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sermon. God Bless. Lord, you tell us that what
you desire is not sacrifices, but a clean heart,
a pure heart. Lord, now with the words of my
mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing
to you. Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. All
right, a few years back, Business Insider published
a little article titled, The 10 Most Critical
Problems in the World According to Millennials.
Here they are. Lack of economic opportunity,
safety and security, lack of education, food
and water security, government accountability,
religious conflicts, poverty, inequality. war,
and then the number one was climate change. Now,
here is the truth. I'm a millennial. Some of
you are Gen Z. Some of you are Gen Xers. Some
of you are boomers. And you could make your own
list, right? You probably have a different list.
If you're a Republican, you might have a different
list than if you're a Democrat. And as a friend
of mine said, If you're JZ, you'd say 10 is way
too few because he's got 99 of them, right? And
of course we have problems. We have lots of problems.
We have all kinds of problems. Lack of economic
opportunity is a problem that many people face.
We have real reasons to wonder at ways that the
government fails us, right? Or hides behind their
power. That's a real thing. But what's interesting
about most of these problems, what's interesting
about most of the problems is that they pretty
much consistently say the problem is out there.
It's out there. The problem is capitalism. The
problem is Republicans or religious folk is the
problem. It's out there. The problem's out there.
And since it's out there, we can be off the hook.
Or maybe more in line with the words of this
passage. It's the problems out there. We can
wash our hands clean And Jesus says something
pretty different to us This is interesting both
the Pharisees and the scribes and Jesus all say
that there's a defilement problem, right? They're
all actually in agreement. We got problems There's
this defilement problem. That's the big word
that keeps keeps going through the passage or
it's certainly the beginning at the Or you can
sort of inverse it. You can say we have a purity
problem. We have a problem with who's clean And
who is not and I kind of want us to walk through
with this word Defile right Defilement and I
want us to consider Defiled hands defiled relationships
and defiled hearts. Okay, so three points like
a good Presbyterian Which you know, sometimes
I diverge from and I'm like, why do I diverge
from just the good old three -point sermon? So
I'm back So look with me down at verses one,
two, and then I wanna jump down to verse five,
okay? One, two, and five, Mark chapter seven.
Now, when the Pharisees gathered to him, that's
Jesus, with some of the scribes who'd come up
from Jerusalem, by the way, this is kind of hearkening
back actually before chapter four, there was
already a little bit of conflict and we're supposed
to assume that now the conflict has returned.
They saw that some of his disciples ate with
hands that were defiled. That is unwashed. Verse
five. And 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? So they've put Jesus and his disciples
in the dock and they're doing this for their
credentials, right? Are you really in? Are you
something that someone that's worth listening
to? Are you a spiritual authority that we can
maybe trust? Or are you part of the problem?
Are you part of the end crew or are you part
of the problem? You see, here's something you
have to keep in mind, right? The Pharisees and
the scribes, they knew their Bibles. They knew
the law of God. They knew that to be close to
God in terms of the temple and the tabernacle,
there were certain instructions and key to those
instructions you can find in Exodus 30 or Leviticus
8 was washing. So when the priests were to offer
the sacrifice, there was the great... this bronze
basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar,
and Aaron and Levites were supposed to wash when
they were doing this, supposed to be clean, symbolic
cleanliness as they approached God, that you
need to be ceremonial clean to get close to God.
There was supposed to be this external act that
actually reflected this internal reality, but
people said, hey, to be clean, to be close to
God, you gotta get clean. Actually, Mark gives
us this parenthetical comment right in verses
three and four. You probably heard that earlier.
So let me read it again. So verses three, for
the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless
they wash their hands properly, holding to the
traditions of the elders. And 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.
