St. Mark 7:14-23
Dearly beloved,
The words of Christ given us today to ponder are very
difficult words to hear. They do not leave us with the feeling of
contentment and joy. These words of Jesus are hard words, which implicate
us. We are sinners, and if we didn’t think so, the saying of Jesus today
would certainly change that. We must think about these words of Christ,
though. Christianity is the life of holiness that comes through the cross
of Jesus Christ.
The gospels are like catechisms. They have been penned by
the evangelists through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The gospels
teach us about Jesus Christ. They teach us who He is; they teach us His
many acts; they convey the meaning as to why Jesus said and did what He did.
The gospels are proclamation. The four gospels show us how the gate of
heaven is opened—Christ’s baptism being a very symbolic image of what is
going on—what withal the heavens opening, the Holy Spirit descending, and
the heavenly Father speaking His approval with the statement to “listen to
Him.”
Along with the proclamation of Jesus comes the teaching of
holiness. Part of catechism instruction is not just the dissemination of
information but includes the teaching of how one lives as Christ’s child. In
our culture we see either the neglect of doctrine replaced by an
overemphasis on Christian living, or we see the neglect of instruction to
holy living by an overemphasis on doctrine. To over-emphasize in either
direction is to cultivate a breeding ground for the making of
Pharisees. Perhaps
this is why Jesus hits us as hard as He does in St. Mark chapter seven.
In this chapter Jesus talks about the things that enter us
and the things that exit us. Jesus tells the large crowd, “there is nothing
outside of a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things
which come out of a man are what defile him.” Then Jesus enters a house
with the twelve disciples, and His disciples ask what this means.” They
didn’t understand it any better than the crowd.
This statement of Jesus is leading to the food laws of the
Old Testament. They would not eat anything with a split hoof. Jesus is
telling them that the time has come to be concerned about what comes forth
from the man, rather than what goes into the man. This is a spiritual
discussion on holy living. Jesus is elaborating on the doctrine of sin, for
the unclean animal represented sin and ungodliness.
One had to protect himself from that which was sinful. Now,
Jesus is saying in a very forthright manner that it is actually what is
inside of a man that can be dangerous to His life with God. Jesus is
talking about the corruptible nature of original sin. Jesus tells the
disciples what the heart is inclined to: “out of the heart of man, come evil
thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness,
deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
Jesus hits every potential root that leads to vice and
idolatry. All of this is in your hearts! So much for finding contentment
within yourselves. Out goes the whole notion that we can be happy and
autonomous as spiritual creatures. On a spiritual level this is telling us
that we cannot rely on what is inside of us. Christ’s words are meant to
make us see that we need Jesus. Perhaps there is something spiritual in
nature to Christ’s first statement that “nothing outside of a man which by
going into him can defile him.”
I take this another way: Because our hearts are corrupt, we
must have that which is outside of us come to us in order to save us. Jesus
is outside of us—He must come into us. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit
must come into us. Left to ourselves we are lost and condemned. But
Jesus—God—who broke into our world took on flesh. He entered our
atmosphere. Jesus shattered and stirred up the corruption of our world.
We need this, and I think Christ’s words need to be taken to
a thorough conclusion. If your heart is as corrupt as Jesus says it is,
then how will you ever carry on in this world? As long as you are breathing,
your heart will be corrupt. You need the anti-venom. You need the medicine
to counteract all those things that want to come out of you. The medicine
of which I speak is the sacrament. This is something that is outside of
you, but that must enter you.
You need the body and blood of Christ to enter your body,
your soul, your heart. Jesus, who battled sin and death on the cross and
won, enters you through the sacrament. Jesus continues to wage war against
sin. The victory is His. Jesus has won, and the Lord’s Supper enters to
set you aside as His children. Your sins are forgiven. You are redeemed. You
are holy, not because of what is within you, but because of what comes to
you from outside.
Jesus is showing to the disciples the objective nature of
justification and salvation through His cross. It is what Christ has done
that saves you. It continues in your life to this day. The love of Jesus
is so pervasive and so enduring that He will not stay away from you. Where
God’s word is preached and where His sacrament is given you shall find
Christ waging His war against the corruption of this world and the heart of
fallen man.
Where Christ’s doctrine is taught, and where His love flows
freely, there we shall always find the goodness of the Lord in the land of
the living. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
