The Pharisees Attack
7:1-5
This passage records a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees included some scribes. Scribes were teachers of the Jewish law. They had come from Jerusalem, indicating they were probably sent by the leaders of the Pharisees to confront and discredit Jesus.
The Pharisees saw that Jesus’ disciples ate without washing their hands. Mark said the Pharisees considered unwashed hands defiled. They confronted Jesus about it.
In verses 3-4, Mark explained to his Gentile (non-Jewish) readers the reason for the stance of the Pharisees. The “tradition of the elders” required washing of hands and other things. These traditions were rules added to the law of Moses (Torah).
They were originally passed down orally, but were later written by Rabbi Judah around the year 200. The written version is called the Mishna. At the time of this story, these rules would have been orally disseminated. The Pharisees considered them equally authoritative to scripture.
The law only required washing in two instances: (1) before the priests entered the tabernacle (Exodus 30:19); and (2) if one touched a bodily discharge (Leviticus 15:11).
Jesus’ Counter Attack #1
7:6-8
Jesus did not directly answer the question of the Pharisees. Instead, he counter-attacked their attitudes toward the law and their traditions. There are two attacks. Both begin with the phrase “and he said to them”. Both contain Old Testament quotes.
The first counter-attack is in verses 6-8. Jesus called them hypocrites. He then quoted Isaiah 29:13. In that verse, God rebuked the Israelites for their hypocrisy, saying they said the right words but their hearts were far from him.
They also elevated their man made rules above the doctrines\laws of God. Jesus applied this condemnation to the Pharisees, calling it a prophecy of them. He said they left the commandments, God’s law, for the traditions of men.
Jesus’ Counter Attack #2
7:9-13
In this section, Jesus gave a specific example of the way the Jews elevated their traditions above God’s law. He referred to God’s law concerning parents.
First, he referred to the 5th commandment “Honor your father and mother that you days may be long in the land the LORD you God is giving you”. (Exodus 20:12)
It is further explained in Exodus 21:12, which says “Whoever curses (or dishonors) his father or his mother shall be put to death.”
Despite their supposed piety, the Jews came up with a way around this. Instead to taking care of their elderly parents financially, they could declare that money as Corban. Mark again interpreted the meaning of the phrase, saying it means “dedicated to God”. (11)
In this case, the Jews had specifically put their traditions above God’s law and created a loop hole to avoid obeying God’s law.
How To Be Defiled
7:14-23
In this passage, Jesus returned to the issue of defilement. He called the people to him again. “The people” must mean those, other than the Pharisees, that were following him. It is to them that he will teach the truth, not those who only seek to attack him.
He began with “hear me, all of you, and understand”. (14) This indicates an important teaching is coming.
That teaching is that nothing outside a person defiles him by coming into the person. (15) Jesus was very clear and specific. Touching things, eating things, or drinking things do not cause defilement. It appears that those laws and rules of the Old Covenant no longer apply.
Jesus had already demonstrated that touching someone or something does not defile you. He touched a leper, a dead girl, and a bleeding woman.
What is true, in contrast, is that what comes out of a person is what caused defilement. (16)
Sadly, the disciples again did not understand. When they were alone with Jesus, they asked him about the meaning of his teaching. (17) Jesus seemed to be a little exasperated that they do not understand any more than the Pharisees did.
So, he explains that things you take in just pass on through and do not affect your heart. Mark added an explanation to make sure we understand that Jesus was declaring all foods clean. The laws of the Old Covenant regarding ritually clean and unclean things does not apply in the New Covenant.
Peter had to get the lesson again to understand that external things did not defile him. Acts 10 records Peter’s vision of clean and unclean animals. Peter maintained that he had still not eaten anything that the Old Covenant law said was unclean. He was told, three times, not to call anything unclean that God had made clean.
The meaning behind this vision was to prepare Peter to go and give the gospel to some Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. Before this teaching, Peter would have considered contact with Gentiles to make him unclean, despite the teaching of Jesus otherwise.
The reason that what comes out of a person may defile him or her is that it reveals the uncleanness of the persons heart. It reveals all sorts of evil thoughts and attitudes. Jesus gave a long list in verse 21.
All of these things come from within, not from without. And these are the things that defile us. That is why we must be changed. It is the doctrine of regeneration.
Regeneration is the spiritual change wrought in the heart of a person by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His Will (Matt. 19:28; John 3:3,5,7; Titus 3:5).
It extends to the whole nature of the person, altering his governing disposition, illuminating his mind, freeing his will, and renewing his nature.
Takeaways
God’s word is sufficient for Godliness.
We do not supersede God’s word with our rules.
God is more pleased with inward devotion than outward ceremonies.
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