"Pharisees R Us"
Sermon Presented September 3, 2006
Mark 7:1-23
When I read this text, I think of the traditions that I grew up with. When I married, I wanted to continue these traditions, but now had to blend the traditions of two families, making some new traditions as a compromise. Family traditions give us a sense of identity and stability, and when we come together with our family of origin, we rejoice that we belong.
Churches and denominations also have traditions, and the older the entity, the more entrenched are its traditions. And just as those who marry into a family don't place the same value on its traditions as those who grew up with them do, the same holds true for churches. Newer members don't see the significance of traditions that older members hold sacred. Bonnie Embertson once said that she wasn't comfortable worshiping in a particular church because it didn't incorporate The Lord's Prayer into worship.
What do our traditions say about our Christian lives? Do our traditions speak a different message than the state of our hearts? Do we honor God with our lips, rituals, and human traditions - OR with our hearts?
Mark's Church struggles with how to live an authentic Christian life, and Jewish traditions hold little meaning for these Gentiles. Therefore, they love the stories where Jesus and his disciples are criticized because they don't obey the purity laws, and Jesus confronts his accusers. Hear this teaching spoken by Jesus and written in the Gospel of Mark. Mark 7:1-23
When we read the Gospels, we get the idea that every time the Pharisees and Jesus got together, sparks flew. Things that were important to the Pharisees held little or no significance for Jesus and vice versa. This is such a story. Here the Pharisees investigate Jesus' disciples and discover they don't follow the proper hand-washing procedure. The Pharisees were probably like my nurse-mother who questioned me rigorously after a trip to the bathroom or before eating to see if I had washed my hands properly.
In the first century a disproportionate amount of rabbinic attention was devoted to three areas of the law: dietary rules, Sabbath-keeping and circumcision, even though these weren't the most important aspects of God's will for humanity. The rabbis knew that loving God with heart, soul and mind was most important, so why focus on dietary laws, circumcision and Sabbath rules?
The answer involves "identity markers," or boundaries. Kosher laws and purification rituals were the outward marks that separated Jews from their Gentile neighbors. These laws weren't observed for hygienic reasons but as ceremonial observances. If the Jews rejected these laws, they would look just like those who didn't worship God, and they didn't want that. These traditions are still distinguishing marks for orthodox Jews today.
All groups have a tendency to be exclusive and identify insiders and outsiders. Members of sororities and fraternities wear pins, students at private schools wear uniforms, and managers on the upward spiral live in good neighborhoods and drive expensive cars.
Yesterday, I attended the ceremony at Congregation Beth Israel in honor of the Bat Mitzvah of Laurel Stewart. When Lawrence presented Laurel with the tallit, he cautioned her never to consider this shawl as "just a symbol" because symbols remind us of who we are! For first century Jews, the purity codes distinguished them from Gentiles.
Jesus doesn't regard these purity laws as bizarre, and he doesn't reject his religious heritage. He wants people to know that God's kingdom is breaking into human history in new and unexpected ways. The authenticity of God's people won't be recognized by how well they follow the religious laws, but by their circumcised hearts and diet of love and justice - their inner cleanliness.
This is where Jesus' words become as convicting today as they were to the Pharisees, for the struggle of Mark 7 is a struggle inside each person who takes faith seriously. We all have a certain amount of self-righteousness that doesn't want to die.
Henri Nouwen wrote that it's difficult to stop being the prodigal son without turning into the elder brother. Any time people aren't experiencing authentic transformation they will inevitably be drawn toward some kind of faith characterized by boundary markers. We look for substitute ways of distinguishing ourselves from those on the outside. The boundary markers change from century to century, but they all reinforce a false sense of superiority. We only have to look at the varied positions taken by Christians in the political arena today to see what each group sees as its defining marks, and each group feels superior - like elder brothers and sisters.
Why were the Pharisees concerned about the breach of the law? Why did they care whether or not the disciples washed their hands in the appropriate way? They pointed it out to show that they were superior to Jesus and his followers. "I pray aloud at restaurants before eating, how about you?" "I'm praying for rain. I hope you are too." "I tithe. Do you?" "I don't drink, smoke, swear or read questionable literature. Tell me about your values." The purpose of these questions is to cast the person addressed in a negative light as compared to the questioner. The Pharisees asked the question because it emphasized their obedience to the laws compared to the lack of obedience by Jesus and his followers.
Jesus answered their question with: "There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile," and we raise an eyebrow. My friend ate contaminated meat and suffered from e-coli for the rest of his life. I ate salads made with improperly washed vegetables in Mexico, and my body was defiled, resulting in Montezuma's Revenge. When an alcoholic or drug addict puts alcohol or drugs into his or her body, there are consequences to the body. When diabetics eat too much sugary or starchy food, their bodies suffer. We can be defiled by what enters our bodies.
Then, what is Jesus' message here? He often spoke using hyperbole to get a person's attention and I believe this is one of those times. He's not giving us a license to ingest anything we want into our bodies, but is telling us that we are responsible for what we take into our hearts. He's telling us that we can't cleanse our hearts with soap and water or ritual washing. He's telling us that there's a deeper problem here than what we ingest, and that problem comes from within. Spiritual impurity starts on the inside and when left unchecked, spreads like a cancer. Only Jesus' love and forgiveness can heal our heart disease.
When "heart" is used in the Bible, it doesn't mean the organ that pumps blood through the body, but it refers to the person's spiritual center. "Heart" is shorthand for the total person, for our whole being or self. When our life is devoted to loving and serving God, our heart is pure.
Today instead of following religious dietary laws and prescribed methods for washing, Christians adhere to social customs such as appropriate dress for worship, ritualistic customs such as the proper way to practice communion or baptism, and worship customs such as repeating the Lord's Prayer or singing the Doxology. We question the value of liturgy or raising hands in worship because that isn't our style.
Soon after I left Marysville, I heard that a young family that I had baptized left the church. The husband was elected a deacon and his father - also a deacon - told him that now he would have to wear a suit and tie to worship so he would be properly dressed to serve communion. This family now attends the Presbyterian Church, where no such requirement is made. Some churches update their traditions and others are stuck where they were 50 years ago.
Jesus said that the Pharisees had heart disease. How do we know what is defiling our hearts? Jesus tells us that our defilement is evident when we act out our own evil thoughts and intentions. When I become aware of my envy, pride, greed or untruthfulness, I see what is festering in my heart. When I speak words that should never be spoken, I see the sinful results of my defiled heart. When my thoughts continue to travel over sinful routes rather than toward Jesus, I need cleansing. When my dreams reveal the anger I continue to harbor, I need to seek God's cleansing. I need for God to apply the Roto-rooter and dredge up the garbage that is polluting my life.
I feed my heart by what I continually think about, by what I read, by what I watch and with whom I associate. I can build a deeper relationship with God through prayer, spiritual reading, meditating on things of God, worshiping God and giving loving service to others. When God shows me what's wrong with my life, I can trust God to help cleanse my heart, because God loves me. When I become aware of my sins, I can seek God's help to eradicate them and leave these sinful practices behind.
This gospel story is good news to Mark's audience. They don't need to worry about the more puzzling aspects of Jewish observances, but can see that it's not obedience to the human rules that God cares about, only a clean heart that is exemplified by the good things we do and say. That's good news for all who choose to follow Jesus!
