Mark
7:1-23
(Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
- Comparative texts about Pharisees & Sadducees from Joephus, Tosefta, Mishnah & Babylonian Talmud and comparative primary texts about Purity and Social Relations, from Philo, Josephus, Lucian, Pseudepigrapha, Babylonian Talmud, Midrash, Philostratus. At Mahlon H. Smith's (Rutgers University) Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus.
- "What Goes In," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
- (Mark 7:6) Chapter XV of The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome (ca. 96).
- XX.17-21, 23-28, 32-34, 38-40, 42-44; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
- II.14, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- XI.11, XI.12, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
- Epistle XXXIX -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
- On the Unity of the Church, Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
- On the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
- Epistle LXII -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 253)
- Epistle LXXIII -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 256)
- Epistle LXVII -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 257)
- From the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
- From the
Geneva Notes.
- "The more earnest the superstitious are, the more mad they are in promising themselves God's favour because of their deeds."
- From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
- "Those clean hands and that pure heart which Christ bestows on his disciples, and requires of them, are very different from the outward and superstitious forms of Pharisees of every age."
- From
Wesley's Notes.
- "Washing of cups and pots and brazen vessels and couches - The Greek word (baptisms) means indifferently either washing or sprinkling. The cups, pots, and vessels were washed; the couches sprinkled."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- From
The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "The duty of washing before meat is not inculcated in the law, but only in the tradition of the scribes. So rigidly did the Jews observe it, that Rabbi Akiba, being imprisoned, and having water scarcely sufficient to sustain life given him, preferred dying of thirst to eating without washing his hands."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Elizabeth Webb, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
- "By the end of the passage for today, Jesus has turned the whole notion of consumption that defiles on its head."
- "Tradition!" David Lose, ...in the Meantime, 2015.
- "...With this in mind, Dear Partner, I'd be interested in asking our community just how much they are willing to change in order to reach a new generation with the Gospel."
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
- "Heart Tellings," Karoline Lewis, Dear Working Preacher, 2015.
- "What is from within and who does it reveal? This is the question -- for you, for your sermon, for all those in whom we lodge trust or in whom we long to hope. And, in the end -- and herein lies the promise -- it is the question answered by God."
- "Defiled by Traditions?" Bob Cornwall, Ponderings on a Faith Journey, 2015.
- "True Religion," Sermon Notes for Pentecost 14, Proper 17, Porter Taylor, The Liturgical Theologian, 2015.
- Lectionary Greek, Rob Myallis, 2015.
- "The Tradition of the Elders," Andrew Prior, First Impressions, 2015.
- The Center for Excellence in Preaching, Scott Hoezee, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, illustration ideas, 2015.
- "What Defiles, What Defines," Nancy Rockwell, The Bite in the Apple, 2015.
- Notes on Mark 7:1-23, Travis Meier, The Bartimaeus Effect, 2015.
- "On Hand Washing, Shells, and Our Oh So Human Traditions," Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2015.
- "In your experience, where have you fallen into the trap of believing human traditions were sacred as the Pharisees did? How might this inform your preaching and teaching this week?"
- "Mean for Jesus," Bruce Maples, 2015.
- "Inside and Out," Lynn Miller, Art & Faith Matters, celebrating our creative and living God by generating art and architecture resources for congregations and individuals. Art and Faith Matters facebook page contains additional resources.
- "Playing Church," Glenn Monson, Law & Gospel Everywhere, 2015.
- "Heart Service," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer.
- "It may seem strange to people raised on the gospel of grace to hear about observing the commandments. But the simple truth is that the biblical witness has always insisted that the way you live your life demonstrates the quality of your faith."
- "You can't follow Christ if you're not a liberal," Howie Adan, Just Off the Map, 2015.
- "The Longing for Home," Frederick Buechner, Buechner Blog.
- "What seems to have made him angriest was hypocrisy and irrelevance, and thus it is the Pharisees who come in for his strongest attacks, the good people who should have known better. 'You brood of vipers,' he called them. 'How can you speak good when you are evil?'"
- Commentary, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Matt Skinner, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
- "At least one part of this passage is straightforward, although disturbing: Jesus explains where evil comes from."
- "Ethical Hermeneutics and Hermeneutical Ethics,'" D Mark Davis, raw translation and exegesis/questions, Left Behind and Loving It, 2012.
- "Lip Service - But Where Is the Heart?" Dirk G. Lange, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2012.
- "Lip service is quick and easy but also very dangerous. American political rhetoric takes God and turns God into a national religion: God becomes the explanation rather than the question."
- Lectionary Greek, Mark 7:1-8; 14-15; 21-23, Rob Myallis, 2012.
- Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours,
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15-, 21-23, David Ewart, 2012.
