Understanding the Bread I
The return of the Twelve is followed by a part of the Gospel known as the “Bread Section” (6:33–8:26), in which bread, artos, appears no less than seventeen times.[1] Mark has carefully arranged this section to show a deepening revelation of the mystery of Jesus, centering on the theme of bread. Twice Jesus miraculously feeds a multitude with a few loaves and fish, each time followed by a crossing of the lake, a conflict with Pharisees, a healing, and finally a confession of faith. It is as if Jesus had to repeat the sequence for its full significance to dawn on his disciples. At the middle and end of the section he heals a deaf man and a blind man, symbolizing his opening of the spiritually deaf ears and blind eyes of his disciples.
Throughout the section, bread serves as a keyword for an understanding of Jesus and his mission, which the disciples often lack (6:52; 8:14–21). Through the events recounted here Mark prepares the reader to grasp the significance of the climactic bread event in the Gospel, the eucharistic banquet. Ultimately the bread signifies the passion and glory of the Son of Man, who will give his life for us as spiritual food (14:22).
The Compassion of Jesus (6:33–34)
33People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.
34When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
OT: Sir 15:3; Isa 40:11; Jer 31:10; Ezek 34:11–16
NT: 1 Pet 2:25. // Matt 14:13–14; Luke 9:11
Catechism: the Good Shepherd, 754
Lectionary: 6:34–44: Mass in Time of Famine
6:33 The previous scene ended with Jesus and his disciples going off to a “deserted place” for some much-needed rest. The moment word gets out that Jesus is taking off by boat the people anticipate where he will go and run there on foot, arriving before them. By the time the boat lands the shore is no longer deserted but lined with a “vast crowd.”
6:34 The hoped-for retreat has been sabotaged. But instead of reacting with exasperation Jesus is moved with pity at the sight of the needy crowds. This is one of the few occasions where Mark gives us a glimpse into the emotions of Jesus, here using a verb that connotes a deeply felt, gut reaction (see 1:41; 8:2). Pity, or compassion, is one of the most distinctive attributes of God (Ps 86:15; Isa 54:7–8; Hosea 11:8). Jesus recognizes that the people are like sheep without a shepherd, a phrase often used to describe the condition of God’s people in the absence of sound leadership.[2] As shepherdless sheep are likely to scatter, get lost, and quickly become vulnerable to predatory beasts, so when leadership fails, God’s people are likely to stray away from fidelity to him and become prey to their enemies. After Israel had experienced centuries of incompetent, self-seeking, and corrupt leadership (as exemplified by Herod Antipas), there was a growing recognition that ultimately only God himself can adequately guide his people and provide for their needs. The prophets had announced a great promise: “Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.… I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest” (Ezek 34:11, 15; see Isa 40:11; Jer 31:10). Mark hints that Jesus himself is the divine Shepherd (see John 10:1–18), the fulfillment of God’s promise to care for his people directly and no longer through an intermediary.
In Matthew’s version of this incident, Jesus responds to the people’s need by healing the sick (Matt 14:14). But for Mark, Jesus exercises his saving power first and foremost by teaching. Indeed his teaching is healing, since it liberates people from their captivity to evil (see Mark 1:27). At the same time, his teaching is feeding, since by proclaiming the good news of the kingdom Jesus is satisfying their spiritual hunger. Often in Scripture receiving divine wisdom is symbolized by eating and drinking (Prov 9:1–5; Sir 15:3; 24:18–22; Amos 8:11). Even before Jesus multiplies the loaves, the people are already feasting on a banquet of wisdom—a point made explicitly in John, where the “bread” is Jesus’ teaching (John 6:35–50).
The Feeding of the Five Thousand (6:35–44)
35By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. 36Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” 38He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” 39So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. 40The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. 41Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to [his] disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied. 43And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. 44Those who ate [of the loaves] were five thousand men.
OT: Num 11:13, 22; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Isa 55:1–2
NT: Mark 14:22. // Matt 14:15–21; Luke 9:12–17; John 6:5–13
Catechism: the miracles of the loaves, 1335
6:35 The feeding of the five thousand is one of the most memorable events in Jesus’ public ministry—in fact, the only miracle attested in all four Gospels (Matt 14:14–21; Luke 9:11–17; John 6:5–13). Mark recounts this dramatic event, like the earlier supper with sinners (Mark 2:15–17), as not only a meal but also a revelation of Jesus’ identity and messianic mission. Almost every line echoes the Old Testament, providing clues to the meaning of Jesus’ action. In contrast to the opulent Herodian banquet just recounted (6:14–30), which ended in a death, here Jesus feeds ordinary people with very simple fare, leading to life.
Verses 35–39 contain the most extended conversation in Mark, which begins with the disciples recommending that Jesus “dismiss” the people for supper. This seems like a reasonable suggestion, but in reality it shows that they fail to perceive the significance of what is happening, a failure that will recur several times in the bread section (see 6:52; 7:18; 8:17, 21). What have they missed? They remind Jesus that they are in a deserted place (erēmos topos), but in the Old Testament, the desert or wilderness (erēmos) is the very place where God himself provides superabundantly for his people. In the desert God had shown his goodness by feeding the people with manna (Exod 16), the “bread from heaven” (Ps 78:24–25) and “food of angels” (Wis 16:20–21). By letting the Israelites experience hunger and then providing for their physical needs, God had taught them that he would satisfy their spiritual hunger as well: “not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut 8:3).
6:36 The disciples have overlooked the significance of these biblical events for their present situation. By asking Jesus to send the people away, they are suggesting that he let the sheep fend for themselves—as if by leaving Jesus, the people will get something they cannot get from him! Ironically the disciples advise that the people buy themselves something to eat, unaware that Jesus is already fulfilling God’s promise to provide a food that no money can buy: “You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare” (Isa 55:1–2).
6:37 Jesus’ reply is startling—it seems deliberately to intensify the predicament: Give them some food yourselves. Knowing exactly what he is about to do, he is seeking first to awaken his disciples’ faith by calling them to handle a situation that is clearly beyond their own resources. Even more, he is calling for their active participation in his own divine work of providing for the needs of the people.
