In Mark 7, the chapter starts off with a discussion between Messiah and the scribes and pharisees regarding washing of hands, and something being defiled. I have a different outlook on the account than I used to, and I feel it might resonate with others.
I have seen verse 15 of this chapter referenced in many different posts, and I would like to share a divergent opinion.
In the Torah, washing of hands is commanded for Aaron and his sons as they go into the Temple to perform their duties. (Ex 30:19-21 and Ex 40:31). In Lev 15:11 it talks about how a person who has a discharge (running sore) must first rinse his hands before touching another, or the touched one becomes unclean. And in Dt 21:6 the elders of the city wash their hands as a symbol of guiltlessness over a heifer whose neck was broken because of finding a murdered man with no suspect. These are all the references I found regarding hand washing. There may be more....
So that is the background from the law, or Torah, regarding washing of hands. Nowhere is it associated with a ritual before eating.
Now here are the assumptions that I make regarding the narrative in Mark 7, so you know where my paradigm lies. First, I believe that Messiah was sinless. If that is true, then He kept the commandments perfectly, at least all that pertained to Him. Second, I believe that the only scriptures that He had to live by predate the books of Matthew through Revelation. There was no dispute in His day what Elohim had declared to be food; Leviticus 11 described what was food and what was not. Elohim had declared one tree and its fruit not to be touched and eaten earlier, hadn't He? Eating that which was forbidden as food did not make one unclean, it made the partaker to be in rebellion to the command of the Father. Third, and this is important, I believe that Messiah taught His disciples to be obedient to the Words of the Father, to His Commands. I cannot believe that He would live in obedience and teach His followers to be rebellious to His Father.
So let us look at Mark 7. What was the controversy? Eating meat?
2 And seeing some of His taught ones eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Yehuḏim, do not eat unless they wash their hands thoroughly, holding fast the tradition of the elders,
The disciples were eating bread with unwashed hands. The 'tradition of the elders' says that you have to wash your hands before you eat. This is the point of contention. Torah, or the law, does not state that you have to wash your hands before you eat.
Verse five repeats the issue, so as to prevent confusion.
“Why do Your taught ones not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
Then comes the crux of the issue.
6 And He answering, said to them, “Well did Yeshayahu prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written, ‘This people respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’1 8 “Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.”
What does 'forsaking the command of Elohim' mean? It means disobedience to the written words of the Father. In this case, the scribes and pharisees were more interested in following peer pressure than what they knew was written in the scrolls. I know what it is to do that, first hand. Anyhow, I believe that Messiah defends the 'law' as being truth and being required to obey, as opposed to the traditions of men.
Now, in the context of eating BREAD with unwashed hands, and the hands being dirty, Messiah states this:
“Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 “There is no matter that enters a man from outside which is able to defile him, but it is what comes out of him that defiles the man. 16 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17 And when He went from the crowd into a house, His taught ones asked Him concerning the parable.
I interpret it as such: you may have some dirt on your hands because you didn't wash them before you ate the slice of bread and you may eat some dirt inadvertently. No worries, you'll just poop the dirt out.
It won't make you dirty, or unclean.
Now, remember this, Messiah had just scolded the pharisees for not obeying the law, or Torah.
Do you think that it would be hypocrisy for Messiah to then tell His disciples it was ok for them to disobey the words of Elohim if He had just scolded the Pharisees for disobeying them?
18 And He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside is unable to defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purging all the foods?” 20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings, adulteries, whorings, murders, 22 thefts, greedy desires, wickednesses, deceit, indecency, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 “All these wicked matters come from within and defile a man.”
Purging all the foods. What does Lev 11 say? 8 ‘Their flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses you do not touch. They are unclean to you.' Prohibited animals are not food. They cannot be eaten, according to the word of Elohim. They are 'not food.' Remember, the context of this whole discourse is about eating bread with unwashed hands.
Now the hard words to me from this passage were the first words of verse 21. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings.... I wanted to justify eating bacon, pulled pork, ham sandwiches, pork chops and tenderloin, and I used the same evil reasoning that my father Adam did so many years prior. I negated the words of Elohim for the traditions of my elders, in this case, the eldest.
It was my evil intent to be disobedient that defiled me. I ignored all of Leviticus 11. I proudly said that is was not the word of Elohim. By ignoring the food laws there, I also showed my willing participation in the disobedience in Genesis 3 by partaking of what wasn't food with my father Adam.
I did not have this understanding until I questioned how Messiah could be sinless after I understood the concept that being touched by a bleeding woman made someone unclean. Messiah was touched by a bleeding woman, and by Torah, He became unclean. Was that sinful?
No, all He had to do to fulfill Torah was to wash with water, wait until evening, and then He was clean again. He just could not go into the temple. He was unclean. It did not make Him a sinner, but if He had not washed, if He had defiantly entered the Temple while He was unclean, then those actions would have been rebellion and sinful. The scripture doesn't say that He washed after that woman touched Him and was healed. But it does say that He lived a life of obedience to His Father and to His Father's words.
