TEXT

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[Isaiah 29:13]

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16] and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9] But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

THEOLOGY

How do we evaluate (judge) people?

• the Pharisees and teachers of the law evaluated people (sounds much better than judge – even though that’s what they are doing) based on their religious traditions, and therefor their preconceived ideas, not on Scripture.
• ritual cleanliness was important. They even had a prayer to be said during the ritual washing: “Blessed be Thou, O Lord, King of the universe, who sanctified us by the laws and commanded us to wash the hands.”
• the oral tradition or teachings, The Mishna, records, “It is a greater offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to contradict Scripture itself.“
• justice – Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 as a reminder that simply saying you love or worship or obey God is meaningless.
• when we hold to traditions (old or new) and place that higher than the commands of God, we become legalists and no longer walk in the joy and life of Jesus.

clean & unclean

• we are defiled from the inside out rather than from the outside in. In a similar way, real change takes place from the inside out not from the outside in.
• God is far more concerned with what comes out of us than what goes into us. Although, of course, this does not mean that we ignore the external influences on our lives.
• The list of external sins in v21-22 is not a complete list. William Barclay reminds that that “Every outward act of sin is preceded by an inward act of choice; therefore Jesus begins with the evil thought from which the evil action comes.”

The people of God are not set apart by particular traditions or ethnicity, or anything else, but by a purity that emanates from the heart, manifested by love for others. We may not need more religion, but more reflection on what proceeds from our heart. Traditions can be good, and point others to God. Or, they can communicate explicitly or implicitly, “you don’t belong.”

• How can we evaluate our traditions in light of God’s word?

POETRY

“Rowing” in Ann Sexton, “An Awful Rowing Toward God“

I am rowing, I am rowing,
though the wind pushes me back
and I know that that island will not be perfect,
it will have the flaws of life,
the absurdities of the dinner table,
but there will be a door
and I will open it
and I will get rid of the rat inside of me,
the gnawing pestilential rat.
God will take it with his two hands
and embrace it.

VIDEO

TEXT

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

THEOLOGY

This is a passage about rejection – there is a lot of that in the New Testament.

There is a whole stream of, mostly evangelical, Christianity that doesn’t really believe in what is said in these verses.

• they don’t like the idea of Jesus being rejected
• they don’t like the idea that they might be rejected
• they don’t like the idea that Jesus says go anyways

Mark 6:3 says that the people “took offence [literally “were scandalized”] at him [Jesus]”

• It’s important to note that this scene is probably the same scene that Luke records in Luke 4:14-30.
• the people are taking offence/being scandalized at what Jesus was saying & doing

And when Jesus is rejected, he continues teaching and ministering in the area, and then sends out his disciples in pairs.

He gives them these directions:

• travel light
• be a guest
• bring healing
• shake off rejection

What are some of the implications of this for us – the church – in 2022?

• What is some of the baggage we need to get rid of?
• It’s about going more than inviting
• What if our only agenda was to bring healing and wholeness to every person and system we encountered?
• Our job is to seek peace and healing wherever we go. If people aren’t ready, we simply move on with no argument or animosity. We shake the dust and keep walking.

COMIC

 

 

 

 

 

 

POETRY

Us and Them
Dave Hopwood/engageworship.org

They look at him and see what they want to see.
They easily create their boxes and put him inside,
contain the uncontainable in their own small world,
hem in the one who is larger than time and space.
They do what they always do –
pre-judge so they can keep change at bay.
Dismiss anything that might challenge their preconceived ideas.

He looks at them and sees their small worldview,
longs for them to open their eyes and soften their hearts.
He knows they are itching to dismiss him, but he cannot dismiss them.
He has come for this very reason – to open eyes and redeem
worldviews,
to offer a bright new way to those trapped in the shadows of the old.

So they panic and build their walls,
talk of geography and boundaries and outward appearances,
every brick a misguided opinion.
Perhaps one day they will see the carpenter again,
after he has made his epic journey through pain and death.
Perhaps one day the light of resurrection will dawn on them,
freeing them, softening their hearts and opening their minds.
Freeing all of us – drawing us out of the shadows
and softening our hearts and opening our minds…

VIDEO

The most decorated Winter Paralympian in Canadian history, Brian McKeever is a well-known athlete in Canadian sports circles. His story is told in Toyota’s new ad, set to air during the 2022 Super Bowl.

“Brothers” shares the power of sport through the journey of Brian and his older brother Robin, who both are significant figures in Canada’s Paralympic success. Brian is currently set to compete at his sixth Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, aiming to add to his record 17 medals (including 13 gold). Robin will also be in Beijing as the long-time head coach of the nation’s accomplished Para nordic team.

It was Robin who taught Brian how to ski, and he went on to compete at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games as a cross-country skier.

When Brian began losing his vision at age 19 due to Stargardt disease, Robin became his guide. Together the pair competed at the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, winning seven gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. After 2010, Robin focused his attention on coaching while Brian would go on to claim more Paralympic hardware with new guides (in Beijing he will race with guides Graham Nishikawa and Russell Kennedy).

This 60-second ad illustrates what can be done when we do it together.