14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:
15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.”
Surrounded by the usual crowds, Jesus calls them closer to him give them a teaching, that on the face of it is a completely against what they already know. Up to this point, the areas of “new teachings” by Jesus exist within an facet of Jewish theology that was essentially non-existent, at least not authoritatively. The Kingdom of God was known about but the details were a total mystery. In other cases of teachings, Jesus correctly interprets the Mosaic Law more accurately than the teachers of his day. Now he is talking about food and the external cleanliness laws from the Torah. This area of Jewish belief was well expounded upon and had been applied rigidly.
Jesus overrides everything said about such rules of cleanliness, nothing that goes into a man can defile him. In the context of food this would mean the Kosher laws do not apply. This would be incredibly confusing to his listeners but that is because they do not understand Jesus’ authority, he isn’t just a wise rabbi, he is God incarnate and can declare earthly rules to be null if he wishes.
We should probably talk a little about what these laws were really about.
The dietary laws and sacrificial practices of the ancient Hebrews, as outlined in the Torah, were not merely about physical health or arbitrary restrictions. They served a profound theological purpose: to distinguish the Israelites from the surrounding cultures, particularly the Egyptians, Canaanites, and other Near Eastern societies. These laws and rituals were a means of reinforcing the Israelites’ monotheistic faith in Yahweh and preventing the adoption of idolatrous or pagan religious practices.
1. Egyptian Theology and Hebrew Sacrifice
The Israelites’ experience in Egypt deeply influenced their religious laws. In Egyptian theology, certain animals like cows, bulls, cats, and falcons were sacred and revered as manifestations of gods. For example, the Apis bull was considered divine, and cows were sacred to the goddess Hathor. In contrast, these same animals were central to Hebrew sacrificial worship. Bulls, sheep, and goats were sacrificed regularly, a practice that was not only ritual but a direct theological counterpoint to Egyptian animal worship. Yahweh’s command to offer these animals in daily sacrifices—such as the morning and evening lamb offerings—acted as a reminder to the Israelites that these creatures were not divine but were subject to the sovereignty of Yahweh. This practice rejected the Egyptian notion of animal divinity, reinforcing that only Yahweh, the Creator, was to be worshipped.
2. Canaanite Religious Practices and Hebrew Dietary Laws
The Canaanites, who lived alongside the Israelites, had their own religious customs that often involved animal worship and fertility rituals. A key example is the prohibition against boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk, found in Exodus and Deuteronomy, which scholars believe is a reaction against a Canaanite fertility ritual. The Canaanites may have used this practice in agricultural rites to ensure fertility, but Yahweh explicitly forbade it, emphasizing a rejection of Canaanite paganism and idolatry. This prohibition formed the basis for the broader kosher law against mixing meat and dairy, further separating the Israelites from their Canaanite neighbours.
The distinction between clean and unclean animals in Hebrew dietary laws also reflects this desire to differentiate from Canaanite and other pagan practices. Pigs, for example, were unclean for the Hebrews but may have had ritual significance for Canaanites and other Near Eastern cultures. By banning the consumption of pork, Yahweh further separated His people from these idolatrous practices.
3. Other Near Eastern Cultures and Animal Worship
Beyond Egypt and Canaan, other cultures in the ancient Near East, such as the Philistines, had deities associated with certain animals. The Philistine god Dagon, often depicted as part fish, provides a possible link to the Hebrew prohibition against eating fish without fins or scales. Shellfish and other unclean sea creatures may have had symbolic or religious significance in surrounding cultures, but they were forbidden by Yahweh as a way to maintain Israelite purity and prevent the adoption of foreign religious customs.
5. Summary: A Theological and Cultural Boundary
In essence, the dietary laws and sacrificial liturgies of the ancient Israelites were deeply rooted in theological distinctions designed to preserve the purity of their worship and their identity as Yahweh’s chosen people. By setting themselves apart from Egyptian, Canaanite, and other Near Eastern cultures, the Israelites rejected idolatry and animal worship, reinforcing their commitment to monotheism. The clean vs. unclean distinctions, the prohibition of certain rituals like boiling a goat in its mother’s milk, and the emphasis on blood as sacred all served to highlight Israel’s unique relationship with Yahweh, who alone was worthy of worship. These practices ensured that Israel remained spiritually distinct, rejecting the syncretism that often accompanied contact with neighbouring cultures.