Shouldn't we?
I have seen verse 15 of this chapter referenced in many different posts, and I would like to share a divergent opinion.
In the Torah, washing of hands is commanded for Aaron and his sons as they go into the Temple to perform their duties. (Ex 30:19-21 and Ex 40:31). In Lev 15:11 it talks about how a person who has a discharge (running sore) must first rinse his hands before touching another, or the touched one becomes unclean. And in Dt 21:6 the elders of the city wash their hands as a symbol of guiltlessness over a heifer whose neck was broken because of finding a murdered man with no suspect. These are all the references I found regarding hand washing. There may be more....
So that is the background from the law, or Torah, regarding washing of hands. Nowhere is it associated with a ritual before eating.
Now here are the assumptions that I make regarding the narrative in Mark 7, so you know where my paradigm lies. First, I believe that Messiah was sinless. If that is true, then He kept the commandments perfectly, at least all that pertained to Him. Second, I believe that the only scriptures that He had to live by predate the books of Matthew through Revelation. There was no dispute in His day what Elohim had declared to be food; Leviticus 11 described what was food and what was not. Elohim had declared one tree and its fruit not to be touched and eaten earlier, hadn't He? Eating that which was forbidden as food did not make one unclean, it made the partaker to be in rebellion to the command of the Father. Third, and this is important, I believe that Messiah taught His disciples to be obedient to the Words of the Father, to His Commands. I cannot believe that He would live in obedience and teach His followers to be rebellious to His Father.
So let us look at Mark 7. What was the controversy? Eating meat?
2 And seeing some of His taught ones eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Yehuḏim, do not eat unless they wash their hands thoroughly, holding fast the tradition of the elders,
The disciples were eating bread with unwashed hands. The 'tradition of the elders' says that you have to wash your hands before you eat. This is the point of contention. Torah, or the law, does not state that you have to wash your hands before you eat.
Verse five repeats the issue, so as to prevent confusion.
“Why do Your taught ones not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
Then comes the crux of the issue.
6 And He answering, said to them, “Well did Yeshayahu prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written, ‘This people respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’1 8 “Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.”
What does 'forsaking the command of Elohim' mean? It means disobedience to the written words of the Father. In this case, the scribes and pharisees were more interested in following peer pressure than what they knew was written in the scrolls. I know what it is to do that, first hand. Anyhow, I believe that Messiah defends the 'law' as being truth and being required to obey, as opposed to the traditions of men.
Now, in the context of eating BREAD with unwashed hands, and the hands being dirty, Messiah states this:
“Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 “There is no matter that enters a man from outside which is able to defile him, but it is what comes out of him that defiles the man. 16 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17 And when He went from the crowd into a house, His taught ones asked Him concerning the parable.
I interpret it as such: you may have some dirt on your hands because you didn't wash them before you ate the slice of bread and you may eat some dirt inadvertently. No worries, you'll just poop the dirt out.
It won't make you dirty, or unclean.
Now, remember this, Messiah had just scolded the pharisees for not obeying the law, or Torah.
Do you think that it would be hypocrisy for Messiah to then tell His disciples it was ok for them to disobey the words of Elohim if He had just scolded the Pharisees for disobeying them?
18 And He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside is unable to defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purging all the foods?” 20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings, adulteries, whorings, murders, 22 thefts, greedy desires, wickednesses, deceit, indecency, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 “All these wicked matters come from within and defile a man.”
Purging all the foods. What does Lev 11 say? 8 ‘Their flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses you do not touch. They are unclean to you.' Prohibited animals are not food. They cannot be eaten, according to the word of Elohim. They are 'not food.' Remember, the context of this whole discourse is about eating bread with unwashed hands.
Now the hard words to me from this passage were the first words of verse 21. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings.... I wanted to justify eating bacon, pulled pork, ham sandwiches, pork chops and tenderloin, and I used the same evil reasoning that my father Adam did so many years prior. I negated the words of Elohim for the traditions of my elders, in this case, the eldest.
It was my evil intent to be disobedient that defiled me. I ignored all of Leviticus 11. I proudly said that is was not the word of Elohim. By ignoring the food laws there, I also showed my willing participation in the disobedience in Genesis 3 by partaking of what wasn't food with my father Adam.
I did not have this understanding until I questioned how Messiah could be sinless after I understood the concept that being touched by a bleeding woman made someone unclean. Messiah was touched by a bleeding woman, and by Torah, He became unclean. Was that sinful?
No, all He had to do to fulfill Torah was to wash with water, wait until evening, and then He was clean again. He just could not go into the temple. He was unclean. It did not make Him a sinner, but if He had not washed, if He had defiantly entered the Temple while He was unclean, then those actions would have been rebellion and sinful. The scripture doesn't say that He washed after that woman touched Him and was healed. But it does say that He lived a life of obedience to His Father and to His Father's words.
Shouldn't we?
