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The 13th Sunday after Pentecost (B) [Pr. 17] September 3, 2006 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Introduction: “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.” I thought this might be a good opportunity to bring up something that might surprise you a little. I, your pastor, when I go home, into the confines of my own home, sometimes even outside in the yard…I set down the beloved hymnal and I like to listen to some fairly heavy sounding rock music… One rock band, in particular, has caught my interest lately. Audioslave. I first heard Audioslave when I was working at my internship parish out in Sacramento, and they came on the radio. My first thought was, “man, these guys have got a tight sound and this singer has some pipes on him.” For those of you who know the rock music genre, Audioslave is what used to be the band: Rage against the Machine with the lead singer from Soundgarden. Anyway, It didn’t take me too long to realize that, for the most part, the subject or thematic content of most of Audioslave’s music was quite serious…and actually very spiritual. In fact, I have a theory about Audioslave—they actually have a fairly good understanding of God’s law. In one of their songs…they sing about the anguish (they have seen or felt) of trying to live a human life without God’s guidance or direction. “God, you made me…now show me how to live.” How clever, how true, how smart—what a good understanding of the many people in our world today, who without guidance, struggle to find meaning in other things…like guns, or television or maybe they try to numb the pain of their struggle with alcohol. You can almost picture the lost soul (you’ve probably met him or her yourself) shouting out for help, “God, you made me, now show me how to live.” What a good understanding of God’s law itself—the law is a gift from the creator—teaching us how to live in the situation God put us in. This is Good news, isn’t it?! God didn’t and doesn’t throw is into this dangerous world like we’re being thrown to the wolves or into some sort of arena—No, that’s not how God wants to treat us. In the Church, God EQUIPS us for all the places we will have to go (whether that is an oil field to work, a Church, a war or a high school). That is why we do all of this religious stuff: read the Bible, come to church, go to Sunday school…in hopes that God, the creator of life and all of creation, will equip us for the journey we are bound to trod. Law and Commandments: Torah and Words Now, today’s scriptures have to do with things like Law and Commandments, so briefly I want to review what these things are. Law: Torah: What does this mean? The verb form of the Noun Torah means something like, “to hit the target.” It also means, “to discern God’s will.” So Torah is not just law, like rules…It has to do with us hitting the mark in life and discerning God’s gracious will for us. Personally I think a much better word for translating Torah into English would be “Guidance.” Commandment: Word: What does this mean? The word that we translate as commandments is a Hebrew word meaning, literally, “Words.” The Ten Words. Now, what does God do with words? In the first chapter of Genesis, God creates with words, remember? Ah, the giving of the commandments the “Ten Words” is related to creation itself. Its almost like God created us, and now he shows us how to live! My own thoughts on problems and misconceptions 1) The very first problem that people have when it comes to the law is that we forget the very first commandment—“Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is One God, you shall have no other Gods—Brothers and Sisters, this whole thing is about our continuing relationship with God—if we forget this important truth—God’s words lose all depth and meaning, the voice of God become rules, and rules only. In Deuteronomy 4:9 after Israels whole ordeal: their escape from Egypt, Wandering in the wilderness, receiving the ten commandments, reaching their new home, God gives them this commandment …”But take care and watch yourselves closely (following the commandments), SO THAT YOU neither forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.” Following the guidance of God is not about strict obedience to rules…its about remembering who we are…we are baptized and we are children of God. 2) We like rules—sometimes people try to come up with rules (or formulas), beyond the commandments. Rules are easy. If someone gets hurt, we make a new rule. No guns, no television, no alcohol. But wait a minute…by blaming things like guns, television and alcoholic, who are we letting off the hook? People!! Brothers and sisters your television is not sinful: The people you watch on it are probably sinners, and we, those who watch television—we’re sinners, but listen to some hard news: It is not the televisions fault that you sit in front of it accomplishing nothing for two to three hours! This is what Jesus is talking about, in today’s Gospel. It is not what you put into your body that is unclean…it is what comes out of it. You can’t blame things for the sin that comes out of you. Think, ladies and gentleman—Jesus is calling us to think—to consider the consequences of our actions. He says our relationship with God is about thinking—not blind following of laws, but looking at what our lives are doing—looking at the consequences and judging for ourselves what is appropriate or inappropriate within the relationship with God that Christ has invited you into. 3) Now, the third and final problem is a huge problem. Sometimes people decide to take it upon themselves to make it their business to judge other people—we police each other, forgetting that scripture makes it very clear who the judge is…the judge is God, right? Paul’s entire letter to the Romans was about this: When the Jews and Gentiles got together in Rome—two different cultures clashed with each other: each culture had rules and norms and values that weren’t the same. Many of these rules and values and norms, however, had nothing to do with God’s Torah. “Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself…or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience. The Pharisees in the Gospels are characters like this: non-approving, always trying to catch Jesus and his disciples in a wrong, Judge and jury. Now, that’s a lot of work for one person. Summary Jesus, rather than making things complicated, by adding details to the guidance of God—complicated nuances—Rather than doing this, rather than muddying the waters, he clears the smoke away, he helps us to see the forest for the trees, he simplifies the discussion around God’s law, he reminds us what is at the center of God’s Torah. Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it! That’s what we are to do. That, and teach each other about this gracious God who loves us and wants a close personal relationship with each one of us. This is what we call the Great Commission. Brothers and Sisters: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself: This is for you to do in your life—If you do it, you will be blessed, happy and wise.
Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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