By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
“There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean.
Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.”
Mark 7:15
“You are what you eat.” This universal adage has been proven in so many ways and in various realities of the human body – and yes, even in the spiritual realm. Spiritual nourishment has been the gist of the past Sundays’ lessons from the Gospel of John with the ‘I am the Bread of Life’ proclamation of Jesus Christ. However, the truth of the lesson juxtaposed with the saying is often taken for granted or considered half-heartedly.
If we read the gospel lesson for this Sunday in its entirety it could be summed up by this popular maxim or by a direct modern expression, ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’ Let us pore onto the lesson to appreciate. First part of our lesson tells us of the Pharisees and teachers of the law grumbling over the disciples seemingly uncivilized and unhygienic way of not washing their hands before eating. Truthfully, this was not the point of the Pharisees. It is about the strict compliance to the Jewish tradition that they took notice, ‘So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” (John 7.5).’ It is at this point that Jesus took his teaching in higher level against the legalistic understanding of the Jews about religion which is the point of the second part of the lesson. And he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. v15There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.”
If we take in the word of God legalistically, it will come out from our lives in the same manner. The message will be expressed in a cold and rigid application devoid of warmth, understanding and charity which are the intentions in the first place. We read God’s word and it benefits us endlessly yet how we express and interpret them in our lives that impact the lives of others.
***
Digressing from this point yet not totally removed from the lesson, let me ask: “Which would you prefer for a next-door neighbor: a person of excellent habits or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a good friend: a person of excellent habits, or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a husband or a wife: a person of excellent habits, or a person with a good heart?
It is wonderful to have a neighbor who conscientiously cares for his property while respecting your property. It is wonderful to have a friend who always treats you with consideration. It is wonderful to be married to a husband who always is thoughtful and courteous, or to a wife who always is gracious in her comments and deeds. But Reverend David Caldwell observes that as wonderful as those situations are, none of them compare to having a neighbor, a friend, a husband, a wife, with a good heart. When you discuss good behavior, you are discussing the quality of a person’s self-control. When you discuss a good heart, you are discussing the quality of the person. This is the other focus of today’s Scripture.
***
Carla Thompson Powell uses this story to drive the point. A young man once came to a great rabbi and asked him to make the younger man a rabbi. It was wintertime then. The rabbi stood at the window looking out upon the yard, while the rabbinical candidate was droning into his ears a glowing account of his piety and learning.
The young man said, “You see, Rabbi, I always go dressed in spotless white like the sages of old. I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips. Also, I live a plain and simple life. I have sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to mortify me. Even in the coldest weather, I lie naked in the snow to torment my flesh. Also daily, I receive forty lashes on my bare back to complete my perpetual penance.” As the young man spoke, a white horse was led into the yard and to the water trough. It drank, and then it rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do.
“Just look!” cried the rabbi. “That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also, rest assured, it gets its daily ration of forty lashes on the rump from its master. Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?!?!”
Which is more important – what goes into us or what comes out of us? Which defines us more – our outside behavior or our inside motivation?
***
Christ’s words to the Pharisees are a challenge and it is also the truth for us today. The attitude of the Pharisees thrives within all of us and Jesus’ warning about it goes to us as well. He is appealing to us to be on guard against merely external compliance with traditions and ritual. This calls us to focus and understand what we read and do relative to our living out our faith confessions or religion. Man looks to appearances, but God looks to the heart and cannot be deceived. A preacher puts it this way, ‘God is demanding that our innermost thoughts as well as our outward actions stand up to God’s scrutiny. We are to be continually searching out what God wants of us, purifying the way we live, and practising our religion.’ Is this not what true discipleship all about? We can ask the more gutting question, “Do we really pray as we ought to and does our Mass-going sinks into our hearts for our worship to become meaningful and full of love and life?” Are we coming to Mass or Sunday worship to fulfil our religious obligation, to be seen, to parade our latest style or to worship the Lord with real devotion in our hearts? Could we be among those who take down a belief every Sunday morning but have it tucked away carefully as soon as we get out the church doors? The dichotomy of the holy and the secular. We must always remember that when we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, we are taking him in. If we apply the meaning of the maxim ‘You are what you eat’ then we should be aware that we have taken in Jesus himself, thus, must strive to become more Christ-like in our daily lives, which receiving the Lord is all about.
***
Frederick Buechner imagined a youngster learning to play the piano. “The child holds her hands just as she’s been told…she has memorized the piece perfectly. She has hit all the proper notes with deadly accuracy. But her heart’s not in it, only her fingers. What she’s playing is a sort of music, but nothing that will start voices singing or feet tapping.” When it comes to faith and life, let me ask you a question: Are our hearts in it or only your fingers? Are you allowing God’s renewing grace to work in you from deep within? We are challenged to be more than Sunday Christians, the love of God must flow into our daily lives and into our work places. Let me end with the prayer after Communion from the ECP-Book of Common Prayer,
Eternal God, heavenly Father
we thank you because you have accepted us
as living members of the Body of your Son Jesus Christ,
and have nourished us with the Sacrament of his victorious life.
May we be bread broken and given for the world,
may your love in us heal the wounds we have made,
may your words in our lips speak peace to all people.
Send us with vision and courage to love and serve
Your Son Jesus Christ in his brethren.
So will your name be praised and glorified,
now and in time to come, until all be fulfilled in your kingdom. Amen.
