Does Mark 7 Tell Us it is Okay to Eat Pork?
Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) Mark 7:19 NLT
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First let me say that I am explaining this with the NLT instead of the KJV, because most of our friends will be asking about this passage after reading it from the NLT and we can properly explain it using the NLT, so let’s do so.
In Mark 7 the religious leaders are asking Jesus why He does not have His disciples follow the man -made tradition of washing of hands before eating. Jesus replies by defending the Old Testament Scriptures over man-made traditions.
Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ Mark 7:6-7 NLT
Jesus is using the Old Testament as the standard against man made traditions. So it is very clear that Jesus is not doing away with any Old Testament teachings about eating pork or not. He would not defend the Old Testament and condemn man-made traditions and then turn around and do away with the commands in Leviticus 11 all the same breath. That would not make sense. The context in both Jesus’ and the pharisees’ minds is ceremonial washing and not pork. Jesus explains that it is not what goes in and out of our bodies that make us clean or unclean, but what comes out of the heart. Jesus finishes by saying,
Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) Mark 7:19 NLT
Now in the KJV Mark 7:9 ends with “purging all meats” While the NLT says “every kind of food.” The NLT is actually more accurate here. The word that the KJV used for meat is the Greek word, “bromata.” Bromata simply means food. It does not necessarily mean flesh. So the NLT is right. Jesus said the food that will come out of your body is clean, whether or not you did the traditional washing of hands. Clean or unclean flesh is clearly not the issue here. Jesus would not exalt the Old Testament over the traditions of man and then turn around and do away with what the Old Testament taught. He is doing away with the traditions of man. “Bromata” simply means food, not flesh, of any kind though it could include flesh. So Jesus declared all foods clean, regardless of the ceremonial washing.
When the NLT says every food is acceptable in God’s eyes it is absolutely accurate. Pork was never considered food in this context, either by Jesus or the pharisees. We have to keep things in context. When you tell your kids there is no school today so you can do whatever you want, it goes without saying that they still can’t go rob a bank. When you said “anything,” the context was automatically understood. Likewise when it says “thus purging all meats” in the KJV or “declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes,” the context is automatically understood that the food is clean whether or not one did the ceremonial washing. The Ceremonial washing does not make the food clean or unclean. The context in this story has nothing to do with pork or other unclean flesh being made clean. Matthew makes the context even more clear:
For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” Matthew 15:20 NLT
Matthew 15:19-20 makes it clear that in Mark 7:19 Jesus is talking about washing with unclean hands and not unclean meats. Unclean meats were not the issue to any of the parties participating in the discussion in Mark 7 and Matthew 15.
If Jesus had declared pork clean in Mark 7 then I would really be confused why later, in Acts 10, Peter was still following the regulations in Leviticus 11. And even then, Peter makes the context of the vision of Acts 10 clear in Acts 10:28 NLT “But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” Peter tells us the context of the vision was about Jews and Gentiles and not clean and unclean meats. Also, in 1 Corinthians 8, when Paul is saying you can eat whatever you want, 1 Corinthians 8:1 makes food sacrificed to idols the clear context. Eating pork or other unclean flesh never crossed Paul’s mind while he was speaking or writing.
Whether we are Jew or Gentile, before the cross or after the cross, we all have the same stomachs, and we don’t need just the Bible to tell us how unhealthy pork is. Just ask you doctor. My doctor, who is not an Adventist, had a video playing in the waiting room, telling us that pork triples your chances of heart disease.
We should look at every Bible teaching, in the light of the cross. In Romans 12:1-2 we are told to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Just as Jesus gave His body for us on the cross, we give our bodies to Christ as a living sacrifice. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whatever we eat or drink we should do for the glory of God. That includes way more than just eating pork or not. This is a challenge for all of us, including myself especially. Let’s live and eat and drink in the light of the cross, and eat and drink to have healthy bodies to help us spread the Gospel of Jesus.
For a video presentation of this topic click here.
To study more about healthy living in light of the cross click here.
(27)
Although all food goes in the mouth and out the other end, and it is of no effect to the person but if we say we are Christian and therefore Christ like, we are to keep the same commandants as Christ did. For if Christ broke any of the commandments then he could not be are substitute for sins.
Thanks for the clear and elaborate explanation of this week's lesson about Mark 7:19 that you had presented.. Hope all of us will be guided and not confused accordingly, and instead, be able to discuss this with others convincingly.
