After He called
the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to me, all of
you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if
it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile
the man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." When he had left the
crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not
understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,
because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated
into the toilet, making all foods clean?” And He was saying, "That which
proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of
the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders,
adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality,
envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within
and defile the man."
Jesus is concluding the discussion that he has had with
the scribes and Pharisees concerning the traditions of men and the commandments
of God. He offers a mystery to the
crowds—as was his normal mode (see Mark 4:11-12). He summarizes his understanding of purity—the
outside coming in does not defile, but the inside coming out. The disciples understood this no better than
the crowds. Jesus seemed surprised and
upset at the disciples lack of understanding.
He expected them to understand better than the crowds, even though he
did not explain. This attitude to the
disciples is found elsewhere, and it increases throughout the book of Mark,
until it reaches a climax in 8:17-21.
Purity laws in Judaism—whether in the law of Moses or in the traditions
of the elders—all have to do with what one touches or eats. Jesus had already spoken above about the
washing of hands and how it is unnecessary to obey God’s commands (Mark
7:5-7). Indirectly, he spoke to the
issue of the impurity of a person because of what one touched, implying that
just because you might have touched something unclean, that did not defile the
person before God. Here he speaks more
directly on the issue of eating that which is impure.
Jesus said that the food one eats just passes
through one, so it cannot make one unclean.
The food is clean, not because it is excrement (for human excrement is
considered impure—Deuteronomy 23:12-14; Ezekiel 4:12-15), but because is passed
all the way through the body, without effecting the central part of the
soul—the heart. Jesus is saying that it
is not what one touches or what one eats that is significant, but the intent
with which they do so. Thus sin does not
initiate from outside, but from inside a person—with thoughts, intents and
desires And it is acting on evil
thoughts or intentions which separates one from God—which makes one
defiled.
At the end of this section,
Jesus gives a list of sins that are offensive to God and will separate one from
him. Vice lists are common in the New
Testament (e.g. Romans 1:29-31; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8) and have
many things in common. The vice lists
that Jesus uses in other places are based on the ten commandments (e.g. Mark
10:19), but this one is more comprehensive, listing sins that are not only in
the ten commandments (thefts, murders, adulteries, coveting) as well as others,
all of which are described in the books of Moses (Evil intent-- Exodus 10:10; Slander— Genesis
27:35; Leviticus 19:16; Sensuality-- II Peter 2:7 [referring to the men of
Sodom]; Evil eye—Genesis 34:2; Blasphemies—Leviticus 24:11-16;
Prideful/defiant-- Numbers 15:30; Foolishness— Deut 22:21). They are describing the acts of those who are
not to be allowed to remain among God’s people—which is the purpose of all the
vice lists.
"Cleanliness is next to godliness" is a cliche, which has been assumed untrue by many, but assumed true by many of our actions. It is amazing how we in middle class society see people as morally or spiritually unclean because they have a hard time cleaning their body. If a person enters a church smelling funny or visibly dirty, then they sit in the back, or are given "dirty"looks. If a person has lice or scabies, it is assumed that they didn't clean enough, even though studies show that isn't true.
In our age, being dirty is associated with being of a lower class, which is associated with being unspiritual or even immoral. The homeless and the mentally ill are considered to need "evangelism", although they are in no less need of it than the middle or upper classes. This is less because of the lack of cleanliness itself than because of the assumption that people who struggle to eat must have spiritual problems, although Jesus said that his family would be people who have problems finding enough to eat or drink or clothes or who are in prison.
Jesus is saying that we need to stop looking at the outward appearance, the physical actions of people, but instead look at the intent of one's heart. So often we see "rule breakers" or even law-breakers as the problem in our society, when it is really those who break love. Those who follow love and grace are often those who are breakers of policies and rules because human need cannot fit into a rule.
And men's evil cannot be ruled- or lawed-away, either. Evil exists in the most pristine of churches, because it travels in the hearts of people, where it cannot be seen. We cannot be rid of other's evil. All we can do is examine ourselves, and discover our own evil. And it is only God who can rid us of it.
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