6:38 The disciples’ response has a tone of astonishment and even sarcasm. Their perplexity recalls Moses’ complaint to God in the desert: “Where can I get meat to give to all this people?… Can enough sheep and cattle be slaughtered for them? If all the fish of the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?” (Num 11:13, 22; see Ps 78:19). Jesus does not answer directly, but instructs them to bring to him the little they have, which turns out to be five loaves and two fish. It is significant that he insists on beginning with what they have to offer. Jesus does not want to create bread out of stones (see Matt 4:3; Luke 4:3), or out of thin air, but to take and miraculously multiply what his disciples are able to give out of what they have—a principle that will bear on all their future apostolic labor.
6:39–40 In preparation for the miracle Jesus instructs the people to sit down in groups. The word for groups, symposia, suggests the image of guests reclining at a dinner party. Jesus is hosting a banquet in the desert! It is the messianic banquet foretold by Isaiah (Isa 25:6; 55:1–2). The green grass is not an accidental detail, but an allusion to the “green pastures” in which the Lord, the Good Shepherd, gives his people repose and sets a table before them, in the well-known psalm (Ps 23:2, 5). It also evokes the prophetic promise that God would transform the desert into a place of refreshment and life (Isa 35:1; Ezek 34:25–31). The people’s orderly seating in rows by hundreds and by fifties recalls the arrangement of the tribes of Israel as they camped in the desert (Exod 18:21–25). Once again (as in 1:2–8) Mark hints that what is occurring is a new exodus, in which God is feeding his people with a new “bread from heaven” (see Exod 16:4).
6:41 Mark describes Jesus’ actions with a string of verbs that his readers would immediately recognize as a foreshadowing of the Last Supper (14:22): he took … blessed … broke … and gave the loaves to his disciples to distribute to the people, along with the fish. The word for loaves is the plural of artos, bread. Looking up to heaven was a traditional gesture of prayer (see 7:34); for Jesus, it expresses the orientation of his whole being to the Father. The blessing was probably the customary Jewish thanksgiving before a meal: “Blessed are you, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” Unlike the other verbs, gave is in a form that signifies a continuing action: Jesus kept giving his disciples the bread to distribute to the people. The way for them to participate in his miraculous provision for the people is to continually receive from him. To set before is a verb often used to express hospitality at table (Gen 18:8; 1 Sam 28:22; Luke 11:6), and accents Jesus’ welcome of the people in contrast to the disciples’ request to send them away (Mark 6:36).
6:42 The miracle itself happens in a quiet, unobtrusive way, as if the extraordinary increase of the loaves and fishes escapes the notice of some of the people. Unlike most of Jesus’ miracles, this one is not followed by exclamations of amazement and wonder. What is most important is that all ate and were satisfied. Just as in the miracle of the manna in the desert, there is more than enough to satiate the hunger of all (Exod 16:18; Hosea 13:5–6). As the psalmist proclaims, “You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Ps 145:16). By providing superabundantly for his people, Jesus has taken on the role of God himself, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah: “The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher” (Isa 30:20). The physical feeding on bread and fish is an outward sign of an interior feasting on the revelation of God that alone can fully satisfy the human heart.
6:43–44 The extraordinary abundance is highlighted by the leftovers far exceeding the original amount, verifying that no one went away hungry: twelve wicker baskets full. Jesus’ miracle overwhelmingly surpasses that of the prophet Elisha, who had fed a hundred men with twenty barley loaves (2 Kings 4:42–44). The enormous crowd includes five thousand men, which could amount to some twenty thousand people with the inclusion of women and children (see Matt 14:21). The disciples carefully gather up what remains, letting nothing go to waste. The number twelve, corresponding to the twelve tribes, is an oblique reminder that Jesus is gathering around himself a new Israel.
Reflection and Application (6:35–44)
Not only Jesus’ teachings but even his actions are parables, signs that point beyond themselves to a deeper mystery. The early Church recognized in the miracle of the loaves a symbolic anticipation of the Eucharist, when Jesus would share both word and food with his people. In fact, the structure of the eucharistic liturgy follows the same pattern seen in this miracle. First, in the Liturgy of the Word, Jesus nourishes us with his teaching through the Scripture readings and the homily that breaks open their meaning. Then, in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, he nourishes us with the Bread of Life, his own body and blood given for us. Vatican Council II teaches, “The Church … especially in the sacred liturgy, unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body” (Dei Verbum 21). As the basketfuls of leftovers vividly symbolize, when God feeds his people there is always more than enough to satisfy all. How could it be otherwise, since the gift is God himself?
Jesus’ startling command, “Give them some food yourselves,” is a word for all those called to pastoral ministry in the Church. Jesus cares for his people’s needs, physical as well as spiritual, and summons us to do so for others. Like the disciples, when confronted with a glaring need we might be tempted to say: Lord, I don’t have what it takes to feed all these people! And indeed, we don’t. Yet if we offer him the few “loaves and fishes” we do have—whether in leading a Bible study, volunteering in an outreach to the poor, or even making a financial contribution—we can ask and expect him to multiply it and make it part of his superabundant provision for all the needs of his people.
Walking on the Water (6:45–52)
45Then he made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. 47When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. 48Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. 49But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 50They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 51He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were [completely] astounded. 52They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
OT: Job 9:8, 11; Ps 107; Isa 43:15–16
NT: // Matt 14:22–33; John 6:15–21
Catechism: Jesus at prayer, 1502
Here the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John all follow the same order of events: after the feeding of the five thousand, and closely linked to it, is the mysterious incident of the walking on water. The feast of bread and fish that Jesus hosted in the desert (v. 32) was a moment of revelation, a renewal of Israel’s experience of God’s tender care for her in the desert (Exod 16). It was meant to evoke the question in the disciples’ minds—Who is this? (see Mark 4:41; 8:29)—and to give them a deeper glimpse into the meaning of Jesus’ mission. But as the present episode will make clear, the disciples have not yet grasped the significance of the miracle of the loaves.
