cannot make us spiritually impure or defiled.   Jesus' focus is on what comes from within and proceeds outward.  Are we watching our own speech, or how we contribute to the time?  Are we caring and concerned?  Are we taking advantage to vent and tear apart?  Are we uncaring and callous, do we treat those who love us with neglect?  What is really the fallout of such a time for us, and what does it teach us?    In this time of unprecedented attention to what might come to us from outside of ourselves, let us follow Jesus' words and pay extra attention to the things that come from inside of us.  Let us focus on what we can do from our own resources to positively affect our surroundings and the atmosphere of this time.  In the Gospels, the difficulties endured by the disciples, such as the windstorm in yesterday's reading (above), are seen as experiences which work to strengthen their faith, to build their character, and their reliance upon and dedication to Christ.  Let us consider this time as another such trial or temptation, and see what we can do to endure the test, to build strength through the struggle, and especially to refocus on building our faith and the ways that we handle things according to Christ's word.  In the end, that's all we have to combat invisible enemies -- no matter what they may be.  For that builds the character and an environment of resourcefulness, good cheer, endurance, creativity, and inner strength to do what we need to do now.  Let us build up and not deplete, let us find the best way forward, His way, right now.