God coming as Man marks the moment in salvation history where the image of God in humanity is to be raised up, this doesn’t make everyone automatically a good person but it gives everyone the opportunity to ascend higher into the beatific vision, communion with God. Now that man has been given a “higher rank” in the cosmological hierarchy of God’s creation, he is no longer bound by the training wheels of his preparation for this moment. Those training wheels being the Mosaic cleanliness laws.
Both the dietary laws and cleanliness laws are not equal to the Decalogue, those are eternally defined by God, that’s why “don’t eat cheeseburgers” were not inscribed on those tablets. Only the ten words, ten commandments were, rules that Jesus actually reinforces in his teachings as opposed to the training wheel rules that were a part of God’s divine pedagogical preparation of his people.
(16) “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear”
This verse is very interesting because of historical and manuscript reasons. On the face of it, its a common phrase we hear from Jesus that he repeats in his ministry several times, it essentially means “what I have said is cryptic, but if you understand, put it to use and take it in, also if you don’t understand, don’t stop those who do”. Pretty simple right? The complication is that although this is a common phrase, in this particular place it is not present in all ancient manuscripts, it is debated whether or not it genuinely is meant to be there and depending on which Bible you use, you might have no verse 16 at all, the RSVCE that I use for these commentaries skips straight to verse 17. Kind of quirky.
17 And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.
This verse lets us know Jesus’ location at this time, he is in Capernaum, “the house” would be Jesus’ home base during his ministry which was Peter’s house in Capernaum. He enters Peter’s house with his disciples, leaving the crowds behind and they ask Jesus the meaning of the parable. This could mean three possibilities:
- Parables are so broad in their definition that what Jesus said in the text is considered a parable.
- The disciples are so shocked at his statements about the cleanliness laws that they think he must be giving a parable because its literality is too much for them.
- Mark paraphrased Jesus’ substantial teaching without giving the parable itself that meant what he paraphrases.
Pick whatever works for you. I think the second possibility makes the most amount of sense considering the following verses.
18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him,
19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
20 And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.
Jesus acknowledges their confusion at his teaching, they understand just as much as the crowds did. They are unable to see how the cleanliness laws are not meant to prepare them for something greater. It’s easy for us from out modern context but they do not have our outlook. To them, Yahweh said no pork, they think that their slavery to the Law is meant to be a permanent condition not a preparatory one. Food enters his stomach and passes through, no food can actually tarnish you but your heart, this would be their very being, is untouched by such things. What makes a man defile himself is what comes out of his being.
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,
22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.”
Jesus then goes on to elaborate what the things from the heart of man that can actually defile him. “Fornication” or in Greek Porneia is interesting, in protestant Bibles when Jesus speaks of marriage, “porneia” is the only thing that can be used to justify divorce and is translated as “adultery” but as you can see later in the list, adultery is listed alongside porneia. The Greek for adultery is moicheia, thats the explicit 1:1 meaning of the word. That means porneia must mean something different, sorry protestants. Fornication does not quite do justice either for the meaning, whereas moicheia is an easy 1:1 translation porneia would be better translated as “illicit sexual union” this would include how the RSV translates it as but would extend to all illicit sexual union, ANYTHING outside of the conjugal marriage of a man and wife. This would include sodomy, so people that try to claim Jesus does not forbid such things are biblically illiterate.
Stealing, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, lying, disregarding boundaries, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. These are all covered by the decalogue when understood fully. So we see Jesus overriding the preparatory rules (cleanliness laws) and reinforcing the Commandments immediately afterward. He is actually being incredibly clear about what rules are permanent and what ones are not and also, where the breaking of these rules come from. Man himself. They do not just injure neighbour, they injure and degrade the person breaking those commandments. Since the New Covenant is all about bring man back up to his rightful place in the cosmic hierarchy, partaking in these acts lowers him down again, thus defiling him.
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