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Biblical Wanderings: Mark 7:14-23
🕑 Added 2024-02-19 17:44:01 +0000 UTCOnce again, he called the crowd and said, “All of you, listen to me and consider: nothing that enters a human from the outside can make them unclean; but that which comes out of a human, these are what make humans unclean. If anyone has ears to hear - hear.” After he had left the crowd and gone into a house, his disciples asked about the parable. “Are you still such dopes?” he said. “See - nothing that enters a human externally can make them unclean, because it doesn’t enter their heart - rather, the stomach, and then it’s discharged.” (Thus all foods are clean.) He continued: “What comes out of a human, that makes them unclean. For from within the hearts of humans come bad thoughts, looseness, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, an envious eye, slander, pride, and folly. All these evils come from within, and make a human unclean.”
Should I do this or that? I’m a minute-by-minute kind of guy. Meditation for 20 minutes. Breakfast right around 8. Oatmeal, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, and a rice cake. Work from 9 to 11, then get started on lunch, which is always rice, chicken, carrots and broccoli, with a bit of coconut oil and salt..
I’ve got my mornings down, but after lunch things get dodgy. What am I supposed to be doing? Should I keep working, take a break, visit a friend? Did I put too much coconut oil on my lunch? Should I be eating meat at all? They say now meat and dairy can cause cancer. If I cut it out, will I have enough energy to get by the day?
There is a “by the books” way of living life, and I don’t think it really works, because the book never stops being written. There’s always more questions, more clarifications needed, more variations that require new answers. It’s like a dictionary: you open up to a definition, and find that definition full of other words that need defining.
That’s the scene that Jesus is entering into here. Jewish law is not just the Torah [the first five books of the Christian ‘Old Testament’] - there’s also the oral law, which breaks into multitudinous streams of rules and regulations. These streams often contradict one another; the Talmud is full of rabbis disagreeing with one another on the fine points of Jewish living. The Jew who wishes to live a life completely in accordance with the law enters into a tangle of legislation that can never be completely unknotted.
Jesus offers something different here. Just what he offers is a bit of a mystery, and it ends up being a very central mystery to the rest of the New Testament. When he overrules the Torah, is he tossing out the rulebook? Is he amending it? If so, what other rules are no longer valid? And why does he say elsewhere that “not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matt 5:18)? The bible is remarkably honest in showing how unclear his disciples were on this point, especially as they begin recruiting Gentiles into the fold who have never followed Jewish law. Eventually the matter is decided by council, rather than divine intervention: new followers are to “abstain from food sacrificed to idols, [abstain] from [consuming] blood from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality [whatever that means],” and apparently to ignore the other rules laid out in the Torah.
I think it’s significant that the new rulebook came into existence through human hands, that Jesus wasn’t present at its inception. If nothing else, it shows that Jesus was not a ‘by the books’ guy. He was interested in human life as it is lived, not in the books and laws that can make life easier. That’s the irony of all these laws, is that the original intent is to make life easier, to take away the burden of decision, replacing it with the comfort of routine. Someone else is making the calls for you.
What Jesus implants in his followers is a difficult challenge: to be guided by God, rather than by the authority of man. The message here is not “do whatever you want - no responsibilities.” Instead, it’s the ultimate responsibility - the responsibility of being an independent human being. The responsibility of encountering bad thoughts, anger, envy, chaotic impulses every day, and holding them all with one hand while you make the choices you actually want to make with the other hand. Sometimes, a big rulebook to follow looks appealing in comparison to all that responsibility, every day. But there’s a payoff to that responsibility, and the payoff is getting to be your true self. That’s what “clean” really means - you throw out the rulebook, you drain out all the frittering impulses of your monkey mind, and you see what’s left.
So I’ve added something to my schedule: a two-way prayer, or what Liz Gilbert calls a “letter from love”. I usually spend about an hour on it, but less than ten minutes of that hour is spent writing. Love likes to parade around a fair bit before he gets to telling me anything; he takes his sweet time with life. “What would you have me know today?” I ask over and over, pen and notebook in hand, ready for a rulebook to rule the rest of my day. I never get it: instead, I get a kiss and a steady gaze.
Comments
will torpedo
i want to read the bible so bad but i don't know what translation to get haha
Ana Ng
Just a little side note from this weeks chapters. I enjoyed Jesus healing the mute and the blind, yet frequently finding himself at odds with his disciples who never seemed to *see* what he was trying to say. Perhaps he should spit in their eyes and touch their tongues, perhaps even that wouldn't work.
Ana Ng
Firstly, I HAVE to know what translation you're reading from that uses "dopes." Now onto this week's thoughts. I had a very interesting experience today that I'd been hoping to have since I started my readings: I was stopped on the street by 2 Christian (they gave no answer on their denomination when asked) college students and asked about my faith. I think the main theme of our conversation was approaching the bible in a (as you put it) " non-denominational, faith-curious, inquisitive, and possibly heretical" way (I didn't make mention of that last comment ;) teehee). I found it interesting how the idea seemed to bewilder them, that those who didn't call themselves Christians could dive into the Bible for its teachings and return from it still not saying they were "Christians. " Ironically, these weekly readings have very much felt not "by the book." Especially after I've visited verses that seemed so set in stone, but then finding ways to sculpt them into new pieces. I talked with the 2 students about how many non-Christians I know often dislike "Christians," but find Jesus to be someone very much worth their time. I think it reflects that idea of not falling into the constraints of a set of rules & just taking with you what will make you a better person (some may call it cherry picking, but I see no crime in mixed fabrics). Many times during the conversation they appeared apprehensive as I discussed chapters that are usually taking as being about "faith," and then how these weekly readings have taught me to find new meanings in these verses that were more useful to me as seeds to plant to become a better person. I hope to discuss this week's lesson specifically if I run into them again. I think there's much we can learn from each other. For now I'll continue to keep up my reading and continue working to keep myself "clean" inside.
