And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also?

Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth

into the man, it cannot defile him. Mark 7:18

 

     Can’t you just hear Jesus? ‘Really guys, you don’t get it? How much clearer do I have to be?’  Jesus, in the previous verses was challenging the traditions of the Pharisees in answer to their questioning of the disciples eating habits. It wasn’t just good hygiene but ritual to wash before eating. The Pharisees embraced their rules and rituals but for the most part ignored God’s commands.

       Jesus clearly had His work cut out for Him. He came into a culture ruled by laws and He challenged each and every one of them I’m sure. He healed on the Sabbath, let His disciples pick and eat grain on the Sabbath, He challenged the rules of fasting. Now He was challenging the concept of clean and unclean.

      It’s not like the Pharisees had just drafted the bill and voted it into law. The rules of clean and unclean animals date back to the time of the Ark and Levitical law. God told Noah to take clean and unclean animals onto the floating zoo and He gave specific instructions to Moses about what they could and could not eat.

      So here are the disciples behind the closed door of the home they were staying in scratching their heads. Wouldn’t you? Jesus was overturning a command put in place by His Father, not a ritual carried out by hypocrites. He had the authority to do so. He quotes the prophet Isaiah so in this exchange is fulfilling prophecy. He did say He had come to fulfill the law and the prophets.

      Are you also so hung up that you’re missing why He came?