August 30 (Proper 17)

Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

"There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." 7:15


Tradition. What is it that turns a common action into a tradition?

Along the way I have heard numerous stories about family and community traditions that have been carried on without any awareness of the purpose of the originating event. Genuflecting to a whitewashed wall was one such story. Seems that the church in the village had once been a Catholic church. Centuries on the villagers in this now Protestant community still bowed as if acknowledging the long hidden presence of the Virgin Mary. Only the oldest in that community eve knew the history. Only knowing the history made any sense of the tradition.

Criticism came from the Pharisees. In their tradition they washed hands before meals. Today we encourage the practice as well. Our scientists learned what the God of Israel knew. Disease and harmful bacteria can be easily transmitted through unclean hands, and the law prescribed so washing. For the Pharisees this commonsense health regulation becomes an article of faith. Failure to wash your hands was no longer a health issue; it was a matter of holiness.

There is a little problem with this passage that is brought to light with the parenthetical comment in verse 3. Here we learn that all the Jews wash before eating. In Leviticus there are 33 references to washing - but most of them refer to washing of clothes, or to bathing with water. It is only contact with a 'bodily discharge' that requires rinsing of hands (Lev. 15). On the other hand, Exodus 30:17-21 demands that the priests wash hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting. Somewhere along the way religious purists had managed to combine these instructions so that hand washing before meals was a mark of holiness for all.

These verses 7:1-13 are considered by many scholars to take the form of a 'controversy narrative'. It is the observed behavior of the disciples that is controversial.

Jesus does not deal with the behavior of his disciples, but immediately addresses the behaviors of the Pharisees. The practice that Jesus highlighted may not have been practiced by all the Pharisees, but was common enough that hearers and readers of the gospel had heard of the practice. Claiming that your property (or part of it) was dedicated to God so that you no longer have to assist them is a blatant abuse of tradition and breaks the commandment to "Honor your father and mother".

Many people, steeped in the tradition of the church, find the actions and activities of others uncomfortable. If it does not conform to the way they have done things then it is somehow suspect - and worthy of criticism.

Jesus nails this one - and with it those who criticize his disciples.

"It is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come" (7:21)

None of us are without fault, and none of us are without sin. All of us can rightly be criticized for some of our actions. What is not always obvious to others is the state of our heart.

There are two strong messages that can be drawn from this text.
The first:
Look to the state of your heart, and always seek to act with pure motives and good intent.
The second:
Look for the heart of others, and not just at what they do.

Other texts this week:

Song of Solomon 2:8-13

James 1:17-27