Let’s remember yesterday’s reasoning. Let’s repeat something from him… Jesus says: “…that which comes out of a man defiles…” (Mk 7:20). After all, Jesus did not tell the apostles not to observe the law about washing. This is what caused the Pharisees and the scribes to conflict when they asked Jesus: “Why don’t your disciples follow the tradition of their fathers and eat bread with defiled hands” (Mk 7:5)?
Jesus knows that the washing regulations originally applied only to the priests who performed the sacrificial service. The validity of these words expanded also because a blessing had to be said at each meal, meaning that a religious act was performed here. So they began to add human commands to God’s word, and more emphasis began to be placed on human commands than on God’s word. After all, even human orders were essentially correct if they fulfilled their purpose – the removal of pollution. Washing hands before eating was proper, and especially when they returned from the market, where there was plenty of dirt at that time. It was right that upon return, the emphasis was placed on bathing or washing the hands up to the wrist. It was right to emphasize the washing of cups, jugs, basins, and beds. However, it was not right when these human oral orders, later confirmed in writing, came to the forefront of what God commanded. The Pharisees and scribes placed great emphasis on the fulfillment of these human commands, and failure to fulfill them was a serious crime.
It can be seen from the Gospels that even in the time of Jesus, these regulations were strictly binding and their non-observance was punished with even harsh punishments. Jesus proves how far they have deviated from the truth. He explains that: “Nothing can defile a man that enters him from the outside, but that which comes out…” (Mk 7:15). He does not say that they should not maintain natural hygiene, but he reminds us of the importance of spiritual purity. Jesus teaches that food cannot be distinguished from “pure and impure”, but that the root of evil is found in the spiritual-spiritual area of the human “I”, from which all evil comes as an evil seed to poison people in the world. Eating or washing cannot create the right relationship with God.
Can we receive the Eucharist in a state of grave sin? Not! And yet Christ’s body is pure even when we receive it in sin, but it does not benefit us and harms the soul. We understand that Jesus’ words about what defiles a person are clear. It is about the inside of a person, about the soul, about the relationship to God, to the neighbor, and oneself: “For from within, from the human heart, evil things come…” (Mk 7:21-23).
The inside of a person decides whether a person is clean or unclean. Every sin, already committed in thought, causes damage to a person’s peace, joy, and happiness. A sinful thought is already a personal guilt. When we are aware of this reality, we allow the purifying and sanctifying grace to penetrate more deeply into our soul, which results in a more thorough and vigorous treatment of our interior. And that’s what Jesus wants with today’s gospel: to heal our insides. How wonderful and necessary it is: to accept Jesus’ words about the purity of our hearts.
