Bro. Posthuman, since you asked, let me try and help you understand Mark 7: 18,19 and Matt 15 which recounts the same incident. I have already done so in a previous post but allow me to go into greater detail as it may be of help.
Note:In this account between Jesus and the pharisees neither use the Hebrew word 'unclean', or in the Greek, 'akathartos'.
The word used is in the Greek, is 'koinos' which means 'commonness' translated into English as 'impure' or 'defiled'
When this word 'koinos' is used in the NT, it means that something good or holy has become profaned or desecrated.
This use is a unique Palestinian Jewish concept not found in secular Greek writings. However this word 'Koinos' first came into widespread use among the Jews during the intertestimental period. A significant cultural shift occurred among traditional religious Jews. They became determined to remain separate from all uncleanness, including anything to do with gentiles.
Jews were instructed by their religious leaders to refrain from purchasing oil, bread, milk, or meat from a gentile.
The issue in Mark 7 & Matt 15 has to do with the "cultically unclean hands" of the disciples.(Mark 7:2) there was nothing intrinsically evil about the disciples hands, but the "tradition of the elders" stated that one's hands had become culticaly defiled by the commonness (koinos) of their activities. According to the tradition, if the disciples touched food with their culticaly defiled hands the food would become defiled and would cause them to become unclean and they would become spiritually unacceptable to God. Jesus denied that such a thing was possible. Jesus explained that spiritual defilement comes from within, not without. I will deal with this a little later.
A text without context is a pretext. That is the problem here, we need to find out why vs18,19 appear and do we have the correct meaning. We must consider what precipitated those remarks, so it is imperative we start at the beginning of the incident and find out what is happening.
Matt 15:1 Thee pharisees, had come from Jerusalem, this was more or less an official delegation from the Sanhedrin, sent for the specific purpose of seeking an excuse to bring the ministry of Jesus to a close.
Matt15:2 They immediately make a charge against Jesus, that his disciples are eating with unwashed hands, thereby transgressing the 'tradition of the elders'. This tradition was in the Talmud, which are basically writings of men. In their view the disciple's hands were 'ceremonially impure'. This is not a at all a biblical concept. This accusation is what Jesus will deal with.
Matt 15:3 Jesus immediately countered,
Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Matt 15:4
For GOD COMMANDED, saying, Honor your father and your mother, and he that curseth father father and mother, let him die the death. (Here is the
critical point of your problem, are you on side with Jesus here regarding the commandments of God?) Jesus raised the status of the scripture opposite what Christians do today. Jesus lifted up the 10 commandments here.
Matt 15:5
But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is corban, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; (the Pharisees had invented an escape from the law of God)
Matt 15:6
and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Does the underlined portion apply to you?
Matt 15:7
you hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
Matt 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matt 15:9
but in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (This is happening today)
Matt 15:10 and he called the multitude, and said unto them,
Hear, and understand:
Matt 15:11
not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Matt 15:12 then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? (The pharisees never contested Jesus' remark, they were just upset by it.)
Matt 15:13 but he answered and said,
Every plant, (false teaching) which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
Matt 15:14
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (this is extremely common today in the Christian world)
Matt 15:15 then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
Matt 15:16 and Jesus said,
Are ye also yet without understanding?
Matt 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? (Remember the charge against Jesus was that of eating with defiled hands. He is denying that such a thing is possible. Even if the disciples hands were unwashed and contained some impurity Jesus is saying there is no problem, there is simply no mention about unclean meats here.)
Matt 15:18
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Matt 15:19
for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
(the pharisees had murder in their hearts, they wanted to kill Jesus, that is the real defilement Jesus is talking about. The custom of ceremonial uncleanness (koinos) was only an imagined defilement.
Matt 15:20
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.
This is Jesus conclusion of the matter. We need to accept it, and not our erroneous thinking.
The accusation by Jesus against the pharisees is pertinent because some have suggested that Jesus Himself acted in the same manner in which He accused the pharisees; that is, some have assumed that Jesus set aside the "the commandments of God" by creating His own new tradition. In which case he would also be guilty of the hypocrisy He accused the pharisees of.
In support of such a stance, they use the parenthetical phrase of Mark 7:19, "thus He declared all foods clean"
Many Christians have suggested that Jesus in Mark 7:19 had done away with the unclean distinctions of Lev 11.
If that is what Jesus did, Jesus was then guilty of what He accused the pharisees and scribes of doing; setting aside the commandments of God to follow His own, newly introduced, tradition. Such an interpretation cannot stand theological scrutiny.
I will elaborate further on Mark 7:19 in a future post.
I am judging no one.I merely present the word of God. Consider those who hear His words and reject them. John 12:47,48
“For this ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:5
I urge you to hear and obey the word of God. If you are eating the unclean you are on building on sand.
blessings,