Gospel for Sunday, September 01: Mark 7:1-8. 14-15. 21-23
XXII Sunday Year B
1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 Having seen that some of his disciples were taking food with unclean hands, that is, unwashed – 3 for the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they have washed their hands up to the elbow, keeping to the tradition of the ancients, 4 and returning from the market they do not eat without having done their ablutions, and they observe many other things by tradition, such as washing glasses, crockery and copper objects – 5 those Pharisees and scribes questioned him: “Why do your disciples not behave according to the tradition of the ancients, but take food with unclean hands? “. 6 And he answered them, “Well has Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 In vain they worship me, teaching doctrines that are precepts of men.
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you observe the tradition of men.” 9 He added, “You are truly skillful in circumventing God’s commandment in order to observe your tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and whoever curses his father and mother shall be put to death. 11 You, on the other hand, saying, If anyone declares to his father or mother: it is Korbán, that is, holy offering, what would be owed you by me, 12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father and mother, 13 thus nullifying the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And of such things you do many.”
14 Calling the crowd again, he said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand well: 15 there is nothing outside of man that, entering into him, can defile him; instead, it is the things that come out of man that defile him.” 16 17 When he entered a house away from the crowd, the disciples questioned him about the meaning of that parable. 18 And he said to them, “Are you also so devoid of intellect? Do you not understand that whatever enters man from without cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his belly and goes into the sewer?” He thus declared all foods to be worlds. 20 So he added, “That which comes out of the man, that does defile the man. 21 For from within, that is, from the hearts of men, come forth evil intentions: fornications, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, impudence, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come up from within and defile man.”Mk 7:1-8. 14-15. 21-23
Dear sisters and brothers of Misericordia, I am Carlo Miglietta, a doctor, biblical scholar, layman, husband, father and grandfather (www.buonabibbiaatutti.it). Also today I share with you a short thought meditation on the Gospel, with special reference to the theme of mercy.
The tradition of men and the commandments of God (7:1-13)
(see Mt 15:1-9)
The things that make a man unclean (7:14-23)
(see Mt 15:10-20)
Legal purity
Mark gives so much explanation in this passage because he is writing for an Italian community. Matthew, in the parallel passage (Mt 15:1-20), does not bother to give so many clarifications since he is speaking to Jewish communities that are well acquainted with Jewish customs, traditions and culture.
Before Jesus goes to the Gentiles, Mark places a long discourse by Jesus, the longest in this section, to bring down the discriminator, the wall between Jews and Gentiles.
The central problem is precisely that of verse 15: that of pure foods and unclean foods. This is debated at length in the early Christian community (Acts 10:1-11:18): a council is even held on this subject (Acts 15:3-21).
The Law commanded the Israelites to eat only those animals considered pure (Lev 11; Deut 14), and tradition also defines the rules of slaughtering and cooking food: this is the so-called kosher cuisine. According to them, it is forbidden to eat animals that are considered “unclean” (taref). Such are:
- animals that do not ruminate or have no claws (hare, dog, cat, horse, camel, pig, hyrax);
- fish without fins or scales (mollusks, mussels, crustaceans, eels);
- birds such as the eagle, hawk, gull, crow, owl, swan, stork, ibis, pelican;
- the winged insects that walk on four legs, except grasshoppers, locusts and crickets;
- animals that crawl on the ground: not only snakes, but also moles and mice.
At first these regulations originated as hygienic precautions, out of fear of infection and pollution: the prohibition of eating birds of prey is due to the fact that they often feed on carrion; many of the prohibited animals feed on garbage, or live by swampy waters.
The camel is preserved because it is too important as a means of locomotion. It was strictly forbidden to eat blood or fat (Lev 7:25-27) reserved for God.
In contrast, the gazelle, deer, lamb, and kid are the “pure” animals par excellence. But it is forbidden to “cook the kid in its mother’s milk” (and by extension, in general, to mix meat and milk): a custom introduced later, because Abraham offered God roast calf and yogurt (Gen 18:18). Perhaps to avoid waste, since meat and milk are both protein foods, or to differentiate themselves from neighboring tribes, which instead practiced this diet: “the prohibition was tied to the fact that such a recipe was in use among the Canaanites, the indigenous peoples of the Holy Land, from whom Israel wanted to distance itself in order to avoid the risk of syncretism” (G. Ravasi).
