Reimagining Inclusion

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash, and there are also many other traditions that they observe: the washing of cups and pots and bronze kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” … Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. … For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 (NRSVue)

On July 29, 2024, the UK was shaken by the tragic stabbing of three young girls in Southport. This devastating act of violence exposed deep-rooted racial tensions and sparked widespread grief across the nation. In its aftermath, far-right extremists sought to exploit the tragedy, inciting hate-fueled violence against ethnic minority communities, mosques, and asylum seekers. Yet, amid the turmoil, a movement of resistance emerged, as thousands took to the streets to reject hatred and division, advocating for justice, dignity, and a more inclusive society.

These contemporary events of exclusion echo themes found in the Bible, for example in Mark 7, where Jesus challenges religious leaders on the tension between upholding tradition and embracing God’s transformative message of love and justice. In this passage, the scribes and Pharisees question Jesus about the disciples’ failure to follow hand-washing purity rituals before eating. The encounter highlights a broader discussion about religious practice: one perspective emphasizes the security of tradition and ritual, while the other, represented by Jesus, emphasizes the risk of radical inclusivity.

This reflection seeks to explore how both our current context and Jesus’ response in Mark 7 invite a rethinking of societal norms. It calls for confronting structures and ideologies that may unintentionally exclude the marginalized and asks us to reimagine those structures in ways that create a more just and compassionate community, rooted in love, mercy, and inclusion.

Subversive Inclusion

In Mark 7, Jesus presents a radical vision of inclusion that challenges the conservative social program of another religious reform movement, the Pharisees. By focusing on the internal state of the heart beyond external rituals, Jesus disrupts certain purity customs that resulted in exclusion and marginalization. His message redefines what it means to belong to the community of God, shifting from a framework of exclusion to one of radical inclusion.

It is crucial to understand that Jesus’ critique in Mark 7 is not a rejection of Judaism but an internal challenge to practices that excluded individuals. His critique is consistent with the longstanding Jewish traditions—from the time of the prophets through to our own day—of interpreting and reinterpreting the law to deepen its application of justice and mercy.

In first-century Palestine, individuals labelled as “sinners” were often excluded from social and religious life, including table fellowship. This term did not merely denote personal guilt but identified people who were social outcasts, including tax collectors, those living in immorality, and groups like Samaritans and Gentiles. They were deemed outside the boundaries of holiness enforced by influential religious authorities (See Norman Perrin’s discussion in Rediscovering the Teachings of Jesus, p. 107).

Jesus’ inclusion of these marginalized groups in the kingdom of God challenged the religious leaders’ interpretation of purity laws, which emphasized separation from impurity. He made a clear distinction between those unjustly labelled as sinners and those who were genuinely sinful. This inclusion disrupted social and religious boundaries and called for a dismantling of systems based on external markers of worth, such as ethnicity, social status, or religious adherence. Jesus invited a reimagining of community centred on love, compassion, and justice.

Jesus’ radical approach in Mark 7 signifies a profound shift from external rituals alone to internal transformation. As Walter Wink observed in Engaging the Powers, Jesus presented a new vision of holiness centred on mercy, inclusion, and limitless love. Instead of seeing holiness as something to be protected from contamination, Jesus viewed it as God’s transforming power. Jesus’ touch did not defile him but rather made those regarded as impure clean.

Jesus’ teachings and actions subvert traditional markers of holiness by embracing everyone, including those traditionally excluded. His command to love one’s enemies epitomizes this shift from exclusion to compassion, extending the kingdom of God beyond social, ethnic, and moral boundaries. By focusing on the heart’s intentions rather than external purity, Jesus expanded the scope of religious and social belonging.

The radical nature of Jesus’ message lies in its challenge to a framework of inclusion and exclusion. He advocated instead for a community built on grace, compassion, and justice.

Politics of Radical Inclusion

The political dimension of Jesus’ inclusiveness in Mark 7 becomes evident in the way it challenges the power dynamics of both religious and socio-political systems of first-century Judea. This was a society under Roman occupation, where religious leaders, including the Pharisees, operated within a highly complex political landscape. The Pharisees were part of a larger movement that sought to preserve Jewish identity, tradition, and law in the face of external pressures from Roman rule.

