1.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our
Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message from God’s Word this morning is
taken from the Gospel reading today from Mark 7:1-13, it’s entitled, “The Natural Condition of the Human Heart,” dear
brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
Two
brothers were notorious around town for being as crooked in their business
dealings as they could possibly be. But, they continued to get wealthy off
their criminal acts until suddenly one of the brothers died. The surviving
brother found himself in search of a minister who would be willing to put on
the funeral. He finally made an offer to a minister that was hard for him to
refuse. "I will pay you a great sum,
he said, "if you will just do me one favor. In preaching about my brother,
I want you to call him a ‘saint,’ and if you do, I will give you a handsome
reward." The minister agreed. Why not? The money could help put a new
roof on the church. When the funeral
service began, the church was filled by all the important business associates
who had been swindled through the years by these two brothers. Unaware of the
deal that had been made for the funeral, they were expecting to be vindicated
by the public exposure of the man’s character.
At last the much-awaited moment arrived, and the minister spoke. "The man you see in the coffin was a
vile and debauched individual. He was a liar, a thief, a deceiver, a
manipulator, a reprobate, and a hedonist. He destroyed the fortunes, careers,
and lives of countless people in this city, some of whom are here today. This
man did every dirty, rotten, unconscionable thing you can think of. But
compared to his brother here, he
was a saint."
3.
Today
in Mark 7 Jesus
criticizes the Pharisees for being overly concerned with man-made observances
while failing to fulfill God’s Commandments. Such hypocrisy still abounds, as
most people worry more about human opinions than what God thinks. Like this brother who was concerned about
what people would say about his brother who had recently died. Given our own failures in this regard, it’s a
good thing that the Lord not only commands in His Word, but also graciously forgives
and promises goodness. Today from our Gospel
lesson from Mark 7 we learn the natural
condition of the human heart and how God has redeemed our sinful hearts through
our Redeemer Jesus Christ.
4.
Appearances
may be deceiving, but our society values some appearances more than reality. Watch
the “spin doctors” during an election campaign; how a candidate looks and
sounds is everything. But, under my appearance is the real me. Jesus diagnoses
my heart as “far from” God (v 6).
Original sin spawns all manner of actual evils and leads to death. I yearn for human praise of my outward
appearance more than I yearn for the welcome of God. I deny God’s diagnosis: “Sin can’t be my problem because I look so
good.”
5.
Mark 7:1-13 says, “1 When the
Pharisees gathered to [Jesus], with some of the scribes who had come from
Jerusalem, 2they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were
defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat
unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4and when
they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are
many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots
and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5And the Pharisees and the scribes
asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the
elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah
prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with
their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of
men.” 9And he said to them, “You have a
fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your
tradition! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever
reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11But you say, ‘If a man tells his
father or his mother, Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that
is, given to God)— 12then you no longer permit him to do anything for his
father or mother, 13thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you
have handed down. And many such things you do.”
6.
So
often we measure our lives with what other people might think of us rather than
what God our Ruler and Creator says in His Word. We worry about what will the
neighbors think? No teenager dare be different from the crowd for the sake of
fitting in at school. We’re told to make
a good impression. Dress right for that interview. Speak the language of the
people you are trying to impress. Appearances may be deceiving, but they are so
normal that we have rules for how to do them well. The problem is that when we substitute deeds,
especially those which look good or make us look good, we inherit their wages:
death, in Romans 6:23 St Paul reminds us that, “the wages of sin is death.”
7.
A
young woman told her pastor about her grandpa. Everyone in the small town where
they grew up thought very highly of him. After all, he’d donated the land for
their church and the money for building the church. People thought so much of
him that they named the church after him. Everyone thought of him as a very
religious, godly man—everyone, that is, except his family. For them, his “acts of faith” were just a mask behind
which he hid the truth. They knew him to be a mean, verbally and physically
abusive father and grandfather. My friends, if you are just going through the
motions, if you are just doing all the right things because that’s what you’re
supposed to do or because that’s what everyone expects, if you’re here to put
on a show or to hide from everyone an empty heart or an ungodly life, then
please know this: You may fool others; you may even fool yourself; but, God
isn’t fooled. He sees right through you and me. He’s not satisfied with a faith
that’s just lip service (Mk 7:6). He wants our hearts to belong to him!
8.
This
is why for you and me Jesus died. Only Jesus can cleanse and wash our hearts
full of sin and give us eternal life. Jesus chose the path of suffering going
to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He did it all, because he knows
the true condition of our hearts. He doesn’t ignore sin, but having diagnosed
it, he now redeems me from it through His cross and empty tomb. Romans 6 says, “3Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
9.
Judas
betrayed Jesus with a kiss. What a telling example of honoring Jesus with the
lips while the heart is far from him! Yet Jesus then died for all, even for
Judas. A popular country preacher puts it, “If
you want to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk.” But we quickly
need to add, “Since I have failed to do
either, I must therefore flee for refuge to God’s infinite mercy.”
10.
In
his suffering Jesus buried your sin to give birth to your life. “You must be born again!” Through Baptism into his sacrifice you are
covered and washed in Jesus’ righteousness. Your heart is new and bears new
fruit. Now, as a new person through my
baptism into Jesus day after day I make this commitment to live as he wants,
and day after day I come back to him for mercy.
Jesus’ new life lasts and lasts, until he brings us to our heavenly
home.
11.
When
the Holy Spirit led you to Jesus by Baptism, he gave you a new life that lasts.
It carries you across death’s chasm to mansions where no human traditions are
needed. There we will be with Jesus, face to face, perfectly and forever. Amen.
