Pentecost 15B (Proper 17) | September 1, 2024 | A sermon on Mark 7:14-23 | by The Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS |

Mark 6:14-21 English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Each week we gather here for worship, and we do so by beginning with the Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness.  The LBW (Lutheran Book of Worship) also includes the Corporate Order and Individual Order for Confession and Forgiveness.  Why do we do this and what does it mean?  Well…let me give you a brief explanation.  The Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship by Philip H. Pfatteicher says the following about confession and forgiveness:

“…Confession and Forgiveness is intended for use as a personal application of the gospel through the forgiveness of sins.  It is a traditional use of what the Lutheran Confessions, drawing on a long tradition in Christianity, call “the power (or office) of the keys,” based on Matthew 16:19, 18:18, and John 20:22-23, to disclose “a sure and firm consolation for the conscience.” (pg 87)

As sinners we cannot help but do things that draw us away from God.  As baptized believers, we in turn seek out God’s forgiveness at the beginning of our worship of Him so that we may approach his altar with a clean heart.  We cannot clean it ourselves, but instead rely on the Holy Spirit to fulfill the baptismal promises made through the Word and Water.  Forgiveness and a clean heart are only possible because God deems it to be so.  Therefore, we do this brief order each and every week as have all the saints that have gone before us.  Early Lutherans used this rite prior to coming to communion, and that tradition has continued to us today.

Last week, as we heard Mark 7:1-13, we heard how Jesus was scolding the elders for their traditions.  That scolding continues today, but focuses on what it means to have a clean heart and how we can attain a clean heart.  The first part of our text is that continuation of the scolding from last week.  Jesus is again talking to the elders and reminds them that their human traditions of eating certain foods are not what defiles a person.   Now to me, and maybe it’s because Mark writes it plainly…Jesus’ words seem pretty straightforward on what defiles a person.  You may remember last week that I preached about how I love Mark’s account because there are times when things are said in a very matter-of-fact manner.  This is one of those cases to me.  But Jesus’ disciples don’t seem to understand what Jesus is saying.  Maybe they are remembering Leviticus 11, which shows us the animals that God deemed clean and unclean.  But here, and Mark explicitly says it, Jesus declared all foods clean.  It is reminiscent of Acts 10, where God lowers a sheet full of animals for Peter to eat from and in doing so declares previously unclean animals clean.  I’m thankful for this, because one of my favorite foods is bacon.  Bacon is proof enough to me that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

If bacon makes us happy, and if bacon no longer is a forbidden food that defiles us, then what does?  All the things that come out of our hearts that shouldn’t.  Jesus gives us a pretty comprehensive list.  When we look at this list, we see that everything on that list prevents us from living with God, Family and Neighbor.  It seems to me that this list is the opposite of the intention of the 10 Commandments and God’s law.  The 10 commandments teach us how to live peaceably with God, Family, and Neighbor.  They are prohibitions that lead us to being able to prosper within the order of creation.  Evil Intentions, along with everything else Jesus mentions here, destroys that connection and the ability to prosper, and therefore go against God.  There is why we gather for Confession and Forgiveness each and every week.  As sinners we are not able to fully live with God, our families, and our neighbors.  But with the help of God, we can do better.  We can grow in our relationships, grow in our faith, and strive to be the baptized children of God that we are.  When you come to the altar of God soon, do so knowing that you come with a heart that is not defiled, but that is cleansed by God’s Word and forgiveness.  For God knows our hearts and is ready for us to know his.  In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.