From: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The Tradition of the Elders

[1] Now when the Pharisees gathered together to Him (Jesus), with some of the
scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, [2] they saw that some of His disciples
ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. [3] (For the Pharisees, and all the
Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the el-
ders; [4] and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless
they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe,
the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) [5] And the Pharisees and
the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition
of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?” [6] And He said to them, “Well did
Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with
their lips, but their heart is far from Me; [7] in vain do they worship Me, teaching
as doctrines the precepts of men.’ [8] You leave the commandment of God, and
hold fast the tradition of men.

What Defiles a Man

[14] And [Jesus] called the people to meet Him, and said to them, “Hear Me, all
of you, and understand: [15] there is nothing outside a man which by going into
him can defile him; but the things that come out of a man are what defile him.”

[21] For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft,
murder, adultery, [22] coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander,
pride, foolishness. [23] All these evil things come from within, and they defile a
man.

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Commentary:

1-2. Hands were washed not for reasons of hygiene or good manners but because
the custom had religious significance: it was a rite of purification. In Exodus 30:
17ff the Law of God laid down how priests should wash before offering sacrifice.
Jewish tradition had extended this to all Jews before every meal, in an effort to
give meals a religious significance, which was reflected in the blessings which
marked the start of meals. Ritual purification was a symbol of the moral purity a
person should have when approaching God (Psalm 24:3ff; 51:4 and 9); but the
Pharisees had focused on the mere external rite. Therefore Jesus restores the
genuine mea- ning of these precepts of the Law, whose purpose is to teach the
right way to render homage to God (cf. John 4:24).

3-5. We can see clearly from this text that very many of those to whom St. Mark’s
Gospel was first addressed were Christians who had been pagans and were unfa-
miliar with Jewish customs. The Evangelist explains these customs in some detail,
to help them realize the significance of the events and teachings reported in the
Gospel story.

Similarly, Sacred Scripture needs to be preached and taught in a way which puts
it within reach of its hearers. This is why Vatican II teaches that “it is for the bi-
shops suitable to instruct the faithful [...] by giving them translations of the sacred
texts which are equipped with necessary and really adequate explanations. Thus
the children of the Church can familiarize themselves safely and profitably with the
Sacred Scriptures, and become steeped in their spirit” (”Dei Verbum”, 25).

15. Some important codexes add here: “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear,”
which would form verse 16.

20-23. “In order to help us understand divine things, Scripture uses the expression
‘heart’ in its full meaning, as the summary and source, expression and ultimate
basis, of one’s thoughts, words and actions” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 164).

The goodness or malice, the moral quality, of our actions does not depend on their
spontaneous, instinctive character. The Lord Himself tells us that sinful actions can
come from the human heart.

We can understand how this can happen if we realize that, after original sin, man
“was changed for the worse” in both body and soul and was, therefore, prone to evil
(cf. Council of Trent, “De Peccato Originali”). Our Lord here restores morality in all
its purity and intensity.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Mass Readings

First reading	Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 ©
Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’

First reading

Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 ©

Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 14:2-5

Second reading	James 1:17-18,21-22,27 ©
It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created. So do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

Second reading

James 1:17-18,21-22,27 ©

It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created. So do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.

Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

Gospel	Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 ©
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

Gospel

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,

while their hearts are far from me.

The worship they offer me is worthless,

the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’