Jesus makes the truly radical statement that it’s not what enters a person that defiles him but what comes out of his heart. Frankly, this sets aside huge portions of the Old Testament book of Leviticus, with its meticulous rules concerning purity. “Now, the Pharisees didn’t like this message. They wanted to keep things as they were, but Jesus said, ‘No, God has further plans. He’s doing a new thing.’ We have to ask, What kind of person thinks he has the authority to set aside the divinely inspired Jewish Scriptures and supplant them with his own teaching?
