The Reading
The Gospel
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
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 it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live 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: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
The Sermon
I
would like to focus on the readings from James and Mark. I can see
why these two readings were paired because they talk about how people
live their lives, and not just what they claim to believe. It
reminds me of the phrase; actions speak louder than words. James
says, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their
tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”
James tells us that talk is cheap. Sure you can say you are
Christian but if your actions speak otherwise, what good is it. James
is telling us that being a Christian comes with expectations. Jesus
told us to do two things; Love our God and love our fellow man.
That's it. So what does that look like??
It
does involve putting food in the blessing box. It does involve
caring and nurturing those who are sick. It means saying kind words
for people in our lives. It means putting the needs of others ahead
of our own.
However,
Jesus takes this message of action one step further. He rebukes the
Pharisees by referencing Isaiah with this quote, 'This people honors
me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.' It is one
thing to say kind words but if you do not mean it, if that is not
what is in your heart then those words have no meaning. This week
was my week to visit those in the hospital but if I am just going
through the motions then my actions are worthless.
The
Pharisees criticized Jesus and his disciples because they were not
following all of the rules, and they had a lot of rules! Jesus told
them that following the rules is not enough. The big deal for them
and all of us should be what is in our hearts.
James
and Jesus are telling us that what we do is important and that love
for each other should be the guiding force behind all that we do in
our lives. I encourage you to reflect on your own lives. Is your
love of God and love of your neighbor the reason you are kind in what
you say? Do you visit those who are ill out of a sense of obligation
or is it because you care deeply for that person. When you share the
peace a little later in the service, will you wish the peace of the
Lord on those in your church family because you truly wish them God's
peace?
None
of us are perfect but I am convinced that God is patient with us and
God realizes that even in our imperfection we are striving to keep
ourselves unstained in this world.
Amen
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