Doers of the Word Versus Rules

Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23; James 1:19-25

The Pharisees in Mark 7 are so into keeping the rules their sect had come up with after years of tradition that they question Jesus about his disciples eating with unclean hands. Jesus calls them hypocrites since they abandoned God’s commandments and teach and hold on to unnecessary rules. Jesus tells them that nothing going into the mouth defiles one but that what is within one’s heart that comes out. He calls these evil intentions and lists the evil unrighteous things that are produced by carrying out these inner sinful intentions.

In our James passage we are told to rid ourselves from the rank growth of wickedness. How do we do this? It is by welcoming humbly the implanted word of God that has the power to save your souls. Implanted means it’s deep in your soul. But knowing the word isn’t enough. We are to be doers of the word. We are to live God’s word not just be hearers only. Those who persevere by applying and living the perfect law of liberty from sin will be blessed in their doing.

Helping us to persevere is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to be quick to listen, slow to speech, and slow to anger. It is so easy to judge without listening to understand why the other has done so, and to shout out our judgement and become angry for what they have done.

The Pharisees in our Mark account are quick to judge the disciples for not what the tradition has come down to as the right and only way to wash before a meal. Were they slow to listen when Jesus radically changed the concept of purity and impurity? We know they were quick to anger when Jesus was turning all their rules and expectations they had been brought up with upside down.

I think of all the rules that have been taught in churches over the years such as: Don’t drink, don’t dance, don’t play cards. So many times these are religiously kept while many of the congregants don’t live God’s commandment of love of neighbor. They may hear God’s word, but it doesn’t sink into their hearts so that it can come out in their actions.

May we study God’s word and be guided by God’s love in all our actions and be able to sort out what are truly God’s commands from any insignificant human made rules. Amen

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