And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all and understand.
και προσκαλεσαμενος παντα τον οχλον ελεγεν αυτοις ακουετε μου παντες και συνιετε
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In instructing the people to comprehend the commandments of the law regarding food in a spiritual manner, the Lord begins to slowly disclose the significance of the law, stating that it is not what enters a person that makes them unclean, but rather what emerges from the heart that defiles.
In response to the situation, he conveyed the overarching notion that genuine holiness is not found in adhering to external regulations but in cleansing the heart of all that opposes God's commandments. He presented this idea to the crowd through a brief parable: not what enters the mouth defiles a person, but what emerges from the mouth defiles a person, and he concluded with the exhortation: Hear and understand. This parable draws from the context of the discussion and seems to address the objection of the Pharisees; for in their view, a person who consumed food with unwashed hands became unclean merely by that act.
The Pharisees were not only disturbed by the indication of the conflict between their traditions and God's law but were also incensed by the Lord's direct accusation of their religious practices as hypocritical. His final statement provided them further cause for discontent, as they could interpret it as a critique of the dietary laws overall. However, the Lord chose not to elaborate on the matter and withdrew from the gathering.
After addressing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the Lord drew the people closer and taught them about true defilement, which renders a person guilty before God. He established a fundamental principle, stating that what enters a person's mouth does not make them unclean, but what emerges from the mouth can indeed defile them. Following this teaching, the Lord entered a house, where His disciples informed Him (as noted only by Matthew) that the Pharisees were offended by His message. The disciples may have been unsettled by the fact that Christ's words, meant for edification, ended up being a stumbling block to the Pharisees. They may also have felt challenged by His assertion that nothing entering the mouth can defile a person.
Thus, they brought this matter to Christ’s attention, seeking clarity regarding His statement.
The statement made by the Lord had provoked the Pharisees, who were so accustomed to observing hand-washing for spiritual cleanliness that they perceived His words as undermining their laws. They could have been aggrieved, for Christ spoke to the people and challenged their authority with His teachings. In response to this news about the Pharisees' offense, Christ either referred to the human-made doctrines of the Pharisees that lacked divine origin, indicating they must be renounced, or He addressed the Pharisees themselves. Despite their role as spiritual leaders, they were not God’s true servants, as they acted contrary to His will and were not firmly rooted in His teachings. Consequently, He advised them to disregard such leaders. This meant either refraining from following their teachings to avoid falling alongside them, or simply leaving them to their own devices.
Subsequently, the Apostle Peter, representing the other disciples, sought clarification from the Lord regarding His perplexing remarks about the nature of defilement. The Lord clearly explained that what comes into the mouth refers to food, whereas that which exits the mouth signifies the corrupt thoughts, desires, and intentions that spring from the heart. Such words illustrate the moral corruption of the human soul; in contrast, food enters and leaves the body without impacting the spirit.
The Pharisees, revealed for their deceit and deviation from the Law, choose to remain silent in response to Jesus’ inquiry. Desiring not to waste His valuable teachings on those unworthy, Jesus leaves the Pharisees in their concealed resentment and refrains from further discussion with them. However, to prevent the crowd behind the Pharisees from being bewildered, He clarifies to the people—not the Pharisees—that it is not what enters a person’s mouth that renders him impure, but rather what comes out of it that makes him unclean.
The time had come for decisive action. Until now, Christ had withheld His righteous indignation, hoping to enlighten the scribes and Pharisees through compassionate instruction. However, it had become evident that these staunch figures were beyond hope. Thus, it became imperative to take a firm stance. Those who adhered to the scribes and Pharisees needed to be shown the true worth of the faith and ethics they espoused. The genuine message of the gospel could not be embraced while the hearts of the people remained corrupted and shrouded in darkness by such leaders.
Consequently, abandoning the malicious intent of the scribes, who were still powerless in their opposition, Christ addressed the crowd with a commanding voice: 'Hear and understand!' He proceeded to enlighten both the people and His disciples, emphasizing that within the kingdom of heaven, the condition of the heart outweighs the cleanliness of hands, 'for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.' Indeed, all these transgressions 'defile a man; and eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man,' a notion stemming merely from customary ritualism and lacking any inherent moral status as claimed by the Pharisees, those "blind guides of the blind."
Following this, the Lord chose to disengage from those who could not be healed and instead turned to the crowds, aiming to impart wisdom that was both profound and enlightening. "Listen to me, everyone, and seek to understand!" This was how He initiated His discourse, illuminating the essence of true impurity: "It is not what enters the mouth that corrupts a person, but what proceeds from the mouth that corrupts him. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!" This teaching of the Lord appeared perplexing to the Jewish scholars, who were entrenched in superficial and entirely external customs regarding what is clean and unclean.
The disciples inquired, "Do you believe the Pharisees were offended by this message?" In response, the Lord utilized a botanical analogy to convey that any doctrine diverging from the revealed truth of God will inevitably diminish in power and relevance. This was true of the teachings of the Pharisees, who were spiritually blind and misguided leaders of the people, placing their faith in their perilous guidance: "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them be; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 12 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS