Mark 7:5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ 8Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.” NET
Jesus is not interested in the traditions and minutia that men have created in relation to the law but rather the law itself. His first step to subvert their claims is by making a Biblical argument. This text from Isaiah 29 is a criticism of the externalism being practiced by the scribes and Pharisees who, from all appearances, are doing everything right in keeping the rules of piety and devotion. Looks can be deceiving however as they are so busy keeping the rules that they have missed the point. As a result, they are outwardly “in” but inwardly “out”. Jesus has also extended the spiritual freedom of His disciples. That’s not to say they are free of the law but rather of the minutia of men that has become attached to the law.
Mark 7:9 He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God;”‘ 12 then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.” NHEB
In the Jewish tradition of Corban, you dedicate something to God. The idea here that if you give money to God instead of mom and dad then you are relieved of the responsibility of taking care of your parents. You able to make a grand, public display of a gift to the Temple but then your parents knock on the door and you tell them you gave the money to God. (In this example we see both the “shoulder” Pharisee and the “reckoning” Pharisee discussed earlier under the 7 types of Pharisees).
Mark 7:14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”17 Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? 19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer.” (This means all foods are clean.) 20 He said, “What comes out of a person defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. 23 All these evils come from within and defile a person.” NET
Jesus turns back to the argument. Jesus is concerned about how the law has been reduced to a mechanical and external practice such as washing your hands and dishes as a sign of purity. As He is leaving, the disciples question Him. While you can’t read the tone of His voice, it sounds rather sharp. Perhaps a slight bit of annoyance as they just aren’t getting it. The side note about all foods being clean is Mark’s signal to the Romans that they don’t have to keep a Jewish diet to become followers. As Mark’s source is Peter it is easy to think of Peter in Acts 10.
What follows is a fairly standard vice list. Think of this as the symptoms of a heart that is not turned toward God (see verse 6 about their hearts being far away). This can’t just be fixed just by gritting your teeth and saying “no” to bad things. What has to happen is the heart of stone must be replaced with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). This is a fundamental change or regeneration. When Nicodemus comes to see Jesus, he is told that he must be born again. That’s not to say when we are regenerated that we are suddenly changed to such an extent that we are now perfect. Instead we are simply in a new (and different) position where we now have more than one option to choose from in terms of our actions.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ESV
These traditions come from the right intention. It only starts to go awry when those traditions are elevated about God’s law. Nevertheless, Jesus isn’t buying what they are selling as He isn’t interested in externals nor in human interpretation.
Mark 7:24 After Jesus left there, he went to the region of Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but he was not able to escape notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.” 28She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. NET
In the next two stories the people involved are Gentiles and as such, are not acceptable. The Syrophoenician woman is a Canaanite and is most certainly excluded from the purity map. Recall from Joshua that God’s command was to kill all of the Canaanites but they didn’t. Since that time, Israel is forever struggling with these people (Elijah and the prophets of Baal and David/Goliath to name but a few). Jesus calls them “dogs” but the word used is diminutive – a little dog. More in the nature of a pet dog rather than a pack of wild dogs scavenging in the streets. The little dog underfoot at the table rather than one roaming the street.
Muslims and Jews typically don’t like dogs. The norm was that dogs are unclean animals because they have paws instead of hooves. Dogs is also the conventional way the Jews talked about Gentiles. In a sense, Jesus is quoting the conventional answer (although in an unconventional way) and then heals the woman’s daughter because unlike the disciples and Pharisees, she demonstrates faith.