Not what your eating but what’s eating you – Wednesday, 5th week in ordinary time – Mark 7:14-23
After this episode of today’s Gospel, Jesus will leave the Jewish area and make his way into Gentile territory. The significance of this movement and its message was not lost on the community of St Mark who were predominantly Gentiles. Mark deliberately highlights this trip of Jesus to reassure his listeners that Jesus came for all and not only for the Jews.
To the Gentile Christians of Mark’s time, many of the Jewish traditions were alien. It is for this reason that in the passage of today’s Gospel, St Mark will go to great pains to explain the traditions of the Jews but also to show them that Jesus transcended human tradition in favour of the human person.
At the heart of the argument in today’s Gospel is the spill over of the question raised by the Pharisees in yesterday’s Gospel. Their question was asked in order to indict Jesus and to embarrass Him about the lack of ‘tradition’ maintained by ‘some of His disciples.’ (These now also being the Gentiles of Mark’s community) Among this was the tradition was the washing of hands before eating and the restrictions regarding what one could or could not eat.
According to Leviticus 11:43-44 and 20:24-26, Yahweh “separated” the clean from the unclean food in order to distinguish the Israelites from the surrounding peoples. The Jews preserved their religious and national identity through practices associated with food laws, hand washing, and Sabbath keeping.
When Jesus, in Mark’s Gospel declared all foods clean (verse 19) He prepares the way for the Gentile mission and dissolves the separation among Jew and Gentile based on dietary restrictions. And it does not end with merely a break down with what one can eat for from here, Jesus enters into Tyre, which is Gentile territory, and ministers to a Syrophoenician woman who displays more understanding of his ministry than those closest to him. The Gentiles, as it were, get the message of Christ not the Jews.
Dear Fr Warner
Beautiful reflections
God bless you
Regards
Ashley Dsouza
#106-B, Neelgiri, Opp Van Udyan Marg Near Cross Road Restaurant
Eksar Borivali West
Raphael you entered your address in the comments section
A significant thought to consider in our every day life. Specifically during lent but on other days too.
Thankyou Fr. Warner..
So true ..
For all we give up during Lent or otherwise, it would make more sense to give up ( even if one at a time ), the things that are eating us up as varied as they are..
Thankyou Fr.Warner ..