# Today’s lecturer is the assistant Pastor Mizuguchi.

1. Jesus criticizes formalism

During last 5 weeks we had read about ” Bread of life” from the Gospel according to John. Today we go back to Mark’s writing, chapter 7 and focus on its main theme, ” What makes humans unclean”.

At the beginning of the chapter, Pharisees and law teachers come to Galilee to survey and find excuse for accusation of Jesus’ ministry. Though they had remained till then defensive against Jesus’ teaching, they decided to change their attitude to be offensive. In that purpose they set off from Jerusalem to Jesus’ preaching place.

They commenced with an attack on disciples’ conduct. There they saw them eating food with unwashed hands ;- So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?"(MArk 7:5)

They found it blamable to eat with “unclean” hands and tried to blame Jesus for his disciples’ behavior . We also imagine that Jesus too ate without washing his hands.

In that time the Pharisees and all the Jews did not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. (see Mark 7:3)

Jewish tradition in general is very sensitive to cleanness and there were many directives to avoid uncleanness which they get outside, by contacting dirty clothes or foods in market places for example. Besides they were taught strictly to respect nutritive interdicts against certain kinds of food considered to be impure by the Jewish Bible.

The pharisees observed faithfully those directives and accused those who did not or could not do likewise. They condemned such people as the unfaithful.

For them washing hands is a religious ceremony, not simply sanitary matter. Therefore they were disgusted by the conduct of Jesus and his disciples.

Of course Jesus knew fully the elders’ teaching concerning ” cleanness”. Nonetheless he broke it intentionally to point out hypocritical formalism of Pharisee and law teachers. Thus he replied by referring to Isaiah;- “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 but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."(Mark 7:6-8)

The name “Pharisee” came from a Aramaic word “prīšayyā” which means ¡Æseparated ones¡Ç. That self-naming way reveals their arrogance, being different from ordinary ones. In Jewish society they played a role of ” walking law” by seeking and blaming those who did not observe Jewish teachings as faithful as they did.

But Jesus criticized their attitude. Matthew reported a similar case ;- “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(Matthew 23:13)

2. What makes humans unclear

We follow Mark’s development ;- Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’ “(Mark 7:14-15)

But his disciples could not understand Jesus explanation. Jesus was disappointed ;- “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.")(Mark 7:18-19)

Jewish people of Jesus’ era thought what going into human might make them unclean. We, majority of today’s Japanese, do not share such a thinking. Not only concerning foods but also we do not think that the contact with those who committed crimes make us unclean. Then does that Jesus’ teaching have nothing with us? Yes, it does, the second part concerns directly us. Because we know that ” what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’ through our own experiences. More exactly our talking way might put us to the risk of becoming unclean. What we say to others shows, not only openly but also implicitly how we think about them. We do not appreciate neighbors any time. And sometimes talking words reveal our negative feeling despite us and harm them. We become unconsciously verbal-aggressors and Jesus was talking about the case.

Moreover we are very often reluctant to admit our defaults and try to put responsibility on outside elements, the society, economy or surrounding conditions. We seek always excuses for our mismanagement. We think very often our unhappiness is due to others’ defaults. As a result of that we become aggressive to justify us. As ordinary humans, we prefer to consider ourselves to be guiltless and in bad time we think it is because of outside elements. But in reality it is our sin which generate our spiritual unhappiness.

When Jesus said ” Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean'’ he talked about foods. Foods we eat can not make us unclean because they will get out of us after all. Foods, as simple nourishment, go through our body and can not change our entity. Though food is indispensable for humans’ physical life it remain secondary element in God’s plan of creation.

Then what is the priority in God’s creation ? The answer is given in these verses ;- For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts…. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ ” (Mark 7:21, 23)

“Men’s hearts” are the prior for God’s creation of humans. God made our body to realize our heart inside.
Humans evils do not come from outside but were embedded in our entity as nature. And they come up from our inside in form of sins.

Jesus tells us most important examples of sins ;- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:22)

Evils, generated in our heart, come out and spread around us as sinful words and conducts. Therefore we must pay attention to what comes from inside us.

3. Uncontrollable human nature

Today’s invocation verses are James 3:8-10 ;-but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

We might think the verses above are exaggerating the power of words. But we unconsciously admit strong influence of human talking which can hurt others feelings. Even apparently meaningless conversations might cause grave misunderstandings, disagreements and conflicts in working place, school, or family. I think almost all of us had been shocked or humiliated by others’ words. Whatever comes out from human’s mouth, or simple talking can be harmful because it implies unkind thinking we have in bottom of our heart. In short even tough we try to conceal it our words reveal what we have in our mind. As a result of those experiences we become self-protective, sometimes excessively and unsocial.

And, as a matter of fact, there is always certain evil thinking in humans’ mind. Almost all of us can not be free from jealous, for example. Negative feelings which we have towards others should betrays us through conversations and we say something which annoys neighbors. It is impossible for us to love every body and once we dislike someone our unintentional expressions give aggressive impression. Therefor James said ;- Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, (James 3:5-7)
We acknowledge that James’ teaching tells truth. Humans con not control their tongue.

Acts reported another example of harsh talking ;- So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (Acts 11:2-3)

In stead of rejoicing baptizement of a pagan, Circumcised Christians criticized Peter for sharing meal with the new christian who was not circumcised.
Even inside the church, those who pretend to be right, criticize others who don’t share same way of thinking . And complacent persons seek to impress others on their righteousness at any means. We must admit that we find such undesirable attitude inside the church.

Very often alcohol drinking are prohibited in Japanese church. It is a good tradition to prevent oneself from earthy pleasures but it won’t give nobody any right to accuse those who appreciate alcohol drinks personally. Like Pharisees who criticized Jesus disciples, sober persons sometimes conduct toward other christians as if they were moral judges. They use the tongue like “restless evil, full of deadly poison” as James said.

If we criticize others because they “drink alcohol’, or ” do not give much donations” or ” come to church every Sunday” we become similar to Pharisees. Even if we do not express our criticisms openly it remains the same.

Jesus said to Jewish people who feared “uncleanness”;- Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’ “(Mark 7:15-16)

And uncleanness of ourselves can not be cleaned by cleansing with pure water. We can not avoid uncleanness by avoiding dirty things or foods. Disciples of Jesus denied Jewish elders’ traditions as obsolete habitudes. Because to spread the good news to pagans they needed to be free from integrity of Judaism. The decision opened their way to new relationship with peoples of different cultures.

We too must change attitude vis-à-vis our traditional habitudes to renew human relationship. Our ” uncleanness” exists inside ourselves, not outside. We must be spiritually flexible to be new borne, to receive the salvation. And only by encountering resurrected Jesus it becocmes possible. Let us keep it in mind as today’s lesson.