6:45 After the miracle, Jesus has the disciples precede him toward Bethsaida, a fishing village at the north end of the lake, just east of the mouth of the Jordan River. Now that the crowd has been nourished in spirit and body, Jesus can dismiss them. As will soon be seen, he is subjecting his disciples to a test that will prepare the way for yet further revelation.
6:46 Meanwhile, Jesus departs by himself to pray, resuming the pursuit of solitude that had been interrupted by the crowds (vv. 31–34). Mark mentions Jesus alone at prayer three times in the Gospel (see 1:35; 14:32–42). In each case he is at a defining point in his ministry, where the underlying question is: What is the true nature of his messiahship as willed by the Father? Here he has just done a miracle that reveals something essential about his messianic role, and is about to do another. As verse 48 suggests, Jesus spends most of the night in prayer, seeking to confirm his understanding of and total obedience to the Father’s will. His chosen setting for prayer, the mountain, again recalls the exodus, when Moses had gone up Mount Sinai to receive God’s law (Exod 19:3). A mountain is a privileged place of encounter with God (Gen 22:14; Exod 3:1; Ps 3:5; 68:17). In Mark, key events in Jesus’ public ministry take place on a mountain: the commissioning of the apostles (Mark 3:13), the transfiguration (9:2), the discourse on the end times (13:3), and the agony in Gethsemane (14:26).
6:47–49 In Jesus’ absence, the disciples are once again in distress in the boat (as in 4:35–41). This time there is no mention of a storm, but they are laboring against a contrary wind and have made frustratingly little headway in their voyage. Jesus, looking far out across the lake, sees the boat tossed about, battling a headwind. It is by now the fourth watch of the night, between 3 and 6 AM (see 13:35).
Jesus comes toward them walking on the sea. This action can be fully understood only in light of the Old Testament, where God’s power to tread the waves is a sign of his sovereignty over all creation: “I am the LORD, your Holy One … who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters” (Isa 43:15–16; see Job 38:16; Ps 77:20). That Jesus meant to pass by them seems strange in view of the disciples’ distress, but Mark is deliberately using the language of a †theophany, a manifestation of God’s awesome presence and power. God had revealed himself to Moses and Elijah by “passing by” them (Exod 34:6; 1 Kings 19:11), and there is an especially close parallel in Job: “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea.… Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him” (Job 9:8, 11).
6:50–51 The disciples display the typical human response when confronted with the majesty of God: they are terrified (Exod 20:18; Job 23:15; Luke 2:9). Seeing the figure coming toward them over the waves in the dead of night, understandably “they thought it was a ghost” (Greek phantasma) and “cried out” in panic. It was not a case of hyperactive imagination, since they all saw him. Unlike the previous boat incident, it is not the turbulent sea but Jesus himself who causes their alarm. They still lack the faith to recognize who he really is. But he immediately calms their fear with a threefold reassurance: Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid! Biblical theophanies are often accompanied by an encouragement not to fear, so overwhelming is the presence of God or his angels.[3] But the key to the episode is in the middle statement: “It is I” (egō eimi), which can also be translated “I AM,” the divine name revealed at the burning bush (Exod 3:14). It is a veiled reference to the divinity of Jesus. Indeed, his reassurance echoes the divine words of consolation: “Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God” (Isa 41:10). Jesus gets into the boat with them, and his presence alone is enough to make the wind cease, confirming his absolute mastery over the elements. As often occurs following a demonstration of Jesus’ authority, the disciples are completely astounded (see 2:12; 5:42).
6:52 Mark’s conclusion to this episode is unique among the Gospels. What does the disciples’ fear at seeing Jesus have to do with their lack of understanding about the loaves? They have seen Jesus’ mighty deeds, but have not yet fully grasped their meaning. They missed the fact that in spreading a banquet for his people in the desert, Jesus is acting as Shepherd-Messiah of his people—indeed he is fulfilling a role that belongs to God alone. Had they pondered the praises of God in Psalm 107, they might have seen the connection: “For he satisfied the thirsty, filled the hungry with good things.… He spoke and roused a storm wind; it tossed the waves on high.… Hushed the storm to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled” (Ps 107:9, 25, 29). That their hearts were hardened (like the Pharisees in Mark 3:5) seems to indicate that it was not a case of simple ignorance but a willful blindness, a reluctance to open their hearts fully to what God was doing in Jesus.
Touching the Tassel of His Cloak (6:53–56)
53After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. 54As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. 55They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.
OT: Num 15:37–39
NT: Acts 19:11–12. // Matt 14:34–36
Catechism: Christ the physician, 1503–5
6:53 This summary of Jesus’ healing activity illustrates once again his compassion for the sick and the people’s profound attraction to him.[4] Mark earlier noted that the disciples were to cross toward Bethsaida at the northeast corner of the lake (6:45), but now they come to land at Gennesaret, a region of fertile plains along the western shore. They may have wondered why Jesus sent them toward Bethsaida only to end up on the opposite side of the lake. Perhaps it is meant to serve as a reminder that Jesus knows what he is about: even when he seems to lead his followers in one direction only to have them change course, there may be a purpose in the journey itself that is even more important than the destination.
6:54–56 Upon arrival Jesus is immediately recognized by the people, who seize the opportunity by running to bring the sick on mats (just as the friends of the paralytic had done, 2:4). The mention of hearing suggests that all who come into contact with Jesus become heralds of his presence, telling others about him. He enters into every sphere of Galilean society—villages, towns, and countryside—and everywhere the people beg him for healing.[5] The marketplaces, the open areas that were the center of commercial and political activity, now become places of encounter with Jesus. As in the story of the woman with a hemorrhage (5:28), all that is needed is a touch, since even his garments can mediate his healing power.
