Mark 7:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Similarly, a person who seems virtuous on the outside yet harbors malice inside, who appears humble and quiet but is filled with pride, envy, and malice, or who speaks sweetly while being deceitful and flattering within, is like a painted tomb that seems lovely outside but is filled with dead bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27). Our Lord, the Christian God, 'tests hearts and innermost thoughts' and looks beyond mere appearance (Psalm 7:10; 1 Samuel 16:7). He focuses on the inner condition of the heart rather than outward appearances and judges accordingly. If you show humility outwardly, that is commendable; however, do not let your heart be lifted in pride. You may not express anger on the surface, which seems good, but does resentment against your neighbor simmer within? You might refrain from killing your brother with your hands, which is not objectionable, yet check if you harbor hatred towards him in your heart. ‘Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer’ (1 John 3:15). To avoid physical relations with a woman is honorable, but to lust in one’s heart is to commit fornication. ‘Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart’ (Matthew 5:28). You might not plunder another's property, yet coveting it in your innermost self makes you a true thief. You may refrain from taking what belongs to others, but if you cling tightly to your possessions without sharing with the needy, you also act as a thief. Clinging to the bounty of God, which is intended for all, while keeping it solely for oneself, is as harmful as withholding your own blessings. The human heart is a vessel of impurity and the foulness of desires. Dear Christian, let us strive to cleanse this inner vessel, so that our outward actions may be pleasing to God. The precious promise from God is that He desires to dwell within us: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’ (2 Corinthians 6:16; Leviticus 26:12). There is no greater, more significant treasure than having God residing within us, and there is no higher honor than being a temple of the Lord. God resides within a pure soul as in His most cherished sanctuary. His presence is more esteemed in a pure heart than in temples built by human hands, for it is in the soul that the image of God resides. Let us purify our hearts, O Christians! Let His likeness shine within us, enhancing the beauty of our souls, and let us become the dwelling place of our God. ‘Therefore, beloved, having such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Corinthians 7:1). Following the example of the prophet Jonah, I cry, ‘May my life, O Blessed One, be free from corruption, and save me, O Savior of the world, proclaiming, “Glory be to Thee.”’

(This does not imply, however, that all food is inconsequential to humans. As long as divine statutes exist, their abrogation means that consuming food contrary to the law leads to defilement, stemming from a heart that does not honor the law and seeks to satisfy the flesh). The latter part of the parable teaches that the origin of moral impurity resides within the human heart, and thus, those who desire to remain pure before God must cleanse their hearts. The Lord did not address the specific laws regarding which foods are acceptable or forbidden, which are destined to become obsolete with the end of the entire Old Testament order and the initiation of the New Covenant between God and humanity, along with the internalization of spiritual law within the hearts of the new Israel. Nevertheless, He made it clear to His disciples that these external laws are far inferior to the internal ones that truly guide holiness.

Their concern led them to inform the Lord about the Pharisees’ predicament, attempting to seek clarity on His earlier statements (v. 11. λόγον v. 12 = παραβολην ταυτην v. 15).

The pronouncement in verse 11 had quite an impact on the Pharisees; they had grown accustomed to the necessity of washing their hands for spiritual cleanliness before eating, which made them interpret Christ's words as a violation of this law. They could also have taken offense at the fact that Christ was addressing the people directly, thus undermining their authority. In response to the news of the Pharisees’ offense, Jesus referred to their doctrine as either human tradition, not rooted in divine will and therefore needing to be discarded, or He alluded to the Pharisees themselves—those who, though they served as spiritual leaders, were not acting according to God’s design and did not receive His care, thus were destined for destruction ( κατακριθήσονται, cf. 13:29-30). Consequently, He instructed to leave them be. This admonition either meant to disregard their teachings to avoid sharing in their downfall or simply to let them be responsible for their own choices.

Following this, the apostle Peter, representing the other disciples, requested an explanation of the Lord's somewhat enigmatic teaching regarding the defilement connected to what enters and does not leave the mouth. The Lord clarified that by what enters the mouth, He referred to food, and by what exits, He meant the evil thoughts, desires, and intentions stemming from the heart. These elements, when manifested in speech and actions, reveal the moral corruption within a person’s soul, while food is processed through the body without affecting the spirit.

However, many interpret these words as a dismissal of fasting by Christ. We cannot support this interpretation. Fasting, whether through complete abstinence from food or by consuming only minimal amounts of nourishment necessary for sustenance, has always been seen as a powerful tool for subduing the desires of the flesh. Individuals aspiring to lead a rational rather than a base life have consistently sought to temper their passions and align them with reason (spirit); recognizing that abundant food and certain types of food (such as meat and wine) can greatly inflame passions and render one unresponsive to the conscience. Therefore, such individuals often engaged in total abstinence from food for a season, or refrained from meat and wine, or maintained a highly moderate diet overall. Christ Himself encouraged His followers to contend against the flesh and provided an example by fasting for forty days in the wilderness. Hence, when He stated, "Not that which enters into the mouth defiles a man," it cannot be inferred that He dismissed the importance and necessity of fasting. His words were solely stating that what defiles a person, rendering them unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, is not the food itself but the lack of self-control that arises from indulgence, accompanied by wicked thoughts and sinful actions—not the consumption of food nor its usage without the external purity observed by the Pharisees. In asserting that eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man, He clarified the true intention of this dialogue.

Consequently, leaving the scribes to their ineffective malevolence, Christ turned to the assembled crowd and called out loudly: ‘Hear and understand!’ He proceeded to instruct both the multitudes and His disciples that within the kingdom of heaven, purity of heart outweighs ritualistic purity, stating that ‘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.’ This principle arises solely from a common ritual obligation, devoid of any absolute moral significance as misrepresented by the Pharisees, the “blind leaders of the blind.”