Cultural blindspots- 7:14-23

Back with the disciples and they cop a bit of plain speaking as well. Asunetoi- lacking in understanding dullwitted. BDAG- the noun sunesis (from suniemi) refers to bringing together of things or persons (juncture of two rivers, Hom. Od), then to inward organisation ('understanding'); one who lacks sunesis is void of understanding, senseless, foolish, implying also a lack of high moral quality.
So, in other words, the disciples haven't put two and two together very well at all here. And Jesus goes on to enunciate. It is interesting that the disciples didn't pick it up. The idea of ritual cleaness or uncleansess was very strong- the Jews had been (break of a day or two here) cured of their idolatorous ways by the exile- and the pharisees had replaced this with another form of idolatory- the traditions of men. Peter had to be given another post resurrection lesson about this- Surely not Lord, I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. It was a big issue for the early church- interesting at the council of Jerusalem you had believers who belonged to the party of the pharisees standing up and saying “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the laws of Moses”.

I wonder what my blindspots are? The things so strongly imbedded in your culture (particularly your faith tradition) that you take for granted that someone could point out to you and you still wouldn't get it.

“All these evils come from inside (eswthen) and make a man unclean'.” Here is 'a' answer for where evil comes from- from within. I just looked up the concordance for references on the devil and Satan. Jesus certainly mentions him- and is tempted by him in the Desert. But in the course of the Gospel accounts there are not that many references- the “Get behind me Satan”- to Peter- and Satan entering Judas- but on the whole it is certainly not a focus. “The from within” certainly is. I'm sure that is instructive for the way we live pray and teach. It wasn't as though Jesus didn't come up against the demonic either. He was often casting out demons and ordering them to be silent.

Come back to this..