The tassel on his cloak is no mere decoration. It is the long fringe (Hebrew tzitzit) that Jewish men wore on the corners of their prayer shawl, in accord with the law of Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that they and their descendants must put tassels on the corners of their garments.… When you use these tassels, let the sight of them remind you to keep all the commandments of the LORD” (Num 15:38–39; see Deut 22:12; Matt 23:5). Jesus is the model of faithfulness to the covenant, who perfectly fulfills the Father’s commands. All who touched it were healed—not because of any magical power in the tassel itself, but because of their faith in him who wore it. Here, as often in Mark’s healing narratives (Mark 5:23, 34; 10:52), physical healing is an anticipatory sign of salvation in the full sense, since the same verb, sōzō, can be translated “heal” or “save.”
Reflection and Application (6:53–56)
Readers of the Gospel might sometimes be tempted to envy Jesus’ contemporaries, who had the privilege of seeing him, hearing his voice, and even touching him to receive his healing power. But Christian tradition has always held that later generations have no less privilege than they. Because Jesus is alive and risen from the dead, the mighty works he did on earth are accessible even now to those who draw near to him in faith. The Catechism, citing our passage, states, “The sick try to touch him, ‘for power came forth from him and healed them all.’ And so in the sacraments Christ continues to ‘touch’ us in order to heal us” (1504). Jesus is still the great Physician of our souls and bodies. In the power of the Holy Spirit he continues his work of healing and salvation through the Church, especially in the two sacraments of healing: Penance and the Anointing of the Sick (1421).
Clean Hands, Distant Hearts (7:1–8)
1Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 3(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) 5So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 6He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’
8You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
OT: Exod 30:17–21; Isa 29:13
NT: Luke 11:39–41; Heb 9:10. // Matt 15:1–3, 7–9
Catechism: Jesus and the law, 577–82
7:1–2 At the center of the first part of the Bread Section (6:30–7:37) Mark places a lengthy dispute over Jewish legal customs (7:1–23). This discussion returns to a theme that was prominent earlier in the Gospel: the religious authorities’ hostility to Jesus (2:1–3:6; 3:21–30). Whereas the earlier disputes became an occasion for a deeper revelation of Jesus’ identity and mission, this one becomes an occasion to reveal a transformation in God’s covenant relationship with his people.
As Jesus is going about his ministry of healing, Pharisees team up with scribes from Jerusalem (see 3:22) to pose an accusatory question. †Pharisees were members of a renewal movement that sought to restore God’s favor to Israel by advocating strict observance of the law and total separation from all Gentile defilement. †Scribes were professional copyists and scholars of the law, some of whom were also Pharisees. Those from the capital, Jerusalem, probably carried an extra weight of authority. Together they are scandalized to observe how some of Jesus’ disciples ate their meals. The phrase is literally “eat breads,” linking this dispute with the miracle of the five thousand who “ate breads” in 6:35–44. Perhaps it was Jesus’ miraculous provision of bread in the desert (where the crowds had no opportunity to wash their hands) that occasioned the religious leaders’ pious disapproval. The controversy also bears on the postresurrection Church for which Mark is writing, where the burning question was: Are Christians obliged to follow the law and traditions of the Jews? (see Acts 15). The question is especially urgent in regard to the Church’s mission among the Gentiles, a theme to which the Bread Section often alludes.
7:3–4 The gist of the accusation is that Jesus’ followers eat “with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.” The problem in view is not hygiene but ritual purity. “Unclean” (koinos) literally means “common” or “profane,” the opposite of holy or set apart for God. To grasp the point of the accusation it is necessary to understand the background of these Jewish practices, which Mark proceeds to explain for the benefit of his Gentile readers (7:3–4). The law of Moses had prescribed rules for the cultic purity of priests, including the washing of their hands and feet before offering sacrifices (Exod 30:17–21) and ritual purity (which usually entailed washings) before eating their share of a sacrifice (Num 18:11–13). These biblical rules apply only to priests serving at the altar, but the oral tradition developed by the Pharisees had extended them to govern the behavior of all Jews at all meals—making every meal a religious act and a symbolic expression of Jewish identity (see Acts 10:28). Moreover, any contact with potentially unclean persons or products in the marketplace necessitated a ritual washing, and all items used to prepare or serve food, such as cups and jugs and kettles, also needed purification. Some manuscripts of the Gospel include beds, which could become unclean due to various causes (see Lev 15:2–5, 19–27). Although not all Jews kept this oral tradition, by the time of Christ it was expected of all, and those who failed to keep it were despised by the Pharisees as the “accursed” ordinary folk who were ignorant of the law (see John 7:49).
Fig. 7. Ancient Jewish pottery found at Qumran.
The Tradition of the Elders
Like any law, the law of Moses requires interpretation: how, when, for whom, and in what circumstances are these regulations to be applied? Over the centuries, an oral tradition of legal interpretation had developed, handed down by generations of leading rabbis. For the Pharisees, this oral tradition was just as binding as the written Torah. It prescribed numerous and detailed rules of conduct for daily life, so much so that carrying it out had become a burden that sometimes obscured the purpose of the law (see Matt 23; Luke 11:46; Acts 15:10). By the end of the sixth century AD, the oral traditions were fixed in writing in the Mishnah and its accompanying commentary known as the Talmud.
The Septuagint
The Septuagint (meaning “seventy,” often abbreviated LXX) was a translation of the Old Testament into Greek done in the third or second century BC for the benefit of Jews living in Egypt who were no longer familiar with Hebrew. Its name comes from a legend that seventy scholars worked on the translation. New Testament authors often follow the Septuagint version when quoting the Old Testament. The Fathers of the Church considered the Septuagint inspired because its wording was an apt preparation for the gospel. For instance, in the messianic oracle of Isa 7:14, the Septuagint translated the Hebrew word for “young woman” with the more specific Greek term “virgin”—making it an explicit prophecy of the virgin birth (Matt 1:23).
7:5 After this parenthesis Mark returns to the question of the Pharisees and scribes: Why do some of Jesus’ disciples “eat breads” with unclean hands? Not only do these disciples apparently flout the requirements of ritual purity, but they also ignore the tradition of the elders that the Pharisees consider binding.