There are two valuable points I get out of your discussion.
1. Christ was speaking in parable. We learned the reason for parables last week.
2. Some translations, infact many do use conjecture in printhises, thus leading people astray.
I have a story but I will save it for my Sabbath School class.
John, what is said in parentheses is exactly right and goes along with the KJV saying “purging all meats.” The problem is when people take it out of context. Again, if you wake up with your kids on a vacation day and tell them they can do anything they want that obviously has to be within context. You’re not telling them they can go rob a bank. Likewise Jesus did say that all food is clean, but it did not include pork because as far as Jesus was concerned, pork was not food. You have to keep things in context.
Thanks, I hear ya. I'll remember that as the correct usage of context, giving a better understanding of the parable.
Mark is writing to his gentile listeners explainig to them the ritual customs of the jews. (Mark 7:3-4) Matthew, using Mark as source of his gospel, might have stopped at Mark 7:19 supposing this text to offer a possibility of misunderstanding. So he clearly is pointing out that evil thoughts make people unclean, as their hearts are unclean. (Matthew 15:19) Leaving no reason for misunderstanding he says, but to eat with unwashed hands makes man not unclean. Matthew and Mark have the same context "ritual cleansing".
Jews, coming from the market place, considered themselves as unclean being in need of ritual hand-washing. In order not to repeat the mistake of idol worship prior the the babylonian captivity, they were trying to establish a wall against any kind of uncleanliness, but going from one extreme to the other.
Could it be that we may fall into the same pattern? The real point of issue is bringing out the Prophet Ezekiel poiting out the need getting of a new heart. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Winfried Stolpmann
Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Happy Sabbath to all!
I'm Paul from Uganda;
For me I will use Matthew 7:9-11 to answer the above question....
Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?....
In Matthew, Jesus points at an unclean Animal ( the serpent ) as something bad a father whether righteous or evil cannot give to his children... So pork is a meat of an unclean Animal anyone of us can neither eat nor give to your children coz every unclean thing is a bad thing for us and our children..... The serpent is unclean and Jesus points at it as something not good for people for food .. and the pork as well is unclean so it's also bad for the people to eat...so every unclean thing is bad for us to eat..
Happy Sabbath
I've often wondered why we adhere to Lev. 11 but not 12. Any pastor (admittedly few) I've asked couldn't answer that. With a closer read of 11, I see 2 things going on.
1) Certain animals were not good to eat.
2) Those same animals were unclean to the point where touching their carcass made one unclean (wash and remain unclean until evening.)
Generally, we no longer practice ceremonial clean/unclean laws (tho' I have run into exceptions, eg women who observe Lev. 12).
We do, however, emphasize a health message. Sadly, many of us may avoid eating the pig, but "pig out" on other food. And don't get me started on sugar!
I'm no expert but I would suggest that the concepts of defilement are symbols of sin and Christ's sacrifice dealt with that defilement. It would no longer be in force. So we wouldn't be defiled if we picked up a dead pet to bury it (dogs and cats are unclean after all).
However, the system of unclean and clean animals goes back to the flood. It doesn't actually stand or die on the Levitical laws, though they make clear which animals are unclean. It seems clear that God only intended certain animals to be eaten right from the start and clearly unclean animals weren't for food. If they'd been eaten after the flood, they would go extinct as there were only 2 at the beginning.
Those that use these verses to declare that Jesus just removed the distinction and prohibition of eating unclean things don't understand this concept called context. It's been said that a verse taken out of context is a pretext.
Straining at gnats and swallowing camel burgers. Aren't they the same in concept? The religious leaders even today engage in much the same foolishness, in trying to twist verses out of their context to suit their own pretext. They wrest scriptures to their own destruction. The wise and diligent Bible student won't be fooled by such slight of hand.
I was raised in a home where we were called to, "wash up, it's time to eat!". This wasn't for any kind of ritual observance though, it was basic sanitation, and propriety. If your hands and face were dirty you naturally "washed up" before coming to the table.
Before we come to the "Table of the Lord", Communion, we should indeed, "wash up", spiritually. Not to be ceremonially clean, but because we are coming before the King.
Don't let others do your thinking for you. Now more than ever we need to be honest "Bereans" and be sure what the preacher is preaching is in harmony with what the Word is teaching.