Does what we eat defile us?

Does what we eat defile us? Jesus had some thoughts on that subject that I thought were very interesting. One day some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and in Mathew 15:2 said:

"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."

Jesus responded in Mathew 15:11 saying:

"it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Jesus explained himself in Mathew 15:17-20 by saying:

"Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

I don’t really think Jesus was saying that we should not try to eat healthy in these passages, I am pretty sure he was saying that we should be more careful about what we speak. I hope you enjoyed the analysis.

Reference:

ESV Bible