7:6–7 Jesus’ response must have taken them aback. Rather than citing grounds for an exception for his disciples, he levels a countercharge challenging the entire edifice of Pharisaic legalism. His accusers are hypocrites (literally, “stage actors”), people whose outward conduct does not correspond with the true state of their heart. To explain what he means Jesus invokes a prophecy of Isaiah (29:13). It is important to understand the context of this prophecy (which Mark quotes in a form close to the †Septuagint version).
Isaiah is speaking to Israelites who have lost an intimate contact with God, and serve him with an empty formalism devoid of authentic love. Their worship is mere lip service, consisting of inherited rituals that are not rooted in interior conversion of the heart. In fact, they are promoting their own superficial religiosity as a substitute for true obedience to God’s will (see Isa 29:10–12). But God’s response, through Isaiah, is not so much a threat as a promise. He will once again intervene in the lives of his people with acts so wondrous that they will be moved to acknowledge him as the God of the covenant and honor him with authentic worship (Isa 29:14–24). Jesus’ invocation of this prophecy is a veiled proclamation that the promise is now being fulfilled in their midst. For that very reason, the warning implied in the prophecy is all the more urgent.
7:8 The punch line of Jesus’ countercharge is the last line, which he will repeat in different forms in vv. 9 and 13: You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition. It is a scathing indictment of his questioners’ whole approach to religion, in which the key contrast is between “God’s” and “human.” They have neglected what is truly of God in favor of their own human agendas.
Reflection and Application (7:1–8)
This passage regarding “human tradition” is sometimes cited against the Catholic understanding of the authority of Tradition together with Scripture as the rule of faith. But it is crucial to note that Jesus is not rejecting tradition per se, which becomes an important term in the early Church for the handing on of authoritative apostolic teaching (1 Cor 11:2, 23; 2 Thess 3:6). Rather, he is rejecting merely human traditions that are not based in God’s word, that in fact negate the intent of God’s word. Paul himself exhorted Christians to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours” (2 Thess 2:15). The apostles handed down what they received from Jesus and the Holy Spirit first in oral form through their teaching and example, and later in the written form of the New Testament (see Catechism, 96–100). Indeed, the formation of the †canon of Scripture was itself an exercise of apostolic tradition.
This passage is also sometimes cited in disparaging Catholic liturgical and devotional practices as mere “human traditions.” This misunderstanding is due in part to a real problem: religious practice is often superficial and routine among those who have not been adequately evangelized and whose faith fails to impact their choices and behavior in any significant way.[6] Jesus is speaking about an attitude toward God that he saw in the scribes and Pharisees and that can be found among Christians in every church: the tendency to substitute religiosity for genuine obedience to God and his word. What is needed is a personal encounter with Jesus leading to a deep transformation of heart. When that occurs, religious practices come to life and serve their true purpose.
An Example of Hypocrisy (7:9–13)
9He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ 11Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban” ’ (meaning, dedicated to God), 12you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. 13You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”
OT: Exod 20:12; 21:17; Num 30:3; Sir 3:1–16
NT: 1 Tim 5:4. // Matt 15:3–6
Catechism: the fourth commandment, 2196–200; duties of children to parents, 2214–20
7:9–10 To ensure that his point made above (vv. 6–8) is understood, Jesus provides a concrete example. The statement in verse 9 might be better translated as a question:[7] “Is it right for you to set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition?” Jesus is inviting his questioners to examine their interior motives and ask themselves whether what they teach and practice is truly consistent with the law of God. His example involves the fourth commandment, Honor your father and your mother (Exod 20:12). The severe penalty prescribed for one form of its violation (Exod 21:17) indicates how serious is the obligation to respect one’s parents. In the Old Testament wisdom tradition honoring one’s father and mother is linked with fear of the Lord, and is a prerequisite to receiving God’s blessings (Sir 3:1–16).
7:11–12 In contrast to the clear intent of God’s law is the casuistry of the Pharisees and scribes: Yet you say.… Jesus is referring to a custom whereby a person could vow to set aside a sum of money as a deferred gift to the temple. Qorban is a Hebrew word for an offering or gift dedicated to God (see Lev 1:2), or by extension, to the temple treasury (Matt 27:6). If a person had made this vow while his parents were still alive, the money thus dedicated could not be used to support them. Since the law of Moses contains strict injunctions for the fulfillment of vows (Num 30:3; Deut 23:22–24), apparently the vow was considered binding even when it conflicted with the solemn obligation of the fourth commandment.[8] However, Jesus’ criticism is not primarily about when to dispense people from vows. Rather, the problem is making the qorban vow in the first place in a way that interferes with the obligation to care for one’s parents. What may lie behind Jesus’ criticism is a practice in which a person pledges an impressive temple donation out of showy religiosity, and says in effect to his aging or even destitute parents, “I will honor you by making this donation instead of by providing you with the necessities of life.” Such a person thus obeys the fourth commandment in outward appearance only while neglecting to care for the actual material needs of his parents.[9]
7:13 By allowing and encouraging this hypocritical practice the Pharisees and scribes nullify the word of God in favor of their tradition. This is Jesus’ third repetition of essentially the same charge (see 7:8, 9), each time in stronger terms. To “nullify” is a legal term meaning to invalidate or repeal. His indictment could hardly have been more forceful. To these learned scholars and upholders of tradition, who considered themselves the exemplars of Jewish piety and guardians of the law, he exposes the truth that they have actually emptied the law of its spirit and authentic meaning. The qorban practice is not an isolated example, for they do many such things, including their sabbath interpretations critiqued earlier in the Gospel (2:24; 3:2–4). The “word of God” here refers to the Scriptures, especially the †Torah. In early Christian tradition the word of God came to mean the gospel, God’s plan as fulfilled in Christ and handed on in the preaching of the apostles (Acts 6:7; 8:14; 1 Thess 2:13)—thus Mark wants his readers to understand Jesus’ admonition as also aimed at the Church. Whereas human beings can be prone to nullify the word of God with a legalistic and hollow piety, Jesus in his life and mission fulfills it.
