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The issue of defiling (Mk 7:1-23)
(eating with “defiled hands”)
Conflict immediately arose after recording how popular Jesus became among the people (Mark 6:56). The arguments were usually raised by the scribes and the Pharisees, in that Jesus always broke their religious traditions and rebuked them for distorting the true meaning of God’s commandments.
Now the focus is on the issue of “defile”. As usual, the Pharisees and the scribes loved to pick the faults of Jesus’ disciples. In Mark 2, the disciples were questioned on the issue of “not fasting” and “picking ears of corn” on the Sabbath. Now they were blamed for not washing hands before taking meals. They took bread with so-called “defiled hands” (v2), breaking “the tradition of the elders” (v3). The Pharisees and the scribes argued directly with Jesus, “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” (v5). More information of the tradition of the elders about eating was given by the author in verses 3-4: they have the practice of washing hands before eating. Especially when they return from dirty places like the market, they even have to “wash” (洗浴) their bodies before taking meals. Not only their hands, but the vessels for the meal are also washed thoroughly, such as cups, pots, brazen vessels, tables etc. The tradition is kept mainly for sanitary purpose.
(Man’s tradition overrides God’s commandment)
This time Jesus answered back harshly by calling them hypocrites. He pinpointed their wrong emphasis on the outside but neglecting the inside—lip service rather than out of a sincere heart: “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (v6-7). Jesus was quoting Isa 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men(不過是領受人的吩咐).” We have to examine ourselves whether we have committed the same religious errors—only lip service without heartful service.
In fact, Jesus rebuked them that they were concerned for human tradition more than God’s commandment: “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups.” (v8) They lifted up human tradition to override God’s commandment. More seriously, they kept the human tradition at the cost of disobeying God’s commandment: “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” (v9) Then he cited the example of their breaking Moses’ law of honoring the parents. They set aside as an offering for God the portion that was reserved for taking care of their parents and then said to their parents, “It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me (我所當奉給你的，已經作了『各耳板』（『各耳板』就是『供獻』的意思）.” (v11) They used this excuse to “exempt” from the responsibility of taking care of their parents forever: “he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother(以後你們就不容他再奉養父母).” (v11-12) What a perfect excuse! The treasure is dedicated to God; no more is left for their parents. Offering to God is of course more important than offering to the parents. This is undoubtedly hypocrisy. It is similar to offering our contribution to church and we say to our parents that we are no longer responsible for bearing their living expenses. Thus we become the hypocrites. Jesus said to them, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (v13) Jesus cited only one example, but they had numerous similar traditions that made God’s commandments ineffective. The Pharisees not only nullified God’s commandment but virtually replaced it with men’s tradition—“teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (v7). In other words, they turned man’s traditions into divine doctrines and commanded the people to observe these “doctrines” as a symbol of honouring God. The ignorant people were totally misguided by their instructions! No wonder their hypocrisy drew the harsh criticism of Jesus.
(Hands defiled or person defiled, which is more critical?)
Washing hands is only an outward manner, but dishonoring the parents is an inward issue of the heart. Such an excuse of freeing themselves from the burden of taking care of their parents is a reflection of an evil heart. Defiled (or unwashed) hands (v2) can at most affect our body’s health. Moreover, the food that we intake will eventually be excreted out of our body: “whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man…into the belly, and goeth out into the draught (又落到茅廁裡).” (v18-19). The key issue that Jesus emphasized is things that can “defile the man” (this phrase is repeated by Jesus for five times: v15x2, 18, 20, 23). The food, or dirt in the hands, that comes from “without” (v15, 18) will not defile the man. However, all the “evil things” (v23) that come from “within” or “come out of” the heart (v15, 20, 21, 23)—including the things that Jesus listed in verses 21 & 22 such as “evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness (淫蕩), an evil eye(嫉妒), blasphemy, pride, foolishness(狂妄)”) —can defile the man (v15,20,23). I Samuel 16:7 says, “for the Lord seeth not as man seeth (耶和華不像人看人); for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” This word is spoken by God Himself to Samuel. The psalmist says in Psalm 139 as he examines his own heart, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) These Bible verses really worth our meditation again. Our evil thoughts, which though have not yet turned into evil acts, can be regarded as “wicked way” already in God’s sight. Jesus says in Matt 5:28, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Jesus’ brother James also says, “when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15) Therefore, we should not allow our evil thoughts to tarry in our hearts; we must discard them as soon as we can. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (你要保守你心，勝過保守一切，因為一生的果效，是由心發出。)” This is in fact what Jesus is teaching here.
In addition, the Pharisees and the scribes placed man’s tradition over God’s commandment and, thus, erased the meaning of love behind God’s law. Their misconduct deserves our reflection. Many a time we care the sacred rituals far more than our inner motives. Sometimes when we are concerned for the church operation, we pay more attention to the structure, management, programmes, etc but forget to examine our hearts to see if we have Christ’s love as our basis to manage the issue. Or, we stress more of spiritual gifts but less of the basic element of the spiritual gifts, which is ‘love’. In I Corinthians, although Paul encourages us to “covet earnestly the best gifts”, he immediately follows by saying, “and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” (I Cor 12:31) What is the “more excellent way”? It is ‘love’ that is described in the whole Chapter 13. There Paul not only explains to us what ‘love’ is all about, he also stresses the importance of ‘love’ at the end of the chapter. Out of the three basic elements of Christian faith: faith, hope and charity (love), “the greatest of these is charity (‘love’, NRSV)” (13:13).
Matt 22:35-40 records, “a lawyer, asked him (Jesus) a question, tempting him, and saying, ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ ” The meaning behind God’s law is to love God and to love man, and both complement each other. This is the key point that Jesus brought forth to correct the inherent problems of “the tradition of the elders”.