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

Sermon for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost | The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel | Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 |

1Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 8You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” 14Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” 21For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

——————————————————————————————————————–Dear People of God, These are challenging times in our world. As I was preparing this sermon, I overheard some people discussing the COVID vaccines. They were talking about the ingredients of the vaccine and how they were not going to put that stuff into their bodies. They went on to speak of people who get and promote the vaccine in very derogatory terms. I found myself wondering how Jesus would respond, whether he would say to them, as he did to the scribes and Pharisees, “15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” Having been raised by a nurse who made sure that my brother and I had all our vaccines every year and who was very concerned about public health, I have gotten the COVID vaccine and encourage everyone who is able to get it too. Not only am I vaccinated for selfish reasons – my own health – but also because a vaccinated community can be healthier together and do more together. As God has always provided means by which his people are saved, so I believe the vaccine is a means by which God is delivering humanity from this plague. There are those who disagree. There are even pastors who vilify those who take precautions as not trusting God to save them. I am reminded of the story of the people in the flood who refused the evacuation orders, claiming God would save them; who refused the boat rescue, because they trusted God to save them; who refused the 2 helicopter rescue when the waters reached their roof; and when they drowned, they asked God why God didn’t save them. God replied: I gave evacuation orders, sent a boat and a helicopter, but you refused to be delivered. … Jesus is clear in today’s Gospel that the most important thing is not whether or not people wash their hands before eating, or get the vaccine, or wear a mask – the most important thing is whether our hearts are in line with God’s Word. fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” These evils run rampant in our society, and we ought to guard our hearts against them. In the matter of vaccines and masks, we ought especially to guard our hearts against vilifying anyone. Disagreeing and vilifying are different things. We can disagree. And we do. But we must not attribute evil motives to those who think differently. We must not put down as less intelligent those who have made different choices. And we must be careful about how we form our own judgments, whether we are basing our decisions on wisdom or foolishness. The evils within our hearts lead us to destroy relationships with others, to undermine unity among God’s people, to create distrust and suspicion. This is what defiles us – this is what breaks apart our relationship with God and threatens our faith. It is safe to say that no one is happy about this pandemic. No one wants to wear masks, sanitize everything, get jabbed in the arm, or worry about infection. No one. And it would be simple to navigate this challenge if my decisions only impacted me. But they do not. My decisions also affect you, and your decisions affect me; and these decisions affect the countless others we encounter in stores, cars, trains, buses, airplanes, hallways, offices, and parks. In calling us to pay attention to the thoughts of our hearts, and the words that come from those thoughts, Jesus asks us to give God first place as the source of wisdom and to act to care for our neighbor’s wellbeing. In an article found on The FULL QUOTE by Luther on BUBONIC PLAGUE – CORONAVIRUS | Pentecostal Theology.com we can see how Martin Luther wrestled with some of these things. I quote from that website: THE BUBONIC PLAGUE struck Wittenberg, Germany, in August of 1527. This disease was horrific: in a single day, an infected person could show signs of delirium, fever, speech disorders, and loss of consciousness. Soon after, [the person] would break out in large boils that infected the bloodstream and rapidly led to death. The mortality rate was extremely high. 3 Martin Luther and his wife Katharina, who was pregnant at the time, were urged to flee the city. However, they chose to stay in order to minister to the sick and dying. When asked by Christians in another city for advice, Luther wrote a pamphlet titled “Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague”. It combines faith and realism in a way that is powerfully relevant to our present coronavirus crisis. Luther wisely counseled his readers to utilize medicine and intelligence “to guard and to take good care of the body so that we can live in good health.” He declared, “I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it.” He also practiced what we today call “social distancing”: “I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence.” But he added this important caveat: “If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely.” He understood the urgency of sharing the gospel so as to lead the sick to saving faith before they died and to minister to believers in their final days. Luther also urged everyone to be prepared for either life or death. How? By listening to the sermon and attending the sacraments. Martin Luther says, “First, one must admonish the people to attend church and listen to the sermon so that they may learn through God’s word how to live and how to die.” Accordingly, he conducted daily services during the crisis. Yet he made it clear that he respected the decisions of others who might disagree with him when he wrote: “We die at our posts. Christian doctors cannot abandon their hospitals, Christian governors cannot flee their districts, Christian pastors cannot abandon their congregations. The plague does not dissolve our duties: It turns them to crosses, on which we must be prepared to die.” ~Martin Luther, 1527 Jesus does not command us regarding masks and vaccines, but he does command us regarding how we interact with one another: with love, compassion, and concern for others’ well-being. Out of such love come our decisions about masks and vaccines. Above all, Jesus cares about our hearts – which are best cleansed and guarded by gazing upon him crucified, and recognizing that he saves us from our wickedness and forgives our sins – and those of our neighbor. So let us live humbly with one another and seek to be loving toward all as Jesus loves us. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen