Mark 7:14-19 14And calling the crowd to himself again, he said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile the person.”
Jesus shifted his focus from the Pharisees and scribes to the crowd of people who were listening to the dialogue. He wanted them to understand what he had been saying. Mark records only one simple statement Jesus made to the people. There was no long speech but the critical issue. The timeless principle he gives in verse 15 is important for every generation. He redefines the concept of unclean. “Unclean” is not a matter of physical ritual but of heart attitude. First Maccabees 1:62-63 records how seriously the Jews took eating kosher food: “But many in Israel stood firm and resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.” Things did not make a person unclean; only persons can be defiled. This idea was revolutionary to the Jews.
Verse 16 is a textual variant missing in the best and earliest manuscripts. It is not included in most modern translations. , included in some manuscripts. It simply reaffirms the importance of Jesus’ statement like in 4:9, 23: If you have ears, then listen to what I am saying to you.
The Jews attempted to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. The Pharisees and scribes majored in minor issues and missed the most important matters. People who seek to live holy have the tendency to become legalistic. Legalism focuses on outward actions and can blind the pious to the need for inner heart cleansing by the Holy Spirit. The pendulum can swing the other direction and misinterpret Jesus’ statement to mean that it does not matter what we eat or drink at all. Food is neutral and created by God. As Paul the Apostle points out in 1 Corinthians 8-10, what we eat and drink can have significant social and spiritual impact on others. What Jesus says must be interpreted within the context of the controversy with the Jewish representatives from Jerusalem.
Purity must begin with the heart and not ritual. Jesus’ statement broke down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles by showing that what really matters is a person’s heart. Mark’s Gospel would have a profound influence on the church as it became more Gentile. What is recorded here is fully consistent with what other early Christians like Paul were teaching and writing (Ephesians 2:14-16).
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