So here's what they did right they said, okay
if the priests are supposed to do this just do
this washing when they offer the sacrifices Well,
if you're gonna be really religious, let's take
that and just apply it all over the place Let's
make everything pure and clean If you want to
show that you're a real bona fide Religious person
somebody that's taken seriously do your washing
now I can't Aren't we all kind of like Washing's
normally a pretty good idea. I mean, wash your
head. That's a pretty helpful thing to do. It's
been, you know, sicknesses have been going around.
In our house, you can regularly hear me or Malise
saying things like, hey y 'all, wash your hands.
When you're at school, you know, would you get
there and wash your hands after you eat? Would
you wash your hands? Because there's all this
illness going around. And so for the most part,
we read this and we're like, Yeah, I don't know
about the dining couches, but the rest make some
sense, right? But here's what they're doing,
right? They're taking this good practice and
they're extrapolating out and by extrapolating
out, they're saying, I can tell you who's clean
and who's not, who's defiled, who's worth sort
of giving some credibility to and who's not,
who's in, who's out. Maybe it's like this. So
I watched this a little bit earlier this week
by Chris Fleming, the comedian. And he is talking
about how he kind of, well, he begins it by saying
that cheddar is really having its time and you
can kind of assess a grocery store by its cheddar
selection. So he says, he goes into the grocery
store and he immediately goes over the cheddar
and he goes, regular cheddar? Okay, mild cheddar?
oh all right sharp cheddar let's go okay extra
sharp cheddar yes totally sharp cheddar okay
and then he says which y 'all might not get because
we're on the east coast but being from washington
and having gone to the tillamook creamery many
times in tillamook oregon he ends this little
bit by saying give me that tillamook psycho But
he's saying that you prove your like bonafide
existence as a grocery store by how far you take
it, right? And that's partly what they're doing
is saying if you just do all this stuff, then
you'll have a level of credibility. Well, we'll
listen to you. The Pharisees wanted to keep the
cleaning party going, keeping everything clean,
including those dining couches. And of course,
what it means that if that you are defiled, if
you don't do it. You don't do it. It's not hard
to see, of course, how we do this. It's the sort
of age -old inner ring that C .S. Lewis wrote
about long ago. How do we show that we're the
in ones? How do we show we aren't defiled? How
do we show that we can be taken seriously? Of
course, we wear the right clothes. We post the
right things on social media. We show that we
get mad at the right causes, right? We have the
right list of problems in the world. and we let
people know about it. Okay, here, I hope you
kind of get this. One thing that's important
to say is that there was a motive that the Pharisees
had that's actually kind of a good motive. There's
something there that the Pharisees are doing
that in some ways is good. They have a sense
of their uncleanliness in a way. I mean, they're
saying, okay, everything that needs to get clean
because we want to be close to God. And so we're
going to, you know, they have a sense of needing
to be clean, that they were defiled in a way,
but they wanted to control whether or not they
were clean or not. So they had to wash everything
and make sure everybody else washed everything.
And it's important to understand that on some
level, there's a good motive, cleanliness and
relating to God and being close to him. And I
would say a lot of the ways that we wanna protect
sort of social cleanliness has a lot of good
motives. So for example, we have a real sense
of the need to care for the environment. That's
a good thing, right? And we debate things like
economic policies and structures because they
affect real people in the world. We wear certain
clothes because we actually desire to belong
to a certain community and relationships are
good, right? Like you got to find your people
as Drew Holcomb says and that's a good thing
We know that the wrong of the world does need
to be spotlighted and people do need to know
about it, right? We do need to highlight those
things which are actually harmful for the world
Which is to say that on some level the Pharisees
knew there's this defiling thing that's happening
They knew that something needed to be cleaned,
something needed to be done about it. And they
even took their cues of this from God, right?
The beginning of it actually comes from what
God commanded. The problem though, the problem
is that they thought that if they just washed
enough, if they just did it enough, they could
manage it. and it could all be fine. They could
control the problem. They had defiled hands,
but what they could do is wash enough that it
could all be clean and tell everybody else to
do it too. So Jesus then goes on, of course,
to point out that there's a real problem with
this, and he points it out by saying this action
of just sort of how you treat these defiled hands
actually shows that you've got defiled relationships,
okay? So that's the second point, defiled relationships.