When Jesus challenged the Pharisees’ emphasis on “the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:3, 5), he was not merely engaging in a theological debate—he was also confronting the social structures that wielded those traditions toward the political ends of exclusion. Such customs, which established clear distinctions between who was “clean” and “unclean,” often reinforced social hierarchies, drawing boundaries between those who were to be accepted in religious and social life and those who should be marginalized.

First-century Palestine was characterized by tension and conflict, with Roman imperial power imposing foreign customs and economic exploitation. This external pressure led to fragmentation within Jewish society, as different groups sought answers to the question of faithful Jewish identity under occupation. While some, like the Sadducees, collaborated with Roman authorities, others, such as the Pharisees, adhered strictly to their interpretation of Jewish law as a form of resistance. Radical groups like the Zealots pursued armed rebellion, while the Essenes withdrew to isolated communities (See more discussion of this context in Marcus Borg, Conflict, Holiness, and Politics in the Teachings of Jesus).

Against this backdrop, the Jesus movement offered a novel response. Jesus did not align with any established faction but presented a vision of holiness that transcended the political and religious divisions of the time. His message was one of mercy, love, and inclusion, not of retreat or rebellion. He preached a kingdom of God defined by compassion and forgiveness, challenging both Roman oppression and the exclusivity of groups like the Pharisees.

Jesus’ emphasis on the condition of the heart over external purity redefined boundaries and disrupted the status quo. By questioning the effectiveness of purity customs (which often left practitioners internally defiled), he challenged the structures that caused or reinforced exclusion. His approach suggested a new model of power based on love and openness, subverting the Roman political order that relied on social divisions to maintain control. Jesus’ message was therefore not only spiritually transformative but also politically charged, as it reimagined who held power and how that power should be used—not to marginalize, but to uplift and include.

Embracing Radical Inclusion: Relevance for Today

Jesus’ message of radical inclusion in Mark 7 speaks powerfully to our contemporary world, where issues of exclusion and marginalization continue to plague societies. His example calls us to examine our own communities, traditions, and social structures to identify ways in which they may perpetuate exclusion. For Christians, this means reevaluating how we understand religious purity, holiness, and community. It challenges us to move beyond external markers of faith—whether they be doctrinal adherence, moral behaviour, or social respectability—and to focus on the condition of our hearts and the ways in which we extend love, grace, and hospitality to others.

In practical terms, Jesus’ subversive inclusion means advocating for social justice, welcoming the marginalized, and working to dismantle the systems that exclude people based on race, class, gender, or other socially constructed divisions. It challenges us to build communities that reflect the radical love of God—communities where all people are valued and welcomed, regardless of their background or status.

In today’s context, this radical message remains profoundly relevant. The recent anti-racism protests following the riots across UK underscore the continued need for inclusivity and justice in our societies. These demonstrations highlight how much our deeply ingrained racial tensions and tendencies toward systemic exclusion still impact communities, and they challenge us to confront these issues head-on.

Just as Jesus subverted traditional markers of purity and inclusion in his time, the modern movement for racial justice and equity calls for a revaluation of societal norms that perpetuate division and discrimination. The protests have shown that the fight against racism is not only about addressing immediate injustices but also about reimagining societal structures to be genuinely inclusive and equitable.

By embracing the subversive inclusivity that Jesus modeled, we are invited to dismantle systems of oppression and build communities where every individual is valued and welcomed. This approach requires us to challenge prejudiced attitudes (others’ and our own), advocate for systemic change, and commit to practices that embody justice and compassion. It is through this transformative work that we can strive to create a society that mirrors the inclusive vision of the Kingdom of God—a kingdom where every person, regardless of race, background, religion, or status, is embraced with the love and dignity inherent in God’s radical grace.

In this way, Jesus’ call for inclusion becomes not just a theological ideal but a practical mandate for how to engage with and transform our world today.