RSV ~ Mark 7 Notes

Mk 7:3 | ISB Notes

the tradition of the elders: Religious customs manufactured by the Pharisees and added to the Mosaic Law. Sometimes called the oral Law, this body of rituals was designed to supplement God’s written Law and intensify its requirements of ritual purity. These traditions were passed on orally until recorded in the Jewish Mishnah about A.D. 200. Here the controversy is sparked by the “unwashed” hands of the disciples (7:2). The Pharisees charge them, not with poor hygiene, but with religious laxity. Jesus responds with a vigorous attack on these Pharisaic customs because they distract practitioners from the more important principles of the Mosaic Law (7:8-9). That is, they emphasize the dangers of ritual impurity (on the hands) to the neglect of moral defilement (in the heart) defined by the commandments (7:20-23). In the end, these traditions promoted by the elders are examples of merely human tradition that the Pharisees have wrongly elevated to an equal level with the revealed Law of God (CCC 581). See note on Col 2:8 and essay: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2.

Mk 7:6-7 | ISB Notes

A reference to Is 29:13.

• Isaiah reprimands Jerusalem for consulting its politicians while rejecting the prophets. Because their leaders routinely exclude the Lord from foreign policy decisions and rely instead on their own wisdom, their worship of the Lord has become empty and vain. No longer, says Isaiah, will Yahweh tolerate their lip service when their hearts are devoid of living faith. The Pharisees have fallen into the same trap of rejecting God’s wisdom in favor of their own (Mt 23:23; Col 2:20-23). As a result, their venerated traditions are empty and in dangerous competition with God’s will as revealed in the gospel.

Mk 7:11 | ISB Notes

Corban: Aramaic for “offering”. It denotes something dedicated to God for a religious purpose. It often consisted of money or property donated by vow to the Temple.

Jesus denounces the abuse of this practice: giving gifts to the Temple does not exempt children from the obligation of honoring their parents through financial support (Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16; CCC 2218).

Mk 7:19 | ISB Notes

all foods clean: An editorial comment by Mark. Since Jesus traces true defilement back to the heart (7:21), the outward distinctions between clean and unclean as defined by the Old Covenant are no longer operative or binding in the New.

These ceremonial distinctions have been superseded in two ways: (1) Ritual defilement was an external matter under the Old Covenant, whereas the New Covenant penetrates to cleanse and govern the inward life of believers (Mt 5:8; Acts 15:9). (2) Since Mosaic food laws effectively separated Israel from the Gentiles, these dietary restrictions were set aside in the New Covenant once Jews and Gentiles were gathered together into the same covenant family. The early Church grappled much with the issues surrounding Old Covenant dietary laws and table-fellowship in light of the gospel (Acts 10:916; Rom 14:13-23; Gal 2:11-16; CCC 582).

Mk 7:21 | ISB Notes

the heart of man: In biblical terminology, the heart is the center of the person and the source of every decision that manifests itself through deeds. Jesus thus links true defilement with the heart, where evil actions and intentions have their hidden beginning (Mt 5:28). His inventory of vices is similar to others in the NT (Rom 1:29-31; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Pet 4:3; CCC 1432, 2517-19).

Mk 7:24 | ISB Notes

Tyre and Sidon: Two Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, north of Palestine. They were predominantly Gentile in population and thus contemptible to the Jews (Ezek 26:1-28:26; Joel 3:4-8).

Mk 7:27 | ISB Notes

the children first: The children of Israel hold first claim to the blessings of the New Covenant (Mt 15:24; Rom 1:16; 9:4-5; CCC 839). Only after Jesus’ Resurrection is the gospel systematically proclaimed to all nations (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

dogs: Often a derogatory term in the Bible (1 Sam 17:43; Phil 3:2; Rev 22:15).

Jesus uses it to illustrate the progress of the gospel: just as children are fed before pets, so the gospel is offered to Israel before the Gentiles. The woman’s acceptance of this epithet reveals her humility, and her unwillingness to be turned away reveals her perseverance (7:28-29).

Mk 7:31 | ISB Notes

the Decapolis: This setting indicates that Jesus continued to travel and minister in Gentile territory. See note on Mk 5:1.

Mk 7:33 | ISB Notes

privately: Reflects Jesus’ intention to conceal his identity.

See note on Mk 1:44.

Mk 7:34 | ISB Notes

Ephphatha: An Aramaic expression that Mark translates for his Gentile readers.

Mk 7:37 | ISB Notes

the deaf … the mute: Recalls the messianic blessings prophesied in Is 35:4-6 (Wis 10:21; CCC 549). See note on Mt 11:5.