Did Jesus abolish the distinction between permitted (clean) and prohibited (unclean) food in the Torah? Many say that he did based on his interaction with the Pharisees in Mark 7:1-23. In this passage, Jesus says that nothing that goes into a person can defile him (Mark 7:15). Also, in most English Bible translations, Mark 7:19 has a parenthetical statement that reads, “Thus he declared all foods clean.” Hence, it is believed that Mark’s Jesus invalidated the Torah’s food laws.

But is that really what this passage is saying? My guest, Dr. Logan Williams, challenges the antinomian reading of Mark 7:1-23 and offers a more plausible interpretation.

Read the paper from Dr. Logan Williams here