Clean and Unclean
Jesus said,
"Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.
Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him.
Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean".
Mark 7:14-16
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were 'unclean', that is unwashed. The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, "why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?
What was wrong with the question raised by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law? Didn't they mean being clean? The simple procedure of cleansing our hands before eating, which is hygienically preferable?
But we find, Jesus giving a reply to them in such a way, which clearly answered their question and also pointed out the meaningless traditions, when their inner thoughts were not cleansed. Jesus replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written, "Those people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teaching are but rules taught by men". Jesus showed them clearly, that they have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. He showed how much they are concerned about preserving the traditions which are rules made by men, but they forget to live according to the commandments of God. They try to show, in their outward appearances and actions that they are clean, but their hearts are far from God.
Thus Jesus tells, "Don't you see that nothing enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart, but into his stomach and then out of his body".
"What comes out of a man is what makes him "unclean". For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean'.
Let us ensure, that our hearts are closer to God, so that what comes out of us will not make us unclean, but clean!
May God bless you.
