Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash [their] hands when they eat a meal.” 3 He said to them in reply, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” 6 need not honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said: 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’” 10 He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” 12 Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Then Peter said to him in reply, “Explain [this] parable to us.” 16 He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding? 17 Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.
Jesus first responded to the Pharisees and Scribes, then the crowd, and finally the Disciples. The Pharisees question Jesus about his disciples not following the tradition of the elders by washing their hands before eating. Jesus turned the question into a much broader discussion about what true defilement is. He accuses them of transgressing God’s law (the Torah) to comply with their traditions and rules which they believed were from God but handed down orally as rules and interpretations of the Torah. The Pharisees extended the purity regulations prescribed for priest (Ex. 30:17-21) to all Israelites. The Pharisees could circumvent the commandment to honor one’s mother and father (Ex. 20:12) by taking a vow dedicating their property to God – qorban (Mk. 7:11-12) thereby allowing them to avoid financially supporting their parents. Jesus explained to the crowd and to the disciples that it is what comes from the heart that defiles a person (vv. 10-11). Jesus did not address the issue of ritual hand washing but simply stated, “to eat with unwashed hands does not defile (v. 20).” Jesus told his disciples that many of the traditions and rules should be ignored (v. 14), and the early Church used this episode for guidance on how to respond to the oral rules and traditions of the Pharisees and scribes.
Almighty God, we were created in your image and our minds and hearts were pure. Our deepest yearning is to be with you and to serve you as you so desire. Grant us the grace to live our commandments in truth and with pure hearts. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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