And first, Jesus calls them hypocrites, right?
This is how it begins. Verse six, well did Isaiah
prophesy of you hypocrites. Hypocrites is the
word for actor, putting on a show. And this acting
defiles the relationships that they have. It
defiles their relationship with God and it defiles
their relationship with others because they are
intrinsically connected. So first, they defiles
their relationship with God, again, verses six
and then reading seven. So, well did Isaiah prophesy
of you hypocrites as it was written, this people
honors me with their lips, but their hearts far
from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching
us doctrines the commandments of men." And he
says in verse eight, you leave the commandments
of God and hold to the tradition of men. So here's
what's happening. As long as they thought they
could be clean by simply what they are doing,
all this washing, but what they do, they're actually
defiling their relationship with God. They honor
me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me in vain. Do they worship me? And of course,
why would this be the case? Why, if they're taking
something good like this cleaning and extrapolating
it out? Because they are controlling God. Right?
If I can do all this, then I get to be with you.
It's an outward kind of thing that says, if I
just do this, then you've got to see that I'm
clean. I can clean everything, even the dining
couches. It's all clean, God. And I come. And
of course, when they do this, they naturally
defile their relationships with others because
they learn that they think deep down if they
can control God, of course they can control other
people. Or if I'm on the right side of justice
and you are not, then it probably really doesn't
matter too much what I say about you or how I
treat you. So here's what happens. Jesus gives
this sort of ultimate example of relationships.
He talks about this idea of devotion to God and
controlling God in relation to one of the key
relationships, which is how you honor your father
and mother, which you'll remember is the fifth
commandment and the commandment with a promise.
But what happens is that they say, you know what,
you're relating with me with this idea of Corbin,
which is dedicating your life to God, to such
an extent that you're actually harming your parents,
even your aging parents in their time of need,
which is to say you've dedicated your money to
the church building campaign and now your parents,
are in need in their old age. You don't have
funds to care for them. You're like, well, I've
given it to God. I'm this relationship with God
is I'm controlling this. And so now I'm controlling
that and I'm actually harming that. So it's a
defiled God relationship and it's a defiled human
relationship. Or how about this? You say, I know
that Jesus says, love your enemies, do good to
those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you. But this person
I'm talking about is part of the problem. They
are a part of that list of 10 problems. They're
the reason the city keeps closing down restaurants.
They're the reason that we have such deep climate
concern. They are the reason for the economic
inequality and the job insecurity. So whatever
language is warranted, God, I'm doing something
good here. I'm in. And so it defiles, not just
our relationship with God, it defiles our relationship
with others. The problem is out there is what's
happening. The problem is the Democratic House
representatives here in Pennsylvania, the mayor,
the White House. The problem is my out of touch
parents who didn't save enough or whatever. It's
just out there. And Jesus says that as long as
you think this way, as long as you just think
that if I just clean my hands and I clean everything
else about me, then you are an actor. You're
a hypocrite. And it actually creates harm in
all of your relationships. Okay, so I feel like
I should acknowledge that I have this little
mustache thing because I don't normally have
it. And I know some of you are like, is that
fuzz? What did he clean? So I'll explain. Last
night was the sixth grade union ball for my daughter
Lily's class. And it was down in the Capitol
building. It was absolutely lovely. It was really
a wonderful time. The ladies and the girls got
dressed up in these beautiful ball gowns. And
we were supposed to dress kind of period -like.
So 1860s, which is the same decade that our church
here was started. And so, Melissa. got this outfit
from some other parent of like the seventh grade
class or eighth grade class, I don't remember.
She told me, I forgot. And I looked at it and
I was like, I don't like this. I just had like
a vest and suspenders and some stripy pants and
some funny tie stuff. So I was like, I think
I, I'll just wear something that I like, right?
So I just put on my own clothes. But I was like,
I don't think I'm gonna, I don't think I'm gonna
fit in very well with just my own clothes. I
need to like try to look the part. And I hadn't
shaved in a while, and I was like, well, I guess
I can leave a mustache. And truly on some level,
I'm telling you, truly on some level, I wanted
to control other people's perception of me. I
still fit in. I didn't wear the outfit, but can
I still be a part? Which is a very mundane example
of something that we all know is actually much
bigger dynamic in the world, right? Who's in
it? Who's out? Let me tell you a story from my
good friend, Sean Slate. He used to lead RUF
with me in Virginia. He was at UVA when I was
at VCU. He was talking about going to his local
Kroger, which is like giant down in Knoxville.
He was doing the shopping and he was walking
into the Kroger and he was following us. He says
this young, hip, cool looking, dressed young
man. And he was like, oh man, we would be friends
because I like to think of myself as young and
hip and cool. And Sean is as bald as I am. And
he's walking in there. And as they're walking
in, kind of like out walks this older man with
this bright red MAGA hat. And as they pass by,
the young man says to the older man, why don't
you just go home, you racist? And as soon as
that was said, the older man turns on him and
gets right in his face. And as Sean says, said
a lot of things that are not appropriate to say.
And they turned on one another and just had a
yelling match. And of course, you can imagine
this happening. This is not a foreign thing for
us. But it does not mean that it is not a sad
thing, because this is the people we've often
become. But here's the other thing. Both of them
felt clean in doing it, didn't they? Didn't they?
They did. This is part of my cleanliness. I'm
making the world right. And what we do is we
actually live not in the way of love, but in
the way of hate. Our relationships are defiled
with this kind of action that says, as long as
I get stuff right, I can look out in the world
and say the wrong is all out there. It's all
out there. Which is why, This passage is not
just talking about defiled hands and defiled
relationships, but defiled hearts, right? So
Jesus in verse 14, yeah, it says, he called the
people to him again, right? So he's kind of in
this dialogue with this crowd, right? That's
where he had been. And he's talking to the scribes
and the Pharisees, but he's like, you know what?
This isn't an issue just for the scribes and
Pharisees. This is a human issue. Everybody's
got to hear me. Which is to say this is not just
a problem for the scribes and Pharisees or Eugen
Xers or us millennials, right? Or Eugen Z, right?
It's not a Republican and get Democratic problem.
It is not as much as you may want to believe
that it's not. It's a people problem. Which is
why I think this is actually what Jesus says.
Hear me, all of you. Hear me all of you and understand
there is nothing outside a person that by going
into him can defile him But the thing that comes
out of a person are what defiles him Then we
learn what he what he does next actually his
disciples he gathers his disciples to him and
it seems as though they're still confused Which
happens a lot in the Bible the disciples are
still confused which is why church folk, we still
need to hear this again and again and again,
right? And he says to them, then are you also
without understanding? Do you not see that whatever
goes into a person from outside cannot defile
him since it enters his heart, but it enters
not his heart, but his stomach and is expelled.
By the way, Jesus actually says it goes into
the latrine, but our Bible translators are a
little like, we don't know if people should know
that Jesus said that. All this is to say is that
the problem is not just that we have defiled
hands and we can just get our life in order,
which leads to defiled relationships if we have
that approach. What Jesus is saying is that you've
got defiled hearts. You need a clean heart. You
need a clean heart. And I know maybe some of
you are thinking, and I think somewhat understandably,
no way, we've got all kinds of external problems.
We've got all kinds of external problems, systemic
racism, systemic injustice, policies that do
not encourage fatherly accountability in families,
political systems that hide sexual predators
under power and all the rest. And Jesus actually
does sort of hint to these problems, doesn't
he? Down in verse 21. He says, there's problems
of sexual immorality. There are problems of theft.
