Image from angusday.org
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 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 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."
Jesus and His disciples really did not have a home. They spent their days on the road, preaching, teaching, healing, amazing people with what God was doing through and for them. A life lived on a road, especially in those days, meant no ready access to the conveniences that we take for granted, and one of those is water. The poor, working Jew did not have the luxury of water readily available to them, and this applied to Jesus and the 12. They walked from town to town, and they were tired and hungry when they would finally get a chance to eat, and usually a sit down and relax meals was not something they could easily enjoy. On this particular day and meal, they were noticed by the Pharisees and scribes, who were keeping notes on Jesus and their behavior. Any little thing not done in accordance with tradition was noted and criticized. For the religious Jew, eating with unclean or defiled hands, was a no-no. And they told Jesus. Jesus replied with the truth: The prophet Isaiah was right, you honor God with your lips but your heart is far from God; holding to human precepts as doctrines - It's become more important to hold to human traditions and customs, rather than follow the commandments of God.
Jesus then addresses the crowd and teaches that it is not what goes into one's mouth that defiles us so much as what comes out. One can tell what is in the heart of a person by the words and thoughts shared from that mouth. And the list Jesus shares about covers all of the areas where we can and do go wrong: Sexual sins, taking what is not ours, killing one another, desiring what is not ours, general wickedness, lying to one another, being envious and jealous, putting people down, pride and anything else that is not from God. Jesus said, this is what defiles you.
What's in our hearts? Do our mouths give that away? If we have the presence and peace of God present in our lives, then our words will convey those thoughts that glorify God. If God is not present and we are sharing what is in our hearts that follow the list Jesus shares, we have a lot to ask from God. May today be a day when we ask God to live within us so that our hearts will give God praise and glory.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me honor you with my heart and mouth; come in and live in me. Push aside and away that which truly defiles my heart and life. This I ask in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
