17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” Mark 7:17-19
- thus purifying all foods?
Paul learned from this statement and taught the Gentile Churches this:
- I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself;
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:14-18
Mark 7:1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews,
except they wash their hands oft, eat not,
holding the tradition of the elders.
Not a commandments from God, but a religious ritual of man.
4 And
when they come from the market,
except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold,
as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples
according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
The Mainstream Preachers of Christ's Time were faulting the Apostles, not because they were disobedient to God's Commandments, but because they were disobedient to their religious traditions.
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with
their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ( Not God)
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,
as the washing of pots and cups:
and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them,
Full well ye reject the commandment of God,
that ye may keep your own tradition.
This is why I stay out of organized religion. You guys preach that this chapter is about Jesus elimination a Commandment of God. You do this by quoting the scripture you quoted in support of your ancient religious traditions regarding what is food, and you completely ignore the very reason Jesus was there in the first place.
I'm supposed to believe that Jesus just rebuked the Pharisees for "Transgressing
GOD'S Commandments by their own religious traditions, then teaches us to "Transgress the Commandment of God by our own religious tradition".
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Disobedience, rebellion, dishonor, selfishness, pride, these all defile a man. But eating with unwashed hands do not defile a man.
Lev. 11:1 And the LORD (Word which became Flesh) spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These
are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that
are on the earth.
3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted,
and cheweth the cud, among the beasts,
that shall ye eat.
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof:
as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof;
he is unclean unto you.
Nothing is unclean of itself. Jesus, as the Word of God created what is clean and what is unclean. All we have to do is believe Him. It isn't the Pork that defiles you, or the naked woman, or the unwashed hands or the man who does you wrong. It is the rebellion and stiff-necked, disobedient, prideful, lustful, hateful, selfishness that is within that defiles a man.
Mark 7 does not destroy any Law of God, it teaches just the opposite of what you preach. Jesus may have destroyed the difference between what is clean and what is unclean somewhere in the Bible, but it wasn't in Mark.