Spiritual Hygiene

From today's reading: "Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles." Matthew 15:17-18 The scribes and Pharisees had complained to Jesus about his disciples eating the wheat in the field without washing their hands. The cleanliness laws of Israel were designed to keep people healthy. They included things like washing your hands before you eat and washing your dishes and pots and pans after using them. We think of these things as health factors but they had been passed down as law to the Israelites. What Jesus is saying here is that the authorities were placing too much importance on something that was designed to keep the population healthy, and they were totally ignoring the relational aspects of the law. It went so far that they were even using the law to their own personal benefit, such as refusing to support their parents (Commandment to honor your mother and father) essentially claiming what would have been used as their tithe to the church. That was only symptomatic of the kinds of things that the scribes and Pharisees were doing. They placed undue burdens on the people while verbally sidestepping their own responsibilities. What is it that comes out of your mouth? Does it defile or honor God?