The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 321

ms.de over for religious purposes, though the time or fulfilling such vow was left to his own option, and so its fulfilment became discretionary, or was evaded. 'l'o revile or ourse father or mother was surely bad enough and wicked enough; but to refuse to supply the wants of a parent when reduced to poverty, or to suppor~ a parent in old age and when needing such support, or to withhold from an indigent parent the neces- saries of life, on the plea that the means or resources out of which such could be supplied were devoted to religious uses, was a refinement of unnatural and inhuman wickedness almost incapable of being expressed in words. And thus, as the next verse informs us, they suffered him no longer to do anything for his parents, even ifhe would· or, if he would not, they suffered him to have his way, conniving at his sin and over~ looking his shame, nay, putting words into his mouth to enable him to perpetrate in the name of religion such abominable villainy. If, from a spirit of greedy avarice or miserable meanness, or detestable stinginess; or in a fit of spiteful passion; or under'the influence of superstition, a wicked Jew pleased to say to either parent suffering from -disease, or labouring under age and poverty," That whereby I might have helped or relieved, or in any w_ay benefi~d you, is devoted to the_ service of God and religion, and cannot now be withdrawn,' the oral law of the Phansee granted full liberty to do so, taught him its formula for that very purpose, and salved his conscience that be might v.•ithal feel at ease. Now, to those censorious Pharisees who watched our Lord and his dis.:iples with such lynx-eyed vigilance and malign intent, and who had seen not all the disciples, but some of them, partaking, not of a regular repast, but eating~ morsel of bread with bands common, that is, in the ordinary or general state-clean, it may be, but not ritually cleansed-our Lord may be supposed to say, Ye blame my hungry disciples for snatching the fragment of a hurried meal without ceremonial ablution, and censure them for neglecting a silly ceremony enjoined no doubt, by your traditional law, which is only of human origin, and, in such a case aa that just referred to, of most nefarious tendency; but ye teach your disciples to violate, not a trivial ceremonial observance for which only human authority can be pleaded, and from which no benefit can be derived, but a moral duty, based on closest human relationship, written by God's own finger, recorded in his written law, and enforced by the most solemn sanction I Is not this to establish man's law and set aside God's Law ; to adhere punctiliously to the miserable tradition of miserable or wicked men, but to invalidate and even abrogate the Law of an infinitely pure and holy God-a Law, too, like its Author, holy and just and good I To wash the hands before a regular meal, or any meal, may be proper enough as a custom, or for cleanliness, or as a matter of delicacy, yet can never be exalted into a religious act or rite; but to trifle with or trample underfoot the law of natural affec- tion, of filial piety, of common humanity-a law specially honoured with a most gracious promise, and sternly hedged in with the severest sanction-must bring down the vengeance of Heaven on the guilty head of its transgressor. Thus our Lord left them to look at this picture and on that. II. DIBTINCTION BETWEEN CLEAN A.ND UNCLEAN. 1. Statement of a principle. After our Lord had put to silence and covered with confusion these intermeddling, fault- fi.nding, censorious, and cavilling Pharisees, he proceeds to state a great and funda- mental principle, which covered the whole ground and went to the very root of the matter. Before doing so, he requests the particular attention of the multitude. Whether they had withdrawn to a respectful distance during our Lord's interview with the Phari- sees and triumphant answer to their objection, or.whether, from indifference to their obtru- eive questionings the malevolent intention of which was obvious, they had ■unk into a state of listless inattention, does not appear. They required, from whatever cause, to have their attention stimulated. For this purpose he calls on all and each, not only to listen attentively, but to reflect, with intelligence wide awake and active, on the great principle he is about to enunciate. Having thus gained their intelligent attention and roused their powers of reflection, he states the important distinction that "there is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him : but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man." After making this statement, he again appeals to the!I". to give it the!r careful consideration. 2. Im1,ortant distinction. Our Lord, in the prmciple stated, distinguishes between the physical and spiritual natures of man, as also between ceremonial and moral defile- ments; between positive regulations and moral requirements; and thus between pre- oe. vu. 1-37.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 319