Understanding That Which Defiles

This morning I am reading an interesting section from Mark's Gospel - where Jesus is speaking about what makes us unclean. Here are the verses - Mark 7:1-2, 5, 14-15, 17-23 NIV:

[1] "The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus [2] and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed."

[5] "So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

[14] "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

[17] "After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. [18] “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? [19] For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) [20] He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come---sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

The focus of these verses is being defiled, so the first thing I did was go to the original Greek to see what word is used, and how it is defined.  The word is Koinoo and it is defined as follows:

1) to make common
    a) to make (Levitically) unclean, render unhallowed, defile, profane
    b) to declare or count unclean

It seems to me that this word has a wide range of definitions, for to make common sounds pretty ordinary, while defile and profane are pretty serious words.  the Jews had a very strong concern about being "unclean" and these verses stem from that concern.  In this type of case, where there is clearly more weight on a word than seems to make sense, just from the definition, I like to go back to what is called the "first-mention" which is where the topic is first covered in Scripture.  Often times the "first-mention" provides some valuable insight into the meaning and importance of the word or concept.  With this word, we could look into the whole concept of being set apart (holy) which would be the opposite of being common (unclean).  In the book of Leviticus, this very topic is discussed - Leviticus 10:10 NIV: "so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean"

The root of this whole concept is founded on the idea of a people set apart (made holy) by God.  He gave them specific rule and laws and they were different than what was practiced by the people around them, and were meant to be a sign of who they were (reminded them of their identity as God's chosen people).  The laws and rules were very specific, and being clean or unclean became a significant concept for the Jews.  The word unclean is mentioned 105 times in the Book of Leviticus, and 168 times in the Old Testament (NIV).

It seems to me that which God meant to help remind them of their identity as His chosen people, became instead a concept that became disconnected from the original purpose.  Uncleanliness could cause you to miss out on celebrations, fellowship, pretty much everything that was important to their lives.  Clearly much of this comes from the Law, and they were just trying their best to follow the guidelines.  When they didn't succeed, they were treated as common (unclean), and were not able to participate in those things that were considered holy (clean). The ordinances were to help them distinguish those that were clean vs. unclean.  Again, it seems to me that whole purpose was to remind them and others, who they were (God's Chosen People), and was thus more about identity than anything else.  Instead it became an obsession and focus, a ritual that was practiced without a solid connection to the original purpose, a way to judge other people.

I am going to switch gears here. As I was thinking about this whole concept of being set apart (made holy) I was reminded of what the distinguishing characteristic of Christ's followers is supposed to be, as described by Jesus in John 13:34-35 NIV: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In the Old Testament and old covenant, the commands that were given were to make you clean (externally) and remind you of your identity.  In the new covenant, the new command is to love one another!  This is what is supposed to set us apart (make us holy) from everyone else. It is supposed to based on our identity as a follower of Christ (the core of which is a relationship with Him), and is the outward reminder to ourselves and others that we have been chosen by Him, forgiven, redeemed and saved.  No longer should we be concerned with the Law and its myriad of practices, but instead we should be concerned about our heart and the attitudes therein.  That is exactly Jesus' teaching in these verses in Mark.  It is not that which comes from without, but rather that which is within us, in our heart, that should be our focus.  It is totally possible to have a perfect external alignment with the law or religious rules, but at the same time have no connection to Jesus, nor relationship with Him.

Jesus actually mentions this exact issue in Matthew 7:22-23 NIV: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Clearly, relationship with Jesus is the cornerstone of all this.  It is because we are His followers, His disciples that we are called to love one another.  This is very much like the Jews in the Old Covenant, it was because of their relationship with God, as His chosen people, that they were called to keep these commands to remain clean.

Going back the original verses, if we look closely at the list of things that Jesus says defile us, they are almost all directly against His new command to love one another as He loved us.  He says the following, "sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person."

So today, I am reminded again that love for others and relationship with Him are the two most important things in my life!  My love for Him, and my relationship with Him is the foundation for my love for everyone else.  As I grow in relationship with Him, I am empowered to love others, and experience and know more about His love (see my meditation from yesterday).  As I grow in my Love for Him and others, it becomes more and more apparent that I am His follower.

Amen!