Instruction
Scripture: Mark7:14-23
Having been accused of breaking the tradition of the elders
and eating with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, Jesus confronted the
Pharisees in their hypocrisy. In this reading He taught the crowd what truly
defiles a person, which has nothing to do with traditions or washing, but has
everything to do with sinful desires in one’s heart that lead to sinful
behaviors. This text teaches us about the human sinful condition and gives us
direction to look deeper than surface behaviors to know our sin so that we get
to the true heart of the matter.
Teaching
The Pharisees were obsessed with outward behaviors. They
didn’t understand that outward behaviors, even good behaviors, done for the
wrong reason are still sin. It is not the outward life that matters most, but
what goes on in the heart. Once the heart is wrestled away from sin, good works
will flow – even if they are good works that no one recognizes. God looks upon
actions motivated by faith with much higher value than the world does.
Life
When we look at illnesses, there are symptoms and there are
causes. If a person goes to the doctor’s office with a head ache, the head ache
is a symptom. It could be caused by several factors. It could be a migraine, it
might be a tumor or concussion, or it could be that the person didn’t drink
enough coffee and was in caffeine withdrawal. Spiritually speaking behaviors
are symptoms. Even if the behavior is sinful, it is a symptom of an internal
cause; the sin that lurks in people’s hearts. Jesus came to cure the illness
that is sin and did so by dying on the cross. He does not want us to
misunderstand our condition and how deeply we are broken for he came to heal us
wholly.
Prayer
This prayer is written
in the themes of Petition, Instruction, and Thanksgiving.
O Lord God, change our hearts. Cure us of our sin and
cleanse us with Jesus’ blood. Change us to value what You value, to rejoice in
what You rejoice in, and to do good from a heart that is set on You.
Father, Your Son taught that what enters into a person does
not defile her but passes through and is eliminated. What comes from the
outside cannot make us sin. Instead, what causes us to sin is already within
us. Help us see the defilement within so that we might know the forgiveness
that comes from outside of us.
Thank You for revealing to us the true nature of our sin and
its depth. Thank You also for the remedy that You give for our sin in Jesus’
blood shed for us. Amen.
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