What Comes from Within (7:14–23)
14He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” [16]
17When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23All these evils come from within and they defile.”
OT: Lev 11
NT: Acts 10–11, 15; Rom 14; Gal 5:19–21. // Matt 15:10–20
Catechism: Jesus and Israel, 574–82; the heart, 2517–19, 2563; capital sins, 1866
7:14 The third section is the climax, in which the point of the whole discussion (7:1–23) comes to light. After his lengthy criticism of the “traditions of the elders” (vv. 6–13), Jesus now goes back to answer the question about his disciples eating with unwashed hands (v. 5). As will become clear it is no mere matter of lax discipline. So significant is the following pronouncement that Jesus summons the crowd so that all might hear it. He prefaces it with a solemn injunction that highlights the enigmatic nature of what he is about to say and the need to ponder it carefully: Hear me, all of you, and understand. He had given similar admonitions in 4:3, 9, 23, 24, but now there is a more direct emphasis on his own authority: “Hear me.” “All of you” may be to emphasize that his next pronouncement is intended not only for his immediate audience, but for all Christians in all generations.
7:15 Jesus first states his point in parable form to the crowds, before giving an explanation privately to his disciples (see 4:34). Nothing that enters from outside can defile a person. This statement broadens the discussion far beyond ritual washings or even oral traditions; it alters the status of a large portion of the †Torah itself, the written law that is the foundation of Judaism. The verb “defile” is a legal term in the Torah (related to “unclean” in v. 2), meaning to render something unclean, unfit for worship of God or any sacred use. Much of the law of Moses concerns the distinction between clean and unclean, how a person or object becomes unclean, and what to do about it (see especially Lev 11–15; Deut 14). Jesus is radically recasting the whole meaning of clean and unclean: external things cannot defile a person; rather uncleanness comes from within, from the deep inner wellspring of a person’s words and actions. Already in the Old Testament the prophets had decried merely ceremonial, external practices of devotion (see Isa 1:11–17; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21–27) and taught that the true defilement is evil conduct (Ezek 36:17). But Jesus is going far beyond this to set aside the whole system of ceremonial cleanness—because in him its purpose is now fulfilled.[10]
7:17–19 Understandably, his audience finds it hard to take in such a sweeping modification of the law. Repeating the pattern of 4:10, 34, when he got home (literally, “went into the house”), his disciples questioned him about the parable. A parable can be a story or an enigmatic saying that calls for explanation (3:23; 13:28). Again there is a strong distinction between the crowds who flock around Jesus and the disciples who receive private instruction (4:10–11). But what sets apart a disciple is nothing other than a personal decision to follow Jesus and base one’s life on his teaching. Before giving the explanation, Jesus admonishes the disciples for their dullness in these matters (see 4:13; 6:52). How is it that after all their time with him they have no more understanding than do the crowds?
Jesus restates his previous affirmation (v. 15) in terms that make its meaning clear. No foods, even those that are legally unclean (unkosher), can defile a person, since they merely enter the body and pass through the digestive system. In fact, nothing external can separate a person from God. The key word in Jesus’ statement is heart (kardia), used three times in this passage (vv. 6, 19, 21). Biblically, the heart represents the inner depths of the person, the seat of decision where a person either responds to God or resists him. The heart is the source of emotions such as love, grief, anxiety, and joy, but in contrast to modern usage, it is also the source of thought, will, and conscience (see Jer 17:5–10; 1 Cor 4:5; 1 John 3:19–21). Jesus is declaring that the ceremonial distinction between clean and unclean is incapable of bringing about purity of heart, the purity that God truly desires (see Matt 5:8).
In a parenthesis to his readers—to make sure they grasp the full significance of what has been said—Mark notes that Jesus thus declared all foods clean (literally, “cleansed all foods”).[11] With this statement Jesus has implicitly set aside the entire Old Testament system of ritual purity, including the kosher laws that had created a strict distinction between foods that could and could not be eaten by God’s people (Lev 11). Now it becomes clear that the ceremonial laws were a temporary and provisional arrangement, a divine expedient until their true purpose could be definitively realized. Ritual purity had value as a symbol pointing beyond itself to purity of heart, the true basis for covenant relationship with God. Now there is something new in place that can truly purify the heart! Because the former arrangement has fulfilled its purpose, it is now obsolete (see Rom 7:6; Heb 8:13). Although it took the early Church some time (and much controversy) to realize the full implications of this revolutionary change, it gradually did so with the help of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10; 15; Rom 14; Gal 2:11–16). The importance of the principle outlined here for the future of Christianity is incalculable. Because of it, Christianity would not become merely a branch of Judaism whose members are bound to keep all the prescriptions of the Torah; it would be the new and fully efficacious way for all human beings to enter into communion with the living God. The door is opened to the Gentiles.
7:20–23 Jesus now explains the second half of the statement in verse 15, which is the converse of the first half. From now on, the only uncleanness that should preoccupy people is that of sin: the evil dispositions and actions that originate from deep within the heart. From within the heart come evil thoughts—that is, the sinful intentions that separate a person from God. Jesus elaborates with a list of twelve sinful thoughts and deeds.[12] The first six terms are plural, indicating sinful acts. The second six are singular, indicating interior dispositions. Envy is literally the “evil eye,” meaning to look with bitterness at the possessions or talents of another person. Blasphemy is usually translated “slander” and includes all forms of abusive speech, such as gossip and insult. Jesus repeats his point for emphasis: All these evils come from within and they defile. Defilement is not ceremonial but moral; likewise, purity is a matter of the heart.