- "The struggle that every community in every age faces - including our own - is how can the 'tradition of the elders,' which has given us our identity, now be changed so that what was good in it - the desire live according to the will of God - can actually be expressed in our current circumstances."
- "Catch 22," Peter Lockhart, a different heresy, 2012.
- Discussion about What Really Defiles, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2012.
- Lectionary Blogging, John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2012.
- "Purity practices, such as ritual cleansings, were important cultural markers. Every culture has them. They are how we know who belongs and who doesn't, who is in and who is out."
- The Politics of Unclean Hands, Rachel Mann, Political Theology, 2012.
- Radical Gratitude, lectionary-based stewardship, Northwest United Methodist Foundation. (.pdf)
- "External Rituals of the Elite," Russell Rathbun, The Hardest Question, 2012.
- "How many of us will preach this text with the assumption that we and our congregations are the rebellious followers of Jesus who upset the uptight fundamentalist Pharisees?"
- "What Matters and What Doesn't," Janet Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2012.
- "What do you make of Jesus' conversation with the Pharisees this week? How do we receive these ancient words and find meaning for them in our lives today?"
- "Dirty Hands," Martha Spong, Reflectionary, 2012.
- "Cornbread Wars," Melissa Bane Servier, Contemplative Viewfinder, 2012.
- "...some things are weightier than others. Feeding people is more important than ceremony. Relationships are more important than tradition."
- "Spiritual Diahorrea?" Andrew Prior, 2012.
- "What Defiles," Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, 2012.
- Comentario del Evangelio por Marisa Strizzi, Marcos 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Working Preacher, 2012.
-
Commentary,
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Henry Langknecht, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2009.
- "My plea earlier was that you begin your sermon prep by asking, "What are God's specific gracious remedies to our defilement?" Perhaps a starting place is to rejoice that God creates in us new hearts and right spirits within us."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 6:7 - 8:26, Carl W. Conrad. (Click superscript numbers for commentary.)
- "Pharisees Criticize Jesus for Eating with Unwashed Hands," Michael A. Turton's Historical Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, "a complete verse-by-verse commentary on the Gospel of Mark, focusing on the historicity of people, places, events, and sayings in the world of the Gospel of Mark."
-
"First
Thoughts on Year B Gospel Passages in the Lectionary,"
Pentecost 14, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "The way of the Spirit says that, to God, people matter most."
-
Exegetical
Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks
Christian Resources.
- "...it can be difficult to understand sin as our common ("koinos"), human, natural state. It comes from within. It is part of our nature. It is not just "doing bad things.""
-
"From
Ritual Holiness to Human Compassion: Jesus and the Politics of Purity,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey
with Jesus Foundation, 2009.
- "Consider: when God hates all the same people you hate, you can be sure that you've created Him in your own image."
- "Traditions," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
-
"Jesus'
Contagious Cleanliness," Carolyn Schneider,
Sabbatheology,
The Crossings Community, 2009.
- "Jesus gave his disciples authority over unclean spirits, too (Mark 6:7), and so we are sent out to handle what is unclean with Jesus' cleansing life. Will we be defiled in the process? Absolutely. But we know what to do with that; it goes with Jesus to the cross to get sanitized in his risen life for us and for others."
-
"No
Outcasts Cast Out: From the Politics of Purity to the Call for Compassion,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with
Jesus Foundation.
- "How do we embrace both holiness and compassion, instead of choosing one or the other?"
-
"Diversionary Tactics," Ordinary 22B, Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R., from
Sundays Into
Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian
Meditation. Claretian Publications.
- "The precise difference between Jesus and the Pharisees was that they looked at the external activity whereas Jesus looked at the heart, the source of activity. They looked to the fulfillment of law and tradition while he looked to love and commitment. They looked at the letter of the law while he looked at it's spirit."
- Wellspring of the Gospel, Ordinary 22B, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
- Marginally Mark, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
-
"Ways to Enter the Sacred Meal,"
Ordinary 22B, Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com:
A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's
Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
- "How do you prepare for a special dinner? What rituals or habits do you have to ready your mind and heart for that unique meal?"
- "The Issue of Purity," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
- "Mark 7: Clean and Unclean," "Ritual Cleanliness," wikipedia.
- "A Symbolic
Approach to Mark 7." Jerome H. Neyrey, Forum 4,3 (1988):63-91.
- "Since the purpose of God's law was not to separate covenant from non-covenant members but to gather all peoples in God's mysterious election, the particularistic kosher laws are judged abrogated. And so the issue of clean/unclean in Mark 7 may be focused on the question of washing hands and vessels, but these are but symbols of the larger discussion of purity and pollution."
- "Meals, Food and
Tablefellowship." Jerome H. Neyrey, in The Social Sciences and New Testament
Interpretation, 159-82. R. L. Rohrbaugh, ed. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996.
