A sermon for September 1, 2024, 15th Sunday after Pentecost, at Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY .
Video: To watch the sermon at the 10:30am service, click here (video starts with the Gospel reading).
Sermon Text: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
This week, I had an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor. You know the drill … the “initial assessment” begins on the way to the exam room. The young woman walking me through this process appeared to be all of about 19 years old (but I admit I’m getting to the age where I’m seeing more and more professionals my daughter’s age). When told my weight, I immediately wanted to say that I drank a large water on the way to the appointment and that I was wearing my heavy shoes.
Within minutes, they have not just your weight, but your blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen level, and temperature. Each of these has a “normal” range. If any of these numbers are off, it is an indication that there seems to be something wrong and if so, you’ve got choices to make. Let’s say you have a temperature of 103°. Would and of us say “hmm … that’s interesting” and go about the day? Of course not … we would do something to lower our temperature and figure out what’s going on.
Thermometers are not just used to judge our health; they can be used in cooking. When I first started cooking steak, I did pretty well at making it look great on the outside. But, when I cut into it at the table, it really wasn’t as cooked as it should have been. At first, I felt like my only option for future meals was to cut into the steak to see what was actually going on inside. Then, I was introduced to a meat thermometer! Talk about life-changing! With a meat thermometer, I was able to learn what was happening on the inside.
Jesus’ words this morning sound like he may have something like a meat thermometer for our souls. He said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6). That sounds like a beautifully seared steak that’s not fully cooked inside.
The Pharisees questioned Jesus because His followers were not observing the traditions of their faith. They were using their traditions … their rules … to judge the faith of Jesus’ disciples based simply on what they could see. But were these rules and traditions even capable of being used to understand the spiritual health of the disciples’ HEARTS?
Whenever you hear or feel judgement, a helpful tool is a simple question: “Where does this judgement focus your attention?” The judgement from the Pharisees focused attention on the Pharisees themselves and their “goodness.” They were looking to the rules, and how the disciples in their “un-goodness” didn’t measure up to those rules and traditions. But, where is the attention NOT? The focus of attention is NOT on God and God’s grace for meeting people’s needs.
Can you see the difference between how the Pharisees lived their faith lives, and Jesus’ way of life? While there is a role for rules and tradition, the power of what we hear from Jesus this morning is a matter of priority. When there is a conflict between people and the rules and traditions even those of our faith, which takes precedence? As Jesus said in John 10, he is not like the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but he instead brings about abundant life. Thus, we are compelled to ask: “Which of these is life-draining and which is life-giving?”
Besides … what’s so wrong with eating meat that hasn’t been cooked all the way? Well … it can make you pretty sick. Likewise, we not only pay attention to the outside of a person, but what’s happening inside. Jesus said: “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come … evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21). Jesus was talking with people about what defiles a person, but, in a different set of circumstances, I believe Jesus would also say that “holy and grace-filled intentions come from within the human heart.”
Unlike a visit to the doctor or the temperature from a meat thermometer, there aren’t numbers we can use to read the condition of our faith or what’s going on within our hearts. We can call ourselves or others “good” people, but to what extent is that label of “goodness” based on outward appearance? Does it consider what’s going on for us inside – on the level of the heart?
The book of James is a good place to go for getting beyond outside appearances toward what is going on in the heart. Martin Luther didn’t care for the book of James because it emphasized the role of good works. The Catholic church at the time of Luther was burdening people’s souls by requiring them to purchase “indulgences” or to visit holy sites in order to receive “indulgences”. [In case you are unfamiliar with the concept of indulgences, they represent years off one’s time in Purgatory, which, according to Catholic belief, is where your soul goes after you die but before going to heaven. It is a place where you purge your soul of sin.] Lutherans do not believe in Purgatory because we believe that Jesus completely forgives our sins. To say otherwise is to believe that Jesus doesn’t actually forgive us completely and that we are required to do more. Isn’t that a fun theological aside?
Coming back to our message: James helps by clarifying that true religion is this … to care for the orphans and widows in their distress and to influence the world rather than being influenced by it (James 1:27). What he doesn’t say is that true religion is to observe the traditions of the elders and wash your hands before you eat as the Pharisees purported. For the Pharisees, the traditions and rules got in the way of what James calls the true work of religion.
Truly, there’s a lot that can get in the way even for us in modern times, but Jesus helps us out. In three of the four gospels, Jesus had a conversation about the greatest commandment. In each of these, the answer is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and to love your neighbor as yourself. The greatest commandment is to love. St. Paul wrote that, at the end of the day, there is faith, hope, and love, and the greatest is … love (1 Corinthians 13). Yes, even over faith and hope! And where does love to emanate from? The heart. As Jesus said, it is from the heart that evil intentions come. It is also from the heart that holy, grace-filled, loving intentions come.
Today, go and be a doer of God’s word and not merely a hearer. Go into whatever your week is and let love lead.
In the name of Jesus … Amen!
Epicurious Lutheran 