The Children’s Bread (7:24–30)
24From that place he went off to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. 25Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 28She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
NT: Rom 3:29–30; 10:12; Eph 2:11–13. // Matt 15:21–28
Catechism: Jesus hears our prayer, 2616
It is not by chance that the dispute over ritual purity is immediately followed by two healings of Gentiles: the exorcism of a Syrophoenician child, and the healing of a deaf-mute (vv. 31–37). By placing these episodes here Mark hints at the far-reaching consequences of Jesus’ “cleansing” of all foods (v. 19). The strict barrier that the ceremonial laws had created between Jews and Gentiles, which was part of God’s plan in the old covenant, is now being removed by Jesus (see Eph 2:14). This barrier was most evident at table, since the precepts regarding kosher food and ritual purity meant that devout Jews could not share a meal with Gentiles (see Acts 10:28). The mention of “bread” (translated “food” in Mark 7:27) links this story with the multiplication of loaves (6:35–44), and anticipates the revolutionary table fellowship of the postresurrection Church, where Jew and Gentile would share bread at a single eucharistic table.
7:24–27 Jesus departs from the unspecified scene of the previous discussion (7:1–23) and goes beyond the confines of Galilee to the district of Tyre. About forty miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee, Tyre was a predominantly Gentile city on the coast of present-day Lebanon. Jesus is making a deliberate turn to Gentile territory. He attempts to go there incognito, but without success (as in 1:45; 7:36). Some people have an innate talent for sniffing out the news—including this woman, desperate as she is with a demon-possessed daughter. She is a Greek by language and culture, a Syrophoenician by birth, and thus a Gentile in both religion and ethnic origin. Syrophoenicians were natives of the coastal region of the province of Syria, as distinct from the Phoenicians of north Africa. She cannot let the wonder-working rabbi from Nazareth, whose reputation has preceded him, pass through without seizing her opportunity. Her determination to seek him out indicates the depth of her love for her daughter. This healing, like many in the Gospels, takes place in response to the petition of a devoted parent (see Mark 5:22–43; 9:17–27; Luke 7:11–15). Her bold faith, like that of the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:25–34), will draw from him the healing power she seeks.
She comes and falls at his feet, a gesture of homage (Acts 10:25), begging Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus, unexpectedly, rebuffs her. Let the children be fed first. The children are the people of Israel, God’s children (Exod 4:22; Hosea 2:1). Dogs (here literally, “puppies”) was a pejorative term often used by Jews to refer to Gentiles. Here the point is that as household pets, dogs do not have the rights or privileges of the children. In the form of a parable, Jesus is asserting that the blessings of the kingdom must be given first to God’s chosen people, to whom they had been promised (see Rom 9:4–5). But the qualifier “first” means that the time will come, after his passion and resurrection, when the Gentiles too will share in the full inheritance of God’s children (Gal 3:26–29; Eph 3:6). The early Church followed this principle by preaching the gospel always to Jews first, before moving on to Gentiles (Acts 13:46; 18:6; Rom 1:16). By referring to his works of healing as “bread,”[13] Jesus indicates that there is a deeper symbolic meaning to the bread he has provided in the desert. As Shepherd-Messiah of his people, he provides the bread of a new life, which includes liberation from sin, from demonic oppression, and from all the forces of evil.
7:28 Despite Jesus’ apparent harshness the woman is not put off in the least. Instead of taking offense, she quickly turns his reply to her advantage by retorting with a clever counterparable. She is the only person in Mark who addresses Jesus as Lord—the term by which the early Church addressed him in prayer (Acts 7:59; 9:10)—and it points to his true identity. Although lord (Greek kyrie) can be simply a title of respect (“sir”), it is also the term used in the †Septuagint in place of the holy name of God. Mark has already indirectly applied the title to Jesus in this exalted sense (Mark 1:3; 5:19–20).
The woman implicitly accepts Jesus’ unflattering epithet, but points out that dogs too have their share of scraps from the family meal. She thereby acknowledges Jesus as the Giver of bread—the “one loaf” for Jew and Gentile (see 8:14)—and expresses her confidence that somehow the “dogs” will not be left out. Even though Jesus seemed to reject her request, he was in reality looking to evoke just such deep faith, the kind of faith that he finds it impossible to refuse (as in Mark 5:25–34; John 2:1–11). Indeed, soon after this incident he will feed Gentiles with not only crumbs but an abundance of bread (Mark 8:1–10)! Her faith has mysteriously opened the way.
7:29–30 Jesus’ reply expresses his delight with her answer. One can imagine his smile at this lady’s chutzpah. Her indomitable faith has moved his heart to accelerate the plan: the “children’s bread” is given ahead of schedule to a Gentile. Upon her return home the woman finds her child delivered from the demon. This exorcism is the only work of healing done at a distance in Mark, accenting the efficacy of the woman’s faith. In fact, it is one of only two healings at a distance in the Gospels, the other being the cure of the centurion’s servant (Matt 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10; see John 4:46–54). Significantly, both involve Gentiles, and both demonstrate remarkable faith, in contrast to the tepid faith Jesus often finds among his own people. His ability to heal by a mere word someone who is not even present is a powerful message for the readers of the Gospel: to experience the Lord’s power it is not necessary to have seen or touched him as he walked on earth before his resurrection. All that is needed is faith.
Reflection and Application (7:24–30)
In this striking incident the Syrophoenician woman turns out to be a model of Christian faith. She is not the last person who has come to Jesus with an urgent petition, only to encounter what seems to be a brick wall! But she is neither discouraged nor disheartened by the apparent setback. She simply perseveres in intrepid confidence. Somehow what she has heard about Jesus has given her a profound intuition that he cannot be indifferent to her plea. So she refuses to take no for an answer—and her boldness is rewarded. The clear lesson in this story is that the Lord does hear our prayers, and even his apparent refusals are meant to awaken in us a yet deeper faith, which opens us to receive the gift that he has for us. Few sayings of Jesus are recorded more often than his reassurance that what we ask in prayer with faith we will receive.[14]
31Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 32And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 36He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. 37They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.”
