The key to Jesus’ enigmatic statement about making all foods clean

Last updated on: July 14, 2016 at 6:23 am by Gerald McDermott

The key to Jesus’ enigmatic statement about making all foods clean 2016-07-14T06:23:52-04:00 Gerald McDermott

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Today we will finish a few more hermeneutical observations and then get to the key to understanding what Jesus meant in Mark 7.19b: his audience.

But first a few more hermeneutical observations.

Notice what the Mark 7 story is sandwiched by–two stories that provide further clues. Just before this story of Jesus’ debate over hand washing is the story of the sick who were healed by touching “the fringe” of Jesus’ cloak. The Greek word is kraspedon, which is the Greek word for the tassels that all Jewish men were commanded to wear by Torah to remind them of the commandments of Mosaic law (Nb 15:37-41). In Jewish popular culture, it was believed that healing could come through a prophet’s tassels.
Then notice what comes just after the handwashing dispute: the mission to the Gentiles. Jesus goes to Tyre, a notoriously Gentile area.

To recapitulate: Just before our disputed passage is a story that emphasizes Jesus’s observance of Torah and just after is the beginning of a mission to Gentiles. In other words, Jesus is a Jew who is devoted to Torah but is also ministering to Gentiles.

In fact, it is the scholarly consensus that the intended audience for Mark’s gospel is Gentiles. As David Rudolph has pointed out in his groundbreaking article “Jesus and the Food Laws” (Evangelical Quarterly 74:4 [2002], 291-311), Mark translates seven Aramaic words into Greek to help his Greek (Gentile) audience. A Jewish audience would have understood the Aramaic, which is very close to Hebrew.

So, according to Rudolph, the meaning of Jesus’ cryptic words in Mk 7.19b is that all foods are clean for Gentiles. Why? Because Torah is addressed primarily to Jews, not Gentiles. This is why the Jews in leadership at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 made the decision they did: the Gentiles don’t have to practice circumcision and kosher because they are Torah commandments and Torah is primarily addressed to Jews.

Rudolph thinks Mark quoted Jesus in 7.19 because the early church was still wondering by this time (between 64 and 75 AD/CE) if it was true that gentiles did not have to keep kosher. The Jerusalem Council (about 49 AD) never quoted Jesus for support. So perhaps both Jews and Gentiles wondered if it was right, and if Paul was right when he wrote in Romans (probably written 55-57 AD) nearly the same words in Greek in Rom 14.14: panta bromata men kathara (all foods are clean). Paul was addressing the same issue, differences in eating between Jews and Gentiles.

Rudolph thinks that Mark recalled Jesus’ using nearly these same words in order to reassure Gentiles that kosher commandments did not apply to them–even if they were still required of all Jews, even Jesus-believing Jews.

Tomorrow we will get into the Mark 7 passage, going line by line to see how the particular words of this story reinforce everything I have been saying so far.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 13, 2016

By the usual reading, the early church ignored Jesus' supposed abandonment of Mosaic law

Next Post

July 15, 2016 Jesus defends Mosaic law

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2023 November 2022 October 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 August 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz