When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19 since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 “But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21 From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23 All these evils come from within and they defile.”
After Jesus’ discourse with the Pharisees and Scribes about the traditions of the Jewish elders, he went home and when he was alone with the disciples they asked him to explain the parable he had just told to the crowd. Jesus challenged the disciples’ ability to understand and explained that food or anything external to the body cannot, by itself, defile a person spiritually. It does not enter into man’s heart which was considered the seat of man’s learning, morality, wisdom, and thinking. Jesus made a distinction between physical and spiritual purity. What one consumes does not impact the purity of one’s heart.
Jewish dietary laws and traditions emphasized external ritual purity and cleanliness. Certain foods were considered unclean according to the Mosaic Law (Lev. 11, Deut. 14). The restrictions were intended to symbolize spiritual purity and separation from impurity. By declaring all foods clean Jesus challenged the traditional dietary regulations. It was a profound departure from the Jewish dietary laws and foreshadowed the inclusion of non-Jews in the Kingdom of God. Jesus introduced a new and radical teaching that challenged the distinction made by both the Mosaic Law and the Pharisaic tradition between clean and unclean foods. The implications and practical application of Jesus' teaching were evident when Peter received divine instructions to eat animals that had been deemed unclean according to Jewish dietary laws (Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-10). Jesus provided an interpretation of the Law for religious leaders who were not adhering to it as intended by God, emphasizing that he did not come to invalidate the Law (Mt. 5:17).
Jesus told the disciples that moral impurity originates from within, from the thoughts, desires, and intentions of the individual, and gave examples of the types of impurities that arise from within a person. Such vices reflect a corrupted heart and a departure from God's will. True defilement originates from within a person.
Almighty God, help us to understand that spiritual purity comes from our hearts, and guide us in cultivating thoughts, desires, and intentions that are pleasing to you. Grant us the grace to turn away from all forms of moral impurity and to strive for righteousness in all aspects of our lives. 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.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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