Mark 7:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Given the existence of divine commandments, as long as these remain in effect, consuming food that violates the law will indeed make one unclean, as it stems from a heart that disregards the law and satisfies the flesh. The other aspect of the parable indicates that the origin of moral impurity resides in the human heart; thus, those who aspire to remain pure before God must cleanse their hearts. The Lord did not address the regulations regarding clean and unclean foods, as these were destined to be rendered obsolete with the end of the Old Testament order, upon the initiation of the New Covenant between God and humanity, and the establishment of spiritual law within the hearts of the new Israel. Nevertheless, He disclosed to His disciples that these external laws are of lesser significance than the internal ones.

They brought this issue to Christ to seek clarification about His earlier declaration concerning what truly defiles (v. 11). The saying in verse 11 had scandalized the Pharisees. They had become so accustomed to the requirement of ritual handwashing for spiritual cleanliness that they perceived Christ’s words as undermining this law.

The Pharisees were likely offended as Christ had directly addressed the people, thereby challenging their authority through His teaching. In response to the news about the Pharisees’ offense, Christ indicated that He was referring either to their man-made traditions, which lacked divine origin and needed to be renounced, or to the Pharisees themselves. These leaders, although they served as shepherds and educators for the people, were not rooted in God’s truth—they did not act in accordance with His will and thus lacked His protective guidance, rendering them destined for destruction (έκριζόω cf. 13:29-30). Therefore, He instructed the people to disregard them. This could imply not adhering to their teachings, lest they end up in the same downfall, or it could suggest leaving the concerns for them and letting them be.

Subsequently, the apostle Peter, speaking for all the disciples, sought clarification from the Lord on His puzzling statements about what defiles, whether through ingestion or by other means. The Lord explained clearly that by what enters the mouth, He meant food, while what comes forth from the mouth referred to wicked thoughts, desires, and intentions issuing from the heart. Such words reveal the uncleanliness of the human spirit, whereas food, once consumed, exits the body without affecting the soul.

This inner struggle became clear when Peter approached Jesus and requested, “Please clarify this parable for us.” While Peter’s request reflected his own bewilderment, he did not explicitly admit he was feeling challenged; instead, he sought an explanation of the parable. Following this, Peter inquired about the parable concerning what enters the mouth. His question was representative of all the Apostles, as shown by the Gospel of Mark, which mentions that when Jesus entered the house, his disciples sought clarification about the parable.

Thus, releasing the scribes to their ineffective malice, Christ addressed the gathered crowd with a loud proclamation: ‘Hear and understand!’ He then instructed the crowd and His disciples that, in the kingdom of heaven, the integrity of the heart holds greater significance than mere external cleanliness, ‘for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.’ Indeed, ‘all these things defile a man; and eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.’ This principle arises from a commonplace obligation of ritualism, lacking the absolute moral weight that the Pharisees, the “blind leaders of the blind,” attributed to it.