OT: Exod 4:11; Isa 35:4–6; Wis 10:21
Catechism: Christ the physician, 1503–5; symbolic gestures, 1151–52
The second healing following the dispute over ritual purity takes place in the region of the Decapolis—another signal that the blessings of the kingdom are being extended to the Gentiles. The healing of the deaf-mute is one of the few episodes that only Mark records, and is perhaps the most graphically physical healing in all Scripture.
7:31 The description of Jesus’ journey has led some commentators to conclude that Mark was geographically confused, since Sidon was twenty-two miles north of Tyre whereas the Decapolis lay far to the southeast (see map, p. 349). To say that he left Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Decapolis is a bit like saying “he left Washington and went by way of New York to Atlanta.” But Mark’s intent is probably to indicate that Jesus traveled in a wide circle, first north, then east and south. The whole journey takes place in Gentile territory, foreshadowing the international dimensions of the Church.
7:32 When Jesus arrives in the Decapolis he meets with a very different reception than on his first visit, when the people begged him to leave (5:17). Perhaps his way has been prepared by an unlikely evangelist: the liberated demoniac, who broadcast to the whole region what Jesus had done for him (5:20). Now the inhabitants recognize Jesus as a worker of mighty deeds who has compassion on the afflicted. So they bring to him a deaf man, begging him to lay his hand on him (as in 5:23). The rare word for speech impediment (mogilalos) appears only once elsewhere in Scripture, in the Greek translation of a prophecy of Isaiah: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing” (Isa 35:5–6). This exultant promise refers to the joyful return home of the Jews after their exile in Babylon, but Mark is hinting that the Gentiles too are now heirs to these blessings. Previously deaf to God and mute concerning his saving deeds, now, in response to his mighty works of healing, they are able to hear his voice and sing his praises.
The Flesh as the Hinge of Salvation
The importance of the flesh in God’s plan of salvation was a continual source of wonder to early pagan converts to Christianity, especially those steeped in Greek philosophy, which had often disparaged the body. Tertullian, a third-century Father, wrote eloquently about how it is through our flesh that Christ mediates his grace in each of the sacraments: “The flesh is the hinge of salvation.… The flesh is washed so that the soul may be made clean. The flesh is anointed so that the soul may be consecrated. The flesh is signed so that the soul may be protected. The flesh is overshadowed by the laying on of hands so that the soul may be illumined by the Spirit. The flesh feeds on the body and blood of Christ so that the soul too may be filled with God. [Flesh and spirit] cannot, then, be separated in their reward, when they are united in their works.”[a]
7:33–35 Many of Jesus’ healings take place in full public view (see 3:3), but here, in contrast, he takes the man off by himself (see also 8:23). This detail suggests that Jesus intuitively understands the unique needs of each person. For some people it is important to have a private encounter, away from the stares of the crowd, so that Jesus can minister to their needs one-on-one. Jesus performs the healing in no less than seven steps, as if speaking in sign language so the deaf man can follow what he is doing. After taking him aside, he puts his finger into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, groans, and says to him, Ephphatha! The spitting should be interpreted as Jesus’ spitting on his own finger, then touching it to the man’s tongue, so that both his impaired organs are healed by Jesus’ direct touch. In the ancient world saliva was considered to have therapeutic qualities. Jesus’ looking up to heaven is a gesture of prayer (see 6:41), expressing his total reliance on the Father. It is the only place in the Gospel where Jesus is said to groan (or “sigh,” RSV, NRSV, JB, NJB), perhaps because of his grief over a person so ravaged by the effects of the fall. St. Paul uses a form of the same word to speak of the “inexpressible groanings” of the Spirit as he intercedes for us (Rom 8:26).
Some of Jesus’ gestures may strike a modern reader as crudely physical. In fact, in every age, the Bible’s profound respect for the body as a vehicle of divine grace has scandalized some who would prefer that God act on a purely spiritual plane. But this healing illustrates once again the sacramental quality of the body—its ability to be a visible sign and instrument of divine grace (see Mark 1:31, 41; 5:41; 6:5)—and the fact that Jesus’ work of salvation involves the whole human being, soul and body.
Jesus completes the healing with a word of power: Ephphatha! Be opened! As in 5:41 Mark’s preservation of the original word in †Aramaic shows how deeply this healing impressed itself on the memory of his disciples. Jesus’ ministry to the man was unusually elaborate, but the healing is instantaneous and complete. His faculties are restored to the full functioning for which they were designed, and he is able to communicate freely with others.
7:36 But, oddly enough, Jesus now enjoins strict silence on the man who can now speak and on the witnesses—an instance of the “messianic secret” (see 1:44; 5:43). Why would Jesus not want people to spread the news? Probably because the focus would be on a spectacular outward feat, obscuring the real meaning of his messiahship. His miracles point to the truth of his messianic identity—but they are only part of the truth. The full truth of what it means to be Messiah will be revealed in the second part of the Gospel. But ironically, Jesus’ injunction falls on deaf ears. The word proclaimed is the same used for Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel in 1:14, and for the Church’s later preaching of the good news (13:10). Even though their understanding is incomplete, the people of the Decapolis cannot contain their excitement about the marvelous deeds done by Jesus.
7:37 This healing, like others, is followed by exclamations of astonishment, but also by a mini confession of faith, alluding to Isa 35:5–6: He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak. Once again Jesus has performed a role that Scripture ascribes to God alone: “Who gives one man speech and makes another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind? Is it not I, the LORD?” (Exod 4:11; see Wis 10:21).
Reflection and Application (7:31–37)
Like all healings in the Gospels, the physical cure of the deaf and mute man is real, but also has a deeper spiritual significance. God designed human beings not only with the physical senses but also with marvelous spiritual capacities to see, hear, and relate to him. These interior faculties were disabled by original sin, causing a severe communication block between God and humanity. Jesus’ healings of people who are deaf, blind, and lame is a sign of his restoration of humanity to the fullness of life and of communion with our Creator. Now by the grace of Christ we are able to hear God’s voice in our hearts, sing his praises, and proclaim his mighty deeds (see Acts 2:11). “The glory of God is man fully alive” (St. Irenaeus).