There are problems of murder and adultery. There
are external dynamics that are at play, right?
He does say that. But he says the problem is
a defiled heart. That is at its root. Here's
what he's saying. The problem out there in the
world is that you're out there in the world and
that I'm out there. I mean, who builds our systems?
People with defiled hearts. As the illustrious
Selena Gomez says, the heart wants what it wants,
right? So out of the heart, Jesus says, from
within, out of the heart of man comes evil thoughts,
sexual morality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting,
wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander,
pride, foolishness. All these evil things come
from within and they defile a person. And we
are all inclined to just say, okay, let me just
put everything in order. Or let me accept you
if you have your things in order that fit within
sort of my social construct of who I might give
my attention to. He says, that is our inclination.
It is our inclination. And it's worth asking
ourselves, it's worth asking ourselves, what
are we attempting to sort of clean up? Or how
do we like dismiss somebody if they don't have
this and this order? These words clean. These
problems on their list, whatever. It's worth
asking how you engage. with the externals of
your life and how that might actually be a reflection
of your relationship with God and with other
people. What's it doing? What's how you're engaging
with the external world influencing how you're
engaging with God and with others? How are you
inclined to think that the problem is just out
there? But the other thing that this passage
is doing, the other thing that this passage means
for us is this great invitation to a new heart.
And the scriptures talk about this all over.
Our hearts of stone do not have to be hearts
of stone. God transforms hearts of stone and
makes them hearts of flesh. And he says he will
give this to you as you come to him. As you come
to him confessing, Lord, the problem with the
world is that I'm in the world. Lord, give me
a clean heart. Guard my judgmental ways. Almost
every social sort of setting, every social group
has a degree of what cleanliness is, right? If
you do these certain things, if you do these
sorts of acts, if you say these kinds of words,
you're in a clean group. And when that happens,
so often what we say is if you're not doing that,
You're the problem, right? Say the right things
and all the rest, wear the right clothes you
can be in. And here's another truth. Is that
virtually every other religion says that exact
same thing. Do this. Look like this. And you
can come into the presence of God, but it is
not what Christianity says. What Shandy says
is you need a new heart. You need the pure one,
the undefiled one, to come for you, the defiled
ones. And he does that for you. And as you trust
in him and as you rest in his work on your behalf,
God changes your heart. And he changes your life
with him or your relationship with him. And he
begins to change your relationship with others.
And this is on offer for you. As Christianity
alone offers this, doesn't say, wash this and
wash this and wash this and wash this and say
these things and get this list of problems right.
And then you can be in. Does the undefiled one,
Jesus himself comes among us and for us in our
sin that we might be washed clean. So there's
a lot of things we can think about in this passage.
And I encourage you to do that. Think about those
external things. What are the things that really
get you mad? What are the ways you want to tell
everybody else to get clean? Think about that.
But more than anything, more than anything, this
morning, please ask Jesus to give you a new heart.
To give you a heart of flesh that's receptive
to Him. That grows in love for Him and necessarily
grows in love even for your enemies. Lord does
this he does Change his hearts and he can change
yours and mine Let me pray for us Lord Thank
you for your word God you know how inclined I
am we are to live thinking that if we just get
everything right we'll be able to live before
you and that the problem is out there in the
world and that can justify all kinds of things
in our minds, how we speak to our spouses and
our children and how we think about our neighbors.
And God, we hear your commands to love our enemies
and we think it just sounds so foreign in our
world and so crazy. And yet we see it in you,
Lord Jesus, the undefiled one who comes for us
when we were still far off and enemies. Yet you
love us and in loving us, you change us. And
so God, I pray that you'd give us your heart
this morning. God, remove our hearts of stone
and give us a heart of flesh by the powerful
work of your Holy Spirit. Please do this. Hear
this prayer, we ask. Amen. Thank you for listening
to Second City Sermon's podcast. We hope this
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God bless.