Biblical Diet 4a: NT Perspective: Did Jesus declare all foods clean in Mark 7:19?

[First posted in 2012, this is part of our series on the biblical diet as prescribed by the Creator-Designer of the human body, outlined in Leviticus 11. Who better than the ‘Maker’ determines the proper fuel for the ‘made’? Check these related posts:

—Admin1]

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Interestingly, Mark 7:19 is one of several NT verses used as ‘prooftext’ to justify modern man’s free-for-all attitude toward and appetite for animal flesh as food. We will deal with other prooftexts in later articles since this in itself will have enough for us to chew on.

God gave man free will, so we either digest, absorb or spit out any information we decide to process. What is important is that we are presented two sides of any argument, so that we can make an informed choice.

We will use this ‘prooftext’ to illustrate how to read and properly interpret any reading material whether it’s from the Bible or other sources. This particular verse is a great teaching tool; you will begin to understand why, if you carefully follow the process of determining whether the claim is true or not. Hopefully, you will learn how to be more discerning and not just swallow anything from those who spoon-feed you; that includes checking out for yourself the refutation of the claim in this article. Make it a habit to investigate everything for yourself, specially if it concerns your overall well-being.

It is interesting to know how each reader of this article will react, so write in your answer please in the commentary space at the end of this article. There will be a sequel to this article if enough readers give their input; it will be the springboard for a continuing discussion of this topic and others related to it.

Read through the following steps:

Step 1. First, here’s a sampling of the same verse as translated by different Bible versions. This in itself should make you think!

New International Version [NIV]: ” . . . thus purifying all foods ”
New American Standard Version [NASB]: “(Thus He declared all foods clean.)
The New Living Translation [NLT]: “(By saying this , he showed that every kind of food is acceptable.)”
The Amplified Bible [AB]: “Thus He was making and declaring all foods (ceremonially) clean (that is, abolishing the ceremonial distinctions of the Levitical Law).”
King James Version [KJV]: [verse is missing]
Power New Testament [PNT]: [verse is missing]

Sampling the different rendering of the same verse [in blue] by bible translations/versions, we should already be alerted that something is very strange about this verse.

In NIV, the verse appears to be naturally a part of the text.
In NASB and NLT, the verse is enclosed in parenthesis.
In AB, the verse is already interpreted (translator’s commentary in parenthesis) within the text.
In KJV and PNT, the verse is missing altogether!

Who has the luxury of owning different bible translations to make such comparisons?

And even if we do, what can we deduce from the obvious differences in this simple ONE VERSE that is under scrutiny?

What is your conclusion?

Step 2. Whenever a verse is presented as ‘prooftext’, check out the context of the verse. And context includes a few considerations among others:

the literary placement of the text [Old Testament or New?, verses before and after, what happened in chapters before and after, etc. ],
cultural context [What was Israel like at the time this was supposed to have happened?]
historical context [time frame—at what point in Israel’s history?]
who is speaking
who is the audience
what is the point of controversy [in this case, is it REALLY about dietary laws of Leviticus 11?]
visual aids [what do parentheses indicate in any verse; why should they be there at all?]

Do your homework—read the whole chapter of Mark 17.

Source: Exodus/Shemoth 24 – "the sight of the Glory of YHVH (was) like a consuming fire" -- We gentiles living in this 21st century are able to experience that climactic moment [God appearing on Sinai] by reading and studying this portion of the TORAH. Indeed, we see YHWH not quite as dramatically as the mixed multitude did, but perhaps even better through these accounts recorded in Exodus. There is a saying that hindsight is 20/20 vision, i.e., we begin to see and understand the question marks in our past only later in our lives, as we mature and hopefully become wiser and more introspective about the meaning or seeming meaninglessness of happenings in history, whether personal, national, or universal. Søren Kierkegaard adds a twist to this: “Only 20:20 vision is hindsight. Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” As we endeavor to understand each portion in the TORAH of YHWH, much of it will seem irrelevant to our current situation but if we see beyond the time-bound cultural and religious situations and begin to understand what truly has not change—human nature and the Great Revelator who designed the perfect blueprint for living in peace, happily and contentedly with family, community, country and the nations, the unquestionable conclusion is: TORAH is relevant to ALL humankind, not just to Israel, to this very day.

Biblical Diet 4a: NT Perspective: Did Jesus declare all foods clean in Mark 7:19?

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