Sermons

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday 3 September at 10am

Lesley Ashton
Readings: James 1.17-27 & Mark 7.1-8,14-15,21-23

We return this morning to Mark's gospel which we last engaged with back in July when Jesus was feeding the great crowd and being followed by the people in different villages, towns and regions They are bringing him the sick to be healed and begging him to at least let them touch the hem, of his garment. The people are experiencing his glory and his power, Jesus is exercising a successful ministry, is widely popular and is being pursued.

This morning's reading begins by reminding us that the Jewish authorities are alert to what is happening and disturbed enough to have members of the establishment travel out from the city to observe. The tone of the gospel changes at this point to one of debate and challenge. The controversy is between the legalists, representing the tradition of the elders and Jesus representing the new order. The focus of the debate is the purity law relating to handwashing, something the disciples have failed to do before they have eaten, they are therefore ritually unclean.

Now it would be easy to say that the Pharisees have got a point, we recognise even today the importance of having clean hands when preparing or eating food. But this discussion is not about hygiene but about what it means to be a good Jew. The Pharisees are complaining that the disciples are not following the teaching handed down from their ancestors. Jesus responds by saying that they have prioritised human teaching and put aside the commands of God.

Before we condemn the Pharisees outright we perhaps need to be mindful that they had been trying to help their people bring their religion into their everyday lives. They were aware of the sinful nature of their people and they took the holiness of God seriously. In order to try and ensure that people were aware of these things day in and day out, they had laws for every day and every occasion. Ritual abounded and the people were bound by it and to it. Ritual had become rather like a sort of magic formula and its importance had become greater than the reason for which it had been created.

Jesus is not disagreeing with the Pharisees about sinfulness but he does dispute the way that it is dealt with. He responds in two different ways to the question they raise.

Firstly, he condemns the Pharisees for putting human teaching above the commands of God and

Secondly, he explains that our state of uncleanness comes from within, it is to do with a person's state of heart, if this is impure then a life of sinfulness will follow.

'All these evil things come from inside a person and make him unclean'

So firstly Jesus is warning about the dangers of becoming so attached to tradition that the word of God is not taken seriously. Tradition that initially was a response to the word of God has become legalised and unhelpful.

This is a sombre reminder that we too can easily fall into the same trap. We may be so familiar with a particular church tradition that we believe it is the only way to approach God. We do and say things through habit and forget that the intention of the heart is more important to God than any words or actions. We become cross and agitated if there is a suggestion of change, we too easily say the words 'We've always done it this way', forgetting or failing to recognise that 'this way' is not helpful to everyone.

Tradition has its place, but it must also be balanced with scripture and reason. Our prime focus must always be God and our concern should be the bringing in of his kingdom. Just because things seem good to us or we feel comfortable with them, does not mean they have divine approval. We must continue to prayerfully discern and be in touch with those things that are at the heart of God, so we put our energy and time into those things that fulfil his will.

Unfortunately, much of the time and energy of the Pharisees was absorbed in maintaining rituals. It was their tradition and had become an integral part of their culture, it was all absorbing and all consuming, self made and self focused and Jesus condemned it.

The answer then, to our sinfulness, is not to be found in ritual, in trying to tick all the boxes, in seeking to observe a complex set of rules and regulations. We do not become a holy people by presenting an outward appearance of religious practice, even though we might do this with scrupulous attention.
In some ways it would be easier if this was the route, our success would be measured in much the same terms as the success of the world is measured. Targets met, outcomes achieved, purity and holiness established. In today's world we might even get a certificate to mark our achievement.

The way we have to walk as Christians is very different. It is not a journey that measures success and achievement but rather one where we acknowledge our mistakes our failure to live in the way that God intended, our neglect and forgetfulness of God's commandments. It is about really understanding the words we say in the confession, 'we have wounded your love and marred your image in us' It is not about what we can do to make it all right, but what we can trust Christ to do within us.

It is a journey of humility, it is walking along the pathway that is bereft of arrogance or pride, it is about acknowledging our sin and recognising that we rely on another, on Christ, to make us right before God.

Mother Mary Clare of the Sisters of the Love of God reminds us of all that we carry in our hearts when we come to God in prayer. She says 'Here I am Lord, what a mess'. This is honesty and openness and as in any relationship where there is honesty, those things that are said and acknowledged can be dealt with. It is when we try to hide behind all the things we have done right, as if they blot out all we have done wrong that we run into trouble. Or when we try to blame the external, someone or something other than ourselves for the uncleanness of our hearts. For God has given us the dignity and privilege of being responsible and answerable for our own actions and attitudes.

And the miracle is that Christ meets us in the messiness of our lives, we don't have to earn our forgiveness, it is given freely and without price when we are honest and sorry for the uncleanness that exists in our hearts.

And the touchstone of our knowing the forgiveness and cleansing of Christ? Our hearts are changed. We no longer live for ourselves. His is the sort of forgiveness that liberates us and frees us up to attend to the purposes of God. It is an experience of transformation and one that calls us to live out that transformation within our communities, our homes and our workplaces. Our presence and witness in these places is not about observing rituals or adhering staunchly to tradition, but it is about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Amen

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay