In the Bible, the verb "to eat" has a deeper meaning than just consuming food.
To eat can mean to be in communion with another person or persons, or to be in an intimate relationship with someone.
So for the Jews, who they eat with is significant and important.
Another meaning of the verb "to eat" can also mean to know, or to have knowledge of something or someone.
For the Jews, they had a long standing tradition of what is ritually clean and unclean foods.
So when Jesus said that nothing goes into a man from outside can make him unclean, he actually knocked away one of the pillars of their cultural and religious tradition.
On the other hand, Jesus connected the act of eating with the knowledge of what is sin.
Similarly in the 1st reading, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
When we sin, we eat of the fruit of evil and our hearts become filled with evil, and death and destruction happens from within.
In the Eucharist, we gather to partake of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life so as to be in communion with Him.
May we be filled with the life of the Spirit so that in turn we will speak words of love that will give life to others.
To eat can mean to be in communion with another person or persons, or to be in an intimate relationship with someone.
So for the Jews, who they eat with is significant and important.
Another meaning of the verb "to eat" can also mean to know, or to have knowledge of something or someone.
For the Jews, they had a long standing tradition of what is ritually clean and unclean foods.
So when Jesus said that nothing goes into a man from outside can make him unclean, he actually knocked away one of the pillars of their cultural and religious tradition.
On the other hand, Jesus connected the act of eating with the knowledge of what is sin.
Similarly in the 1st reading, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
When we sin, we eat of the fruit of evil and our hearts become filled with evil, and death and destruction happens from within.
In the Eucharist, we gather to partake of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life so as to be in communion with Him.
May we be filled with the life of the Spirit so that in turn we will speak words of love that will give life to others.