Luka Buchanan
meditation, tarot, and prayer are all so similar to me - finding a state of openness, total and pure non-judgement, acceptance… such a useful tool.. and one i have been neglecting lately 😪
Luka Buchanan
damn I wanna know more about the two-way prayer
gumby
“For from within the hearts of humans come bad thoughts, looseness, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, an envious eye, slander, pride, and folly” AKA: the perfect antithesis to Deee-Lite’s 1990 hit single “Groove is in the Heart”
Car Seat
Absolutely, I think I've cried before writing every one. I have some baggage with the word "love" that I always trip over. It takes some upheaval before the real thing can come.
Nina
Some loose thoughts after listening to this: first of all, thank you for being a person who doesn’t let this world make them boring and uninterested in the depth of human experience. Secondly, as someone coming from an atheist family in a catholic country (Poland), also a as queer person, I find it so interesting how I, and you as well, find religions as sources of inspiration; it’s like reading philosophy. I think I definitely lacked and am still lacking guidance in life due to a lack of religion and a compass on how to deal with a lack of spirituality in this world. With that kind of background I think living without healthy amounts of hope, self-esteem, connection to your needs and desires will make it difficult to exist in this world filled with horrible shit. A bit more on topic though: I think self help books and other tools we use to look for guidance on life choices outside of religion and spirituality will only externally control the chaos that our minds are. I think the real fix happens when we look within and find the courage to say ‘I want this’ or ‘I don’t want this’ and trust ourselves first. That’s what I think this passage is about. I think being non-religious you can still learn a lot from religion, as when you take the current cultural context out and look at religions as sort of philosophy it can be easier to be less angry about it (? I know I’m angry about religion in the world). The purpose of the bible ( I would think) was to guide people, to simply help them navigate the external and internal worlds so that we can all make balanced, satisfactory choices. And I’m gonna point out here, I said ‘make satisfactory choices’, not ‘live satisfactory lives’, because all we can do is make choices, hope for the best, and forgive ourselves when shit goes wrong. All in all I think what you’re talking about with the bit about Jesus and following rules, receiving guidance etc. the point is to trust yourself, it’s about confidence, assertiveness, finding the power within to consciously say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you for reading, really needed this intellectual stimulation, feels great to also be able to reflect on my own life and how it relates to this topic, lots of love to everyone
Sky
These are great. One of my favorite things about your music is the religious themes/symbols. Artists like CSH, Lingua Ignota, and Julien Baker are the only time I interact with religious themes. Being queer and having been born to a Baptist family has culminated in what I consider a ruined life (or at least coming up very very very short of realizing an acceptable incarnation of my authentic self). Your Bible meanderings inspired me to pick up a book from one of my favorite RELS classes from college about interpreting the Torah. Taking the familiar sunday school stories and recontextualizing them to reflect a worldview that isn't some fucked, Calvinist bastardization of the written text is cathartic.
damian
hi will! here i am for my weekly comment on your bible studies which might be more direct today since i am sick. 😭 being responsible for my decisions does feel like a burden sometimes. it's easier to have someone or something guiding me and telling me what to do, though i am not a fan of the idea either. taking the responsibility is hard, most of the time it makes me face my own mistakes which of course frustrates me but i try to take that as lessons i learn every day. in the end, they are important to my development as a person (and as you said, my true self.) i relate to your afternoons' struggle, by the way. my current job doesn't have a fixed schedule so i never know exactly what to do, i just follow the flow (and by that i mean i have to make all my plans according to my day at work.) again, thanks for sharing your thoughts today! hope you have a nice week. 🫶
alex
oh hell yeah
Meggie
i love this series so much! every time you post these i try to come up with a good comment expressing my thoughts on what you wrote, but i always end up scrapping them (words are hard 💔). anyway, i still wanted to share my appreciation for your words! have a lovely week!!
JD
when you're trying to write from love do you ever stumble on long-buried memories or feelings you hadn't been aware of, sitting there like knots or obstacles you have to untangle or work through before things can flow?
duke
I really liked this one, as someone who is currently struggling with having a sense of structure in my life, I very much relate to your afternoons. The line “the book is still being written” really hit me, and made me think for sure. Having to constantly remind yourself that there’s no “correct” or “by the book” way to exist is just so difficult. The burden of decision vs. the comfort of routine is really really interesting. Trying to become an independent human being while still growing in this sort of environment feels almost impossible, but small progress is still progress. Thanks for the Bible Wanderings, I look forward to them every week.
Ricky Manchego
Hi Will
duke
Cannot wait to listen to this, one of my favourite parables