- "How can readers understand the particular ceremony of meals and table fellowship? Why are meals so important as symbols of broader social relationships? How can we peer below the surface and grasp the social dynamics encoded in meals and commensality, what anthropologists call "the language of meals"?"
- Commentary, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Elizabeth Webb, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
-
Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Bailey, Jon
Nelson, "Vowing Away the Fifth Commandment: Matthew 15:3-6 // Mark
7:9-13," Restoration Quarterly, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bishop, Jonathan, "Parabole and
Parrhesia in Mark," Interpretation, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Blomberg, Craig L.,
"The New Testament Definition of Heresy (or When Do Jesus and the Apostles
Really Get Mad?)," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Cook, Donald E.,
"A Gospel Portrait of the Pharisees,"
Review and Expositor,
1987.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Crossley, James G.,
"Halakah and Mark 7.4: '...and beds,'" Journal for the Study
of the New Testament, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - "Homiletical Helps," Concordia Journal, 2009. (Section on this text begins on page 302)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Keller, Joseph, "Jesus and the Critics: A Logico-Critical
Analysis of the Marcan Confrontation," Interpretation, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Lamkin, James E., "'Of Sails and Sudders': Song of
Songs 2:8-13; James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23," Review and
Expositor, 2008. (Sermon)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Loader, William R.G., "Challenged at the Boundaries: A Conservative
Jesus in Mark's Tradition," Journal for the Study of the New
Testament, 1996. (Section on this
text begins on p. 45.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Long, Thomas G., "Living by the Word: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23," The Christian Century,
2009.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - McEleney, Neil J.,
"Authenticating Criteria and Mark 7:1-23,"
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly,
1972.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Ortberg, John,
"Pharisees Are Us," The
Christian Century, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Passakos, Demetrios C.,
"Clean and Unclean in the New Testament: Implications for Contemporary
Liturgical Practices," Greek Orthodox Theological Review,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Petersen, Norman R., "The Composition of Mark 4:1-8:26,"
Harvard Theological Review, 1980.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Poirier, John C.,
"Purity beyond the Temple in the Second Temple Era,"
Journal of Biblical Literature,
2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Räisänen, Heikki, "Jesus and the Food Laws: Reflections on Mark 7.15,"
Journal for the Study of the New
Testament, 1982.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Reynolds, Stephen M.,
"PYGME
(Mark 7.3) as 'Cupped Hand',"
Journal of Biblical Literature,
1966.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Salyer, Gregory,
"Rhetoric, Purity and Play: Aspects of Mark 7:1-23," Semeia,
1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Sellew, Philip, "The Composition of
Didactic Scenes in Mark's Gospel," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Thiering, B.E.,
"'Breaking of Bread' and 'Harvest' in Mark's Gospel," Novum
Testamentum, 1970.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Tomson, Peter J.,
"Jewish Food Laws in Early Christian Community Discourse," Semeia,
1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wahlen, Clinton,
"The Temple in Mark and Contested Authority," Biblical Interpretation,
2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Watson, Francis, "The Social Function of Mark's
Secrecy Theme," Journal for the Study of the New Testament,"
1985.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wink, Walter, "The Education of the Apostles: Mark's
View of Human Transformation," Religious Education, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bailey, Jon
Nelson, "Vowing Away the Fifth Commandment: Matthew 15:3-6 // Mark
7:9-13," Restoration Quarterly, 2000.
- Sermons:
- "Cleanliness or Godliness," the Rev. Reggie Weaver, Day 1, 2012.
- "Tradition: Fiddler on the Roof," Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
- "What Matters to God," the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade, Day 1, 2003.
- "Why Don't You Wash Your Hands?" the Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Day 1, 2000.
- Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily:
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 17B, 2015. Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary.
- Hand Soap / Dish Soap, Dollar Store Children's Sermons, 2015.
- "True Worship," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
- "Linda and Jerry Fight Over Table Traditions," children's story by Larry Broding, word-sunday.com.
- "Jesus' Disciples Eat without Washing their Hands," "What Is Clean in the Site of God?" Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- "Mark 7 & 8 Word Search," Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles.
- Drama:
- "With Dirty Hands," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
- "A Taxing Question," James Jack, dramatix.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art Images: Mark 7:1-23, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
- Mark 7:1-23 at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
- Mark 7:1-23, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
- Commercial Site: "What's Inside? (Mark 7:1-8)," graphics/films/worship ideas from Lumicon.
- Bulletin Cover/Art, Mark 7:6, John Stuart, Knoxville, TN. (Free use by churches.)
- Hymns and Music:
- "The Well-Loved Traditions," a hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, lifting up Jesus' teaching on traditions and our need to focus on what is inside rather than outward appearances. Tune: ST. DENIO 11. 11. 11. 11 ("Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise").
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Mark
