Movatterモバイル変換

Matthew 15:17
Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

1 Corinthians 6:13
Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the bodyis not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Colossians 2:21,22
(Touch not; taste not; handle not; …

but it goes into the stomach
The stomach is part of the physical body, and Jesus is making a distinction between physical processes and spiritual realities. This statement underscores the temporary and physical nature of food consumption, which does not impact one's spiritual state. The emphasis here is on the natural digestive process, which is a common human experience, transcending cultural and religious boundaries. This teaching challenges the Jewish dietary laws that were a significant part of the Mosaic Covenant, as seen inLeviticus 11, by suggesting that they are not the ultimate measure of holiness.

and then is eliminated.”
This phrase refers to the natural biological process of digestion and excretion, highlighting the transient nature of food. Jesus uses this imagery to illustrate that what enters the body physically does not affect one's spiritual condition. This teaching would have been radical to His Jewish audience, who adhered strictly to dietary laws. The process of elimination signifies the temporary impact of food, contrasting with the enduring nature of spiritual purity and defilement, which are matters of the heart and mind.

(Thus all foods are clean.)
This parenthetical statement is a theological conclusion drawn from Jesus' teaching, indicating a shift from the Old Covenant dietary restrictions to the New Covenant freedom. It prefigures the vision given to Peter inActs 10:9-16, where God declares all foods clean, symbolizing the inclusion of Gentiles into the faith. This declaration aligns with the fulfillment of the Law through Christ, as He embodies the ultimate purity and holiness. The statement also reflects the early church's struggle with Jewish-Gentile relations and the move towards a unified body of believers, as seen in the Jerusalem Council's decision inActs 15.

– Jesus pinpoints the true source of defilement. External matter never breaches the core of who we are.

• Scripture repeatedly treats the “heart” as the fountain of thoughts, motives, and worship (Jeremiah 17:9;Proverbs 4:23).

• In the parallel passage, He says, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man” (Matthew 15:18-19).

• God’s evaluation has always centered on inward reality, not outward ritual—“For the LORD sees not as man sees… the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

• By highlighting the heart, Jesus is insisting that sin originates within; food can never taint the spirit.

– Here Jesus gives a simple anatomy lesson to underline a profound theological truth.

• Food only travels a temporary path—“Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy them both” (1 Corinthians 6:13).

• The digestive system handles the physical; it has no access to the moral realm.

• Paul later urges believers not to “let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink” (Colossians 2:16-17), echoing this teaching.

• The kingdom focus is higher: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

– Mark, guided by the Spirit, draws the unmistakable conclusion.

• Jesus’ words dissolve Old-Covenant dietary restrictions, foreshadowing Peter’s rooftop vision: “What God has made clean, you must not call impure” (Acts 10:13-15).

• Paul can therefore say, “I am convinced… that nothing is unclean in itself” (Romans 14:14) and “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).

• The ceremonial laws pointed to a deeper separation from sin; in Christ, their symbolic purpose is fulfilled.

• Freedom, however, is never an excuse for selfishness (Romans 14:20-21); love guides how we exercise this liberty.

Mark 7:19 teaches that food cannot defile because it never touches the heart; it merely enters the stomach and exits the body. By stating this, Jesus announces that every kind of food is ceremonially clean, shifting the focus from external regulations to the inner life where real purity or defilement resides.

Purging all meats.--This also is peculiar to St. Mark, and presents some difficulties. In the commonly received text, the participle is in the neuter nominative, agreeing with the nominative to the verb "goeth out." But in this construction it is difficult to see in what sense that which goeth into the mouth--itself an article of food, with no special character--can be said to purge or cleanse all other forms of food. The better MSS., however, give the participle in the masculine. This has been explained by many as a grammatical anomaly, and the participle being treated as if it agreed (though in a different case) with the word "draught" or "cesspool," the latter is said to cleanse all meats, as removing theexcreta, or impure parts, from them, and leaving only that which nourishes the body. A far better construction, both as to grammar and meaning, is found by making the word "purging," or better,cleansing, agree with the subject of the verb "He saith," inMark 7:18--"He saith this . . . and in so saying, cleanseth all meats." So taken, the words anticipate, in almost the same terms, the truth ofActs 10:15, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." The construction is tenable grammatically, has the support of high authority both ancient and modern, and obviously gives a much better sense. It is a possible conjecture that the words "cleansing all meats" may have been, at first, a marginal note (like the addition inMark 7:16), attached to "He saith," and have afterwards found their way into the text. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...