February 2, 2014: Mark Chapter 7

The Gospel According to Mark Chapter 7

 Originally posted Friday, February 15, 2008

Mark Chapter 7:1-23 The Tradition of the Elders  [MT  15:1-20] 

For the Pharisees the debate about clean versus unclean and that which defiles a person (that which makes a person ritually unclean and, so, to be avoided) was more than the kind of food one ate or disease one had or other restrictions listed in the Levitical Holiness Code. The "Traditions of the Elders" - the oral tradition that the Pharisees claimed was passed down from Moses, and of which they were the guardians and interpreters, added many other restrictions about holiness which were not in the Law. It is this body of tradition that Jesus criticizes and, in effect, dismisses as unnecessary, as a burden which does not contribute one iota to one's standing before God.

One of these traditions was the washing (ablusions, probably the hands and forearms) with cupped hands before meals (covered in Matthew). Mark also includes washing oneself (immersing in the mikveh bath) before eating food bought in the market, as well as the washing of cups, pitchers, copper utensils and beds ("beds" is left out of many manuscripts, probably because they are unrelated to eating). All of these were followed in order to avoid being "defiled," made ritually unclean.

Jesus' response to this is the same in both Gospels, that it is not the food that goes into the stomach that defiles, it is what comes out of the heart, from within, that defiles - evil intentions and all manner of sins. Mark includes in this passage the parenthetical remark, "Thus he declared all foods clean." This is omitted by Matthew whose community is made up of a large contingent of Jewish Christians who would still follow the Torah restrictions of types of food (animal) that was considered unclean. Mark's community is essentially all Gentile and such food classifications  would be disregarded. Pork was a favorite meat among Greeks and Romans. We are not to think that Jesus and his disciples thought themselves exempt of Torah food laws, nor that they taught other Jews to be so. When it came to Torah, Jesus was a thoroughly observant Jew. Indeed, as we have already seen, in many respects he tells his disciples to go beyond the Law, that the Law is but a guide, a minimum.

One other part of Mark's passage should be addressed. In vss. 9-13 Jesus uses one of the Pharisees' "traditions" to demonstrate how they can circumvent the Law (in this case a commandment) to their own advantage. Jesus Quotes the commandment, "Honor your father and your mother" (Exod. 20:12). In Jewish literature from at least 180 BCE, to honor one's parents was understood as material assistance. The Talmud says, "Honor means that he must give him food and drink, clothes, and cover him, and lead him in and out." (see Sirach 3:3,8,12-16 in the Apocrypha section of your Bible). Jesus adds to this another commandment, "Whoever curses father or mother must surely die" (Exod. 21:17; Lev. 20:9).

The example Jesus gives in vs.11 is the application of the tradition called "Korban." The term usually describes a sacrificial offering dedicated to God in the Temple. Such an offering cannot be used for any other purpose. It is a binding vow (Num. 30:1-2). The point here is the possibility that some material gift (property, money, other assets) could be offered at the Temple and declared to be Korban, and so be unavailable for use to assist one's parents. Later Jewish literature relaxes this approach on such oaths by making it clear that no vow can supersede a commandment. Such an action would be considered as cursing one's parents. There is no implication in Mark's text which would be understood as a deliberate withholding of support from one's parents. Korban is still practiced in some branches of Judaism.

Mark Chapter 7:24-30 The Syrophoenician Woman  [MT 15:21-28]

Matthew's passage is essentially the same as Mark's. He uses the term Canaanite" as the woman's national origin, which would be technically  correct. Mark begins by implying that Jesus had a friend or follower in or around Tyre and he hoped to stay there without anyone knowing. Tyre had a very large Jewish community in Jesus' time. All the silver coins used to pay theTemple tax were minted there.

This passage in both Gospels (and in Luke) keeps us focused on one of the truly unique aspects of Jesus' ministry. Even though his beginning emphasis was certainly, as he says, "to the lost sheep of Israel," his compassion for and ministry to the marginalized people of his day - the poor, sick, possessed, outcasts of all kinds, women as well as men, was itself a daring venture, and it led to much of the opposition he faced. At some point, and we have no way of knowing when that point was, he crossed the line of Jewish propriety and began to see Gentiles just as worthy of God's love and compassion as any child of Abraham. The early church saw this as God's ultimate will, in the tradition of Isaiah and other prophets who strongly believed in the universality of God, the God of all nations and not just Israel. It is a lesson his own brother, James, did not take to heart too easily. He could not step away from the restricted notion of Jewish spiritual superiority, the fixed demands of Torah even on those Gentiles who wished to become Christians.

It would not be too many decades later that the overwhelming majority of Christians were Gentiles. Maybe that would have eventually happened anyway, but I am not satisfied it would. Jesus had a special sense of vocation. And like any master musician or athlete that works to stretch the limits of their field, I think Jesus saw the opportunity to reveal a God who knew no boundaries of any kind. It would certainly be a worthwhile lesson for the Church and for those who claim to be the followers of the pioneer of our faith.

Mark Chapter 7:31-37 A deaf Man is Healed 

Jesus is again in the Decapolis, Gentile territory. The journey he takes from Tyre, north to Sidon, then southeast toward the Sea of Galilee, across to the Decapolis, is an unlikely route and may represent Mark's early association with Christian Communities along such a circuit.

The healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment is unusual in its bringing together three healing elements. Spittle was understood to have curative powers in many ancient cultures including Israel. It isn't altogether clear whether Jesus spit on the ground, or on his hands. Given the touching of the man's tongue, it would seem likely that it was on his hands. The sigh released as he looked toward heaven is representative of the spirit, drawing it in for power, and exhaling the breath which is the spirit. The use of special words of command, as with the raising of Jarius' daughter, was also part of ancient healing and exorcism rituals. In any case, with all three together, the man's tongue was "unshackled," and he could speak clearly. As with the madman of Garasa who is sent by Jesus to proclaim God's Kingdom in the Decapolis, those who were present were enlisted in the rapidly expanding enterprise of spreading the Good News.