There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
ουδεν εστιν εξωθεν του ανθρωπου εισπορευομενον εις αυτον ο δυναται αυτον κοινωσαι αλλα τα εκπορευομενα απ αυτου εκεινα εστιν τα κοινουντα τον ανθρωπον
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In guiding the people to comprehend the commandments of the law regarding food in a spiritual manner, the Lord starts to unveil the deeper significance of the law. He proclaims that it is not what enters a person that defiles them, but rather what emerges from the heart that causes defilement.
As followers of Christ, let us endure the negativity directed at us, striving for the joy that awaits! If I lack the peace to absorb the disgraceful and vile remarks made against me, and I react, I will be left with bitterness or tormented by my inability to withstand it. If I seek retaliation while being maligned, how can I claim to adhere to the teachings of the Lord, who asserts that a person is not made unclean by external things, but by what is spoken from the heart?
In context of the situation, He conveyed the understanding that authentic purity is not found in adherence to external regulations, but in the cleansing of one’s heart from anything that opposes God’s commandments. He presented this concept to the crowd through a brief parable: "not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a man," and He further instructed, "Hear and understand." The illustration used in the parable reflects the topic at hand and may serve as a response to the objections raised by the Pharisees, who believed that consuming food without washing one's hands made a person unclean simply by that act.
The Pharisees were dissatisfied not only with the recognition of the inconsistency between their traditions and God’s law but were even more troubled that Jesus directly labeled their devotion as hypocrisy. Their discontent was further fueled by His remark, which they might have associated with the broader food regulations. However, the Lord chose not to pursue the matter any further and departed from the crowd.
After denouncing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the Lord drew the people near and taught them about what constitutes true uncleanness, which defiles a person and makes them accountable before God. He instructed the crowd with a fundamental principle: it is not what enters a person's mouth that defiles them, but rather what emerges from it that can render them unclean. Following this teaching, as noted in Mark, the Lord entered a home, where His disciples approached Him with the report, as noted only by Matthew, that the Pharisees were offended by His words.
The Apostles might have felt concerned that the truth spoken by Jesus would lead to temptations among those it was meant to enlighten, or they could have been troubled by the implication that nothing entering a man's mouth could render him unclean. Consequently, they brought this information to Jesus in hopes of prompting an explanation regarding His earlier statement.
The remark made in verse 11 had led the Pharisees astray; they were so accustomed to the practice of washing their hands before meals for the sake of spiritual cleanliness that they perceived Christ's words as a challenge to the law of purification. Their offense also stemmed from Christ addressing the people directly, undermining their authority with His teachings. In response to the news about the Pharisees’ offense, Jesus described either the Pharisaic doctrine, which was a human invention rather than a divine command, thus needing to be dismantled, or rebuked the Pharisees themselves: though they were leaders and instructors of the community, they were not God’s true representatives, as they did not act in harmony with His will and thus lacked His special guidance.
Therefore, they were to be disregarded: this could mean refraining from following their erroneous teachings, which would lead to destruction alongside them, or it could indicate leaving them to their own devices. Subsequently, the Apostle Peter, speaking for all the disciples, requested clarification from the Lord regarding the enigmatic remarks on what defiles a person by entering the mouth versus what does not. The Lord then explained clearly that what enters the mouth refers to food, while what comes out of a person’s mouth symbolizes all evil thoughts, lusts, and intents, emanating from the heart. These ill intentions reveal the impurity of the human soul and its moral degradation, while food simply passes through the body without impacting the spirit.
The Pharisees, revealing their insincerity and departure from the Law, choose to remain mute, offering no reply to Jesus' inquiry. Aware that He should not share sacred truths with those who cannot appreciate them, Jesus allows the Pharisees to harbor their concealed resentment in silence. Yet, to prevent the crowd behind the Pharisees from remaining confused, He addresses the people—not the Pharisees—clarifying that it is not what enters a person's mouth that renders them impure, but rather what emerges from their mouth that defiles them.
The time had come for a decisive confrontation. Up until this moment, Christ had held back His righteous indignation, hoping to enlighten the scribes and Pharisees through compassionate instruction. However, it had become evident that these rigid individuals were beyond hope. Thus, action was required. The followers of the scribes and Pharisees needed a clear demonstration of the true dignity inherent in the faith and morality they professed. The essence of the gospel could not penetrate the hearts of the people, as long as they remained tainted and obscured by such misguided teachers.
Consequently, abandoning the scribes to their ineffective malevolence, Christ turned to the crowds around Him and called out with a loud voice: “Hear and understand!” He then taught both the multitudes and His disciples that within the kingdom of heaven, the purity of one's heart is paramount compared to the cleanliness of one's hands, “for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.” Indeed, all of these actions “defile a man; and eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man,” as this principle arises solely from a conventional requirement of ritual, possessing no inherent moral significance as interpreted by the Pharisees, the “blind leaders of the blind.”
Following this, the Lord, no longer wanting to engage with His unhealable questioners, turned to the crowd to impart profound and wise teachings. "Listen closely to me, all of you, and seek to understand!" This was the beginning of His address, where He clarified the nature of true defilement: "It is not what enters a person's mouth that makes them unclean, but what comes out of their mouth that makes them unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!" This message seemed perplexing to the Jewish scholars, who were entangled in trivial external laws regarding purity.
The disciples questioned Him, "Do you believe the Pharisees were offended by this message?" In response, the Lord illustrated His point using a plant's analogy, teaching that any teaching not aligned with God's revealed truth will eventually lose its relevance and authority. This was particularly true of the doctrine of the Pharisees, who were spiritually blind guides to the people and relied on their misguided leadership: "Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up; let them be; they are blind guides for the blind, and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 23 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS