Log inSign up

Mark 7 · a question people ask

Did Jesus say all foods are clean?

In the text

Here are the WEB's words. In the house, his disciples asked him about the parable (7:17), and Jesus said, "Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, making all foods clean?" (7:18-19) (tap clean). The WEB prints the words "making all foods clean" (7:19) inside Jesus's words: the verse ends with them, and only then come the question mark and the closing quotation mark. So Favor gives them as his. Mark says no more about them. Christians read differently what Jesus's words in this chapter mean for the food laws given to Israel in Leviticus 11, and the chapter on Leviticus 11 sets out the main readings in its honest question, Do Christians still keep these food laws? These notes quote the verse and don't settle it.

The verses

“When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, making all foods clean?””
Mark 7:17-19 · World English Bible
““Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.”
Leviticus 11:2 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Mark 7

Mark 7: From within

In Mark 7, Jesus never says "the tradition of the elders"; he says "the tradition of men" (7:8), and sets it against Moses' words, which he calls "the commandment of God" and "the word of God" (7:9-13). And the one who answers him "Yes, Lord" is a Greek woman (7:26-28).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekMark 7 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Mark 7

All questions about Mark →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions