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

 

 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 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 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 of the disciples was in the middle of the sea; and Christ was alone on the land, where He had remained to pray 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 other such things you do."   My study Bible comments that the issue here is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which Christ certainly does not prohibit (Matthew 5:17-19; 23:23).  What is, in fact, at issue here is setting human tradition contrary to the tradition of God, as Christ says.  The tradition of the elders, my study Bible explains, is a body of interpretations of the Law, which for the Pharisees and the scribes was as authoritative as the Law, and frequently superseded it.   In 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 says that secondary traditions such as this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is 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 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 that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things, such as are named here by Christ, are not from God -- and these are what defile a person.  

If we consider the topic of healing, as we did in yesterday's commentary, we might observe that once again, Jesus is giving us aspects of Himself as Physician, and what it means for us to heal and find salvation.  This is made explicitly clear when He distinguishes the difference between the traditions around washing and food consumption, and what truly defiles a person in spiritual terms.  Overall, He makes the distinction in today's reading between the commandments of God and the traditions of human beings.  Whatever good we derive from human traditions, it does not supersede the things that come from God, the divine action of grace, the Holy Spirit and God's action in the world.  Jesus makes a perfect example out of the tradition of Corban, and the treatment of parents -- who, at Christ's time, had no sort of social payment system to rely on but had primarily to rely on children and extended family if they were dependent.  (As an aside, we might note how Christ, in this strong criticism, is defending His disciples against the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes.)  We can watch our diet, we can be proud of the discipline we have, for example, in fasting, or in ways in which we follow social custom.  But there is nothing that supersedes the word of God and the commandments of God, especially in terms of our salvation and that which heals us and gives good spiritual health in God's sight.  For, as we repeatedly are given to understand, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  We note that Jesus quotes from the prophesy of Isaiah in which God declaims, "But their heart is far from Me."  As Jesus will do several times in the Gospels (most notably in Matthew 23), Jesus condemns hypocrisy.  Yet even this condemnation we must see through the lens of Christ as the great Physician, our Savior who heals us.  We must come to know hypocrisy as a true corrupter and poisoner of our souls, and something that provides a deep interference to salvation.  For without honesty about where our hearts truly are -- and how far or near they are to God and the love of God -- without this deepening of faith, we will not heal.  We will not be healed in the spiritual sense that Christ's salvation provides.  How can we, without being truly honest with ourselves, deepen our faith, and come to Christ in all humility?  This is vehemently stated in today's reading, as Christ gives His scathing criticism to the religious leaders.  But in effect it is teaching us about what we need for healing, what truly "defiles" and corrupts -- and we must see this in the nature of salvation and Christ's efforts to save.  We cannot deepen our faith without understanding this, and everything -- especially our healing and salvation -- depends on that movement toward Christ, our hearts drawing close to God.  Let us take it all "to heart" and understand more comprehensively Christ's healing mission in all its dimensions for us.