|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Printer Friendly VersionI have come to see in my life words have great power. Words
have the ability to lift us to soaring heights, and to plunge us to the darkest
depths; to articulate profound truths of wisdom, and the lack thereof. I think
of words that have lasted forever. This past winter I visited the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington D.C. On both sides of this massive statue are two of
Lincoln’s speeches chiseled in the marble. As I read them, they jumped
off the marble and roused great emotion in me. The reality is you don’t
have to be a president to impact people with your words. While it is true
most things we say are very forgettable, some words we have said, or words
that have been said to us will last forever.
Religious leaders have challenged Jesus’ disciples practice,
declaring it makes them unholy. Now you tell me, what is their motivation?
Are they really concerned that the disciples are eating in a manner that might
bring sickness? No. They are more worried about Jesus’ apparent disregard
for the tradition. It is not out of compassion and a sense of worry they come
to Jesus, but rather to challenge His authority against the established religious
customs.
The Pharisees recognize that hand washing here is not a matter
of cleanliness or personal hygiene, but of ritual purity. The implicit question
being asked is “What are the boundaries and borders for being ‘clean’
or ‘unclean.’ How shall we live into God’s demand to ‘be
holy as I am holy’?”
This is the ultimate question today. What does it mean to be
holy? In essence, what does it mean to be Christian in the world in which
we live?
Before we can answer that question, let’s talk about holiness.
Holiness means to be set apart, that which is held sacred for special purpose,
complete devotion to God.
How many of you know why the Church of the Nazarene feels it
has a right to exist? It is precisely surrounding this concept of holiness.
We as a denomination felt raised up by God to speak the message of holiness,
both personal and corporate, to the Church and world. We believe that while
salvation is available to all and comes as a gift from God, to really accept
this gift means you will give God entire access to your life. The things you
do will honor and please God as they are empowered by the Spirit. As a denomination,
this is not our declaration of superiority, but it is crucial we play with
passion and conviction the notes God has given us to play in the symphony
of His Church.
The Pharisees were living under “their tradition of the
elders” which stressed being holy--by outward acts of purity.
In verse 3, Jesus responds to their challenge. While the elder’s tradition
is not bad, it does not hold authority over Scripture. Jesus demonstrates
this in verses 5 and 6 by giving a quick lesson on the family showing how
their traditions had warped the intent of the Torah, the Jewish law. Some
Pharisees have interpreted the Torah in such a way as to relieve themselves
of the responsibility and obligation of caring and supporting aged parents.
They would simply say I am sorry I can’t support you because the funds
which I would have used to care for you are set aside for God and His Temple.
Jesus declares this a violation of God’s command to honor your parents.
Then Jesus cites Isaiah 8-9. Isaiah emphasized the basic tenets
of any hypocrisy. Their lips say one thing while their hearts another. Purity
of the heart is the goal, not simply outward acts of cleanliness. Actions
mean nothing if they are not an overflow of the heart, true worship comes
from their heart.
Do we settle for Christian discipleship that is only external
and outward? We can put up a good front or facade for a while, but eventually
the deception will find its way out.
After answering the Pharisees’ challenge about holiness
in verse 11, Jesus turns to the crowds to discuss what defiles and corrupts
the purity God created and desires.
Let’s first discuss the concept of defiling. The Greek
word for “defile” here is to “make common.” These
words--defile, vulgar, profane, and desecrate--all relate to destroying holiness.
We usually think of defiling holiness with terms like dirty, slimy, grimy,
wicked, and disgusting. And while that is a component, here Matthew is emphasizing
taking that which is sacred--you as God’s temple--and making it ordinary,
common.
Then in verse 12 we shift from the crowd to the disciples. The
disciples (for what reason I am not really sure) inform Jesus the Pharisees
are not happy. Doesn’t Jesus probably already know this?
Jesus offers a rather harsh response. Leave them (v. 14). They
are blind and leading those who are blind. One might ponder, Where is the
compassion of Jesus? But Jesus recognizes the Pharisees are so confident,
even arrogant and self-assured, they have become blind and are leading others
around. They have not come to dialogue but to criticize.
In verse 15 Peter asks for clarification of what Jesus was saying
in verse 11. What exactly was Jesus saying about holiness?
Jesus explains the Pharisees have rules and laws which are completely missing
the point.
(By the way, we like to pick on the disciples and we really
like to pick on the Pharisees. All of us would be greatly helped to reflect
what had been happening to the Jews for the last 300 years. The Jews had been
intensely persecuted and so the religious leaders were desperately safeguarding
their faith against those who sought to destroy it. The Pharisees were safeguarding
and hanging on to their identity. That is not to say Jesus was wrong to critique
them, but we must be careful to fully understand their situation before we
arrogantly judge them).
So if dirty hands or food do not make someone unclean then what
does (v. 18)? It is what comes out of his or her mouth which is a window to
the heart. Then Jesus offers a typical list of sins that come from the heart
that indeed make someone unclean (v. 19). Clearly, with the given list, eating
with unwashed hands is trivial.
So the Pharisees were focusing on their laws and not on the
commands of God. In many ways it fits an old cliché: They were majoring
on minor things, and minoring on the majors. Outward acts, even if we can
fake it for awhile, will eventually betray us. The heart reveals itself eventually.
Four questions challenge us from this passage that ultimately
lead us to consider where our actions come from: 1) What feeds the heart?
2) What is the significant connection to our thoughts? 3) How do our thoughts
produce words? 4) How powerful are our words, to build or destroy?
1) What feeds the heart? Where do all those evil sins come from?
What takes you, the temple of God, and makes you profane, vulgar, common,
average, or ordinary? What food are you feeding your heart? I am not talking
about foods filled with cholesterol or saturated fats.
I am reminded of earlier generations of Nazarenes who defined
holiness with sets of strict rules of behavior. We still are known in Christian
circles as those folks who do not dance. I am a fourth generation Nazarene
and my grandparents and parents tell stories of not being able to wear make-up
and jewelry, including wedding bands. I remember my dad’s first movie
was a scandalous Disney movie. My great-grandmother almost had a heart attack.
While there are always extremes, we must never define our relationship
to God by the fact we don’t “smoke, chew, or go with girls who
do,” don’t dance, or go to the movies. Look how quickly we can
become the Pharisees with our traditions of behavioral “don’ts,”
while all the time inwardly our hearts are far from God.
So does it matter what we watch and listen to? My teens used
to say and maybe some of you are quick to say, “Oh it doesn’t
matter what I watch or listen to. It is all pretend.” Or, “I just
like the music, I don’t listen to the words.” I will say this
with confidence and conviction, the entertainment in which you live will shape
you, and very rarely are you shaping your entertainment.
So how do you decide what you watch and listen to?
While God’s love is not earned by a pure or holy lifestyle,
a holy lifestyle is vitally important in our relationship with God. The movies
you watch, the music you listen to, the jokes you tell, the web-sites you
linger at, the magazines and books you consume. It all matters. As you feed
your heart, so you will become.
As we feed our hearts, our hearts then feeds our thought-life.
But really how important are our thoughts?
Thoughts Exposed