The issue of pure foods and impure foods was so deeply rooted in Jewish culture that it provoked harsh diatribes between early Christians from paganism and Christians of Jewish descent, who wanted to impose their rules even on non-Jewish converts. It took a special revelation from God to Peter in Caesarea to make him understand, “What God has cleansed, you shall no longer call profane” (Acts 10-11).
True honor to parents
Another important issue raised by Pharisees and scribes is why the disciples eat bread with unclean hands. In v. 2 and v. 5 the Pharisees note that the disciples eat with unclean hands, that is, without having washed their hands.
Jesus responds with vv. 6-13 quoting Isaiah to make a well-founded attack on the Pharisees. The Pharisees to God’s command contrasted 613 commands, to precept they contrasted “mishuot,” precepts. Jesus even cites that paradox, the “korban,” whereby those who instead of supporting their parents made an offering to the temple were exempt from the guardianship of their elders.
The Bible reiterates the importance of treating one’s parents well; those who mistreat them, that is, behave with them in a manner not convenient to their needs, “let them be accursed! “ (Deut. 27:16): and for the Jews the curse is something concrete, it is to be deprived of all good from God; and whoever is not grateful to those who gave him life, offends God himself, the primary source of life; therefore he is not even worthy to live: “he shall be put to death…, his blood shall be upon him” (Lev. 20:9). “He who ruins his father and makes his mother flee is a dishonored and infamous son” (Pr 19:26). Against those who seek worldly honor after marginalizing their parents, God’s Word is clear: “He who robs his father and mother and says, ‘It is not sin,’ is a companion of the murderer” (Pr 28:24). Even Jesus, who several times in his preaching recalls the commandment toward parents (Mt 15:4; 19:19), lashes out at those who, by making sacred offerings (korbàn) of goods at the temple, then claimed to divert them from helping their parents (Mk 7:6-13). Jesus teaches us how concrete is the “honor” that God requires of us toward parents: it is first and foremost to help them financially, to settle them socially, to provide for their actual, real, deep needs: pious words or attestations of affection are not enough. In addition, the Lord warns us against the danger of marginalizing the elderly in the name of various “values”: family cohabitation, work, career, housing, wife and children and their needs (vacations, travel, quiet living… because the old man maybe dirty, loses his burrs, has to be cleaned, at night he screams…). Sometimes we use as a pretext the political, union commitment, the choice of life for the Lord…. And sometimes we also witness in religious communities real forms of marginalization of elderly brothers or sisters, perhaps herded into a single chronicle, cast aside, in the very name of availability to the proclamation of the Gospel, where the sign of brotherhood and obedience to God’s command to love us “not in words nor with the tongue, but in deeds and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:18) should be most evident. Of course, the Kingdom also takes priority over parental affections (Mt 10:35, 37; Lk 9:59-62): but we must ask ourselves if we sometimes fail to love our neighbor… at the expense of those closest to us! Paul admonishes us, “Sons or grandsons…, let them learn first to practice piety toward those of their own family and to render reciprocation to their parents, for it is pleasing to God” (1 Tim. 5:4).
Interiority and radicality
The precepts of the Pharisees are all exteriority. To understand the mystery of the one bread that is Jesus Christ, we must have a different heart, a heart capable of love.
And before the disciples in the next verses Jesus explains his parable, explains his “mashal” (vv. 14-17).
Mark tells us that Jesus requires radical morality from us. In vv. 21-23 there is a “list of vices” (cf. Rom. 1:29-31; Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:5-8; 2 Tim. 3:2-5…), twelve (symbolizing the totality of evil), six of which are in the plural (evil acts) and six in the singular (inner attitudes).
Jesus asks us that our hearts be wholly God’s. Jesus reiterates this especially to us who are “endo,” who are “in the house” (v. 17: the house for Mark is symbolic of the Church), because we have not yet understood, because we are deaf and blind.
Happy Mercy to all!
Anyone who would like to read a more complete exegesis of the text, or some insights, please ask me at migliettacarlo@gmail.com.
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