Mark 7:14-23
Jesus wastes no opportunity in teaching God’s truth. From last week’s reading, we see the
scribes and Pharisees demanding an answer for Jesus’ disciples’ lack of religiosity, at least
according to what they perceive to be pious, godly, religious activities. Their problem was that
the disciples did not wash their hands before eating according to the teachings of the elders. For
them, not washing their hands means they will not be spiritually and ceremonially clean, such
eating will defile them. It’s almost equivalent of us saying grace before a meal. Some of us were
probably taught from early on that one must always pray before meals, and then we feel sort of
uneasy when we don’t. It is a tradition of men, it does not have power to cleanse. So Jesus
continues to say that, outward washing cannot clean a person, nor outward things can defile a
person, because ultimately, all the uncleanliness and evil come from within, from the heart. It
never starts from outside, but always from within ourselves. But later in the day, the disciples
continue to show their ignorance and disbelief.
Are you also without understanding? This is probably one of the main themes in Mark’s
gospel. No one really gets it, not the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, not his disciples, and not
even his own family. Then who gets it? Surprisingly and ironically, it was the demons and the
gentiles who really knew who Jesus was. And we, living 2000 years from that time and with the
benefit of the New Testament and all those smart theologians and saints before us, we have
gained much more wisdom and knowledge than the disciples and those around Jesus. And so, it’s
easy for us to say, “yes, of course we understand. And we believe Jesus to be the son of the
living God, the savior, the lord, the messiah/Christ!”
But do we really understand what all this means? To say that we understand and believe
in Jesus entails that we also understand and believe this horrible truth and condition of our
human hearts. For most casual Christians, this list in verse 21-22 is quite a shocking statement. If
you understand and believe Jesus to be a feel good, warm and fuzzy buddy who is here to give
you a wonderful and successful life, then maybe you should just read these 2 verses a couple
more times. And if you, on the other hand, do believe and understand Jesus as the savior and the
forgiveness of sins but think that your sins aren’t that bad or that it’s not too serious, that you can
get by through the week without really being in Christ, not until on Sundays at least, then maybe
you also should read this list a couple more times. “…out of the heart of man, come evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality,
envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
What Jesus is describing here is both the outward and inward wickedness that comes
from the evil thoughts. It is both the twisting of our behavior and attitudes and minds. Certainly,
this list is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all the evils in our hearts, there are certainly
more like the list in Galatians 5:19-21, but this list is enough to reach the point: we are rotten.
The sin inside of us is like a disease that eats away our life from within. That’s why sin
can be compared to leprosy, which is more fitting than cancer. You know how leprosy works?
The common misconception is that leprosy somehow kills or eats away the flesh so that parts of
your fingers and toes start to fall off. The fingers and toes do fall off, but that’s a secondary
symptom. Leprosy is caused a bacteria that attacks the skin and the nervous system. Because of
these attacks the immune system is compromised. The skin is no longer able to feel and defend
against secondary infections so that the flesh gets attacked and eaten, resulting in fingers and toes
falling off from the body. This is exactly what sin is and does in us. It doesn’t kill us right away,
but numbs our senses, it misleads and clouds us so we no longer know right from wrong. The
corruption starts and everything else follows, in both outward actions and inward attitudes
toward our neighbors. These things then slowly eat away our morality and conscience.
Do we really understand this? I mean the seriousness, the gravity, the danger and harm
against ourselves and toward those around us? The ceremonial washing in the Old Testament is
to teach people of this infection called sin. People who were “unclean” had to cut themselves off
because it not only affected their relationship with God, but they could also defile or cause others
to become unclean. This is what sin does. It’s right in us, not somewhere far away, not
something we can be excused of because we are the cause of our misery, either directly or
indirectly.
Surely we can understand all this in a cognitive way, up in our heads, but if we truly
understand this, it should then naturally force us to ask the second question “what are we going
to do with this?” What can we do? Some people may choose to deny or ignore this. Some will
say, “bah, this is just some made up story to scare us of hell and to make us shape up,” and some
will say, “oh I’m not that bad, this loving God can’t possibly send such a good person to hell,
I’ve tried my best.” We have this attitude all the time. We read these in the bible but without
really giving too much attention or thought to our sinful condition.
But when reality strikes us, we are left with no other choice than to despair with no hope
at all. Wickedness and evil is part and parcel of our existence, what can we do? If you actually
have leprosy and your arms and legs are rotting away, there is nothing we can do but to rot and
die. Sin inside of us kills slowly but most definitely.
There is no 3rd option for us, except when a doctor comes and says to you, “I will need to
amputate your limbs.” We can’t do a thing but the doctor will do all sorts of things to us.
Cleansing needs to happen. Cleansing by washing our hands and cups and other things cannot
clean what is inside. But there is one who can and the only person capable of this is God. He has
cleansed us through his word (Jn15:3) and on top of that he adds water to that word to give us
baptism as the washing not of the physical body but of the entire being, both body and soul. All
of us who have been baptized have been cleansed of all our evil and sin and wickedness. But we
will quickly object and question, “how can this be? I am still filled with evil!”
Are we still without understanding? Isn’t this exactly the paradox about faith and belief
and trust? To believe means that there is no proof whatsoever outside of the bible. The bible say,
or God says, “you have been washed through the blood of Jesus, you are now completely clean,
as clean and perfect as my own beloved son.” There is no evidence at all for this, in fact, our own
experience will prove the exact opposite. That’s why it’s all about believing in these seemingly
unbelievable and ridiculous claims. The whole point in this whole story along with last week’s is
that the traditions and teachings of men have no power to do anything for us, but there is one
who can, his name is Jesus. He is not only man, but also God and his teachings do have power to
cleanse and renew us from outside and from inside. As he himself has said when Peter asked “if
it’s harder for a rich man to go to heaven, then who can be saved?”, Jesus answered “with men it
is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
This is why we always say that baptism is a daily drowning and rising with Christ
because when you realize and understand the rottenness of the heart, then you would also realize
and understand the sweetness and consolation baptism offers us. Another way of looking at this
is like brushing our teeth. Why do we brush our teeth so frequently? Because that’s the only way
to maintain oral hygiene. Most people brush twice a day, but dentists would say that you should
brush after every meal and get professional cleaning at least twice a year. If I knew that the
dentist just across the street from here is offering free services, I would be there every week and
then I would bring all my family and friends also.
Aren’t our souls and eternal destiny more important than our teeth? Isn’t the decay of our
sins far more detrimental than cavities? And don’t we also have the cleansing word right here
with us, right in our hands, which is far more effective and lasting and vital than the tools used
by dentists? Don’t we have the promise of God always ready to assure us the good news of Jesus
Christ? And don’t we also, on Sundays, have the preaching and teaching and the administration
of the sacrament for the same purpose?
So here it is, the great physician calls to us every day to receive his treatment, his
medicine and his cleansing. He offers himself to us in word and sacrament, then receive and use
these gifts as it is intended, because it is indeed for our own good. Are we still without
understanding? Yes we are, for we live in this paradox and struggle of sin, but we can also
confidently say, “yes, we are, but we also believe. We believe in the cleansing power of his word
and blood and water. And we believe that we are clean, pure and holy in God’s sight.”