Defilement comes from within (Mark 7:1-23)

137 Custom

This story questions the very essence of what is really important in our religious life. It would be the mistake to just plain read the story and apply it into our life.

Key Greek terms used here are παραδοσις meaning "tradition, something handed down" and κοινος meaning "defiled; ordinary, profane; mutual" (or the corresponding verb κοινοω). We should not understand these terms universally but in the context of the narrative.

Lets think about tradition first (gr. παραδοσις). Jesus has a particular tradition in mind here: eating food with defiled hands (Mk 7:5). The text stresses that this tradition comes from the elders, not from God and that is the problem (Mk 7:7-9). Religious leaders invented something above God's word and thus they were trying to mold it or even nullify it (Mk 7:13). Story is clear in that it is explaining why this tradition is problematic. It is not about that the tradition is problematic in general.

Similar thoughts must be said about defiled (gr. κοινος). Jesus was not speaking about defiled things in general. He was not trying to cover text like Leviticus 11. Rather he was very specific (Mk 7:2.5) - he is dealing with eating with defiled hands.

So reading these terms in context is fundamental here.

But the story continues. When Jesus is done speaking to religious leaders, he addresses the crowds (Mk 7:14). In this moment he shifts the focus to what is really important. The real problem is what is inside (Mk 7:15.20-22). This is the place where all the evil comes from. This is the place you can not clean by any means.

Vocabulary

Word Meaning
ὁ, ἡ, τό der, die, das
καί und, auch
αὐτός, ή, ὁ er, er selbst
ἄνθρωπος, ου, ὁ Mensch
εἰμί Ich bin; sein
οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ nein
εἰς in, auf, an, zu, nach (mit A)
ὅτι dass, weil, denn
πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν gesamt, ganz, all, jeder
παράδοσις, εως, ἡ Tradition

Biblical text

7:1Καὶ συνάγονται πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων.2καὶ ἰδόντες τινὰς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ὅτι κοιναῖς χερσίν, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ἀνίπτοις, ἐσθίουσιν τοὺς ἄρτους,—3οἱ γὰρ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν, κρατοῦντες τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,4καὶ ἀπ’ ἀγορᾶς ἐὰν μὴ ῥαντίσωνται οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν, καὶ ἄλλα πολλά ἐστιν παρέλαβον κρατεῖν, βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν καὶ χαλκίων,—5καὶ ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς Διὰ τί οὐ περιπατοῦσιν οἱ μαθηταί σου κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ἀλλὰ κοιναῖς χερσὶν ἐσθίουσιν τὸν ἄρτον;6 δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὗτος λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ·7μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων·8ἀφέντες τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρατεῖτε τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων.9καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Καλῶς ἀθετεῖτε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν τηρήσητε.10Μωϋσῆς γὰρ εἶπεν Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, καί κακολογῶν πατέρα μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω.11ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε Ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πατρὶ τῇ μητρί Κορβᾶν, ἐστιν Δῶρον, ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,12οὐκέτι ἀφίετε αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ποιῆσαι τῷ πατρὶ τῇ μητρί,13ἀκυροῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ παραδόσει ὑμῶν παρεδώκατε· καὶ παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ποιεῖτε.14Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος πάλιν τὸν ὄχλον ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Ἀκούσατέ μου πάντες καὶ σύνετε.15οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς αὐτὸν δύναται κοινῶσαι αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον.17Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν παραβολήν.18καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἔξωθεν εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι,19ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ’ εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται, καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα;20ἔλεγεν δὲ ὅτι Τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενον, ἐκεῖνο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.21ἔσωθεν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, φόνοι,22μοιχεῖαι, πλεονεξίαι, πονηρίαι, δόλος, ἀσέλγεια, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, βλασφημία, ὑπερηφανία, ἀφροσύνη·23πάντα ταῦτα τὰ πονηρὰ ἔσωθεν ἐκπορεύεται καὶ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.