This week, we hear about the application of the ritual purity laws for Jesus' hearers. In Mark 7:14-23, we remember that while the ritual purity laws called the Israelites to obedience and pointed them towards both their uncleanness and the uncleanness of their world, there was also hope. In the purity laws, they were reminded that God was not done and was in the process of cleansing it all. Ultimately, this passage reminds us that Jesus has authority over the ritual purity laws because ultimate purity is only found in him.