Mark 7.14-23 The Heart of Man  (Mt. 15.10-20)
14  Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος πάλιν τὸν ὄχλον ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ἀκούσατέ μου πάντες καὶ σύνετε.
14  After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:
D1  Listen to Me. The first time Jesus does so; it recalls Moses' summons to all Israel to hear the law (Deut. 5.1; 4.1, 10, 28,; 5.27; 29.2a). He also demonstrates his divine authority to summon the crowds and to redefine the nature of holiness for God's people. 

15  οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς αὐτὸν ὃ δύναται κοινῶσαι αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
15  there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
D1 Jesus' sweeping declaration to a Jewish crowd effectively repeals the entire framework of food laws. Since those laws directly related to God's holiness (Lev. 11.44), only someone exercising God's own authority could revoke them. Mark's readers already know that Jesus has this authority; he is the authoritative Son of Man (2.10) and embodies God's presence upon the earth (1.2-3)

16  
16  "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
A1 Most later mss add 7:16 “Let anyone with ears to hear, listen.” This verse is included in A D W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï latt sy, but is lacking in important Alexandrian mss and a few others (א B L Δ* 0274 28 2427). It appears to be a scribal gloss (see 4:9 and 4:23), perhaps introduced as a reiteration of the thought in 7:14, and is almost certainly not an original part of the Greek text of Mark. The present translation follows NA27 in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

17  Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν παραβολήν.
17  When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.

18  καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἔξωθεν εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι
18  And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,

19  ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται, καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα;
19  because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated [goes out into the sewer] ?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.)
A1 ( )This is a parenthetical note by the author.

B1 The Mosaic law distinguished between "clean" and "unclean" foods (see Lev. 11.1-47). Their purpose was to instill an awareness of God's holiness and of the reality of sin as a barrier to fellowship with God. But once defilement of the heart is thoroughly removed and full fellowship with God becomes a reality (through the atoning death of Jesus; see Mk. 10.45; Rom. 14:14; Heb 8:6-13; 9:10,14), the ceremonial law was fulfilled the purpose and no longer required--though as seen in Acts 10-11, it took several years for the disciples to understand this.  

E1 This parenthetical comment, not in Matthew's version, may preserve a conclusion expressed orally by Peter, who is later taught this lesson by heavenly vision before sent to preach to Cornelius (Acts 10, 11). 

20  ἔλεγεν δὲ ὅτι τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενον, ἐκεῖνο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
20  And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

21  ἔσωθεν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, φόνοι,
21  "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,

22  μοιχεῖαι, πλεονεξίαι, πονηρίαι, δόλος, ἀσέλγεια, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, βλασφημία, ὑπερηφανία, ἀφροσύνη·
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, 1aenvy, slander, 2pride and foolishness. 

23  πάντα ταῦτα τὰ πονηρὰ ἔσωθεν ἐκπορεύεται καὶ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
23  "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Reflection
How would you decide whether some is really "spiritual"? How has your view of "spirituality" changed in the past few years?