You can’t cut out your heart
Hi folks, here are some thoughts and information to help you interpret this week's verses. It is not everything that can be said, just a point to start.
In Mark 9:43-47, Jesus argues for some very drastic and rather disturbing actions to deal with sin in our lives. He says, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off…. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off…. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell…” Here is the problem, as drastic as these measures would be, if you plucked out one eye or cut off a hand, well, your other eye or hand would then cause you to sin. (Oh, by the way, Jesus is using hyperbole to drive home the importance of dealing with our sin. Just in case you need to have it spelt out: DON’T CUT YOUR HAND OFF OR…. Got it?) The real heart of our is our, you guessed it, our “heart” or the center of our being and will.
Before you interpret Mark 7:1-23, know that the Pharisees are not some group of legalistic nincompoops. These guys want to extend the purity required of the Priests in the Temple to the lives of ordinary people, to give everyday activities a holy meaning. Then, all these “traditions of the elders” will help the people of Israel set themselves apart from non-Jewish peoples and to keep non-Jewish ways of life from intruding into their lives. Yet, these “regulations” become so narrow that few can live up to them. Also, the regulations became more important than loving God and loving others.
Jesus quotes the great Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 29:13) to explain where the Pharisees have ended up. “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. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” These rituals were meant to keep people “pure” or “holy” yet Jesus says real “impurity” or “non-holiness” is located in our hearts. Instead of restricting people who could not or did into keep the regulations from the worshiping community, Jesus invites people to come to him and have their hearts changed.
Consider that many outside the Christian faith do not believe in human sinfulness. Even some in the church gauge their “holiness” based on their being “mostly” good people or being “better” than others. Jesus, here, is challenging us to see our sinfulness and our need for an outside power to transform our lives. You can’t cut out your heart – so your heart needs to be transformed. We read in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit….”
Think how often we hide behind visible rituals and regulations” like going to church or being adamantly agaist some specific sin that we do not struggle with to convince others (and more likely, convince ourselves) that we do not need forgiveness and transformation when in our “hearts” lies real and persistent sin.
So, read these verses and see what God has for you. See you Sunday to continue to hear what God has for us in these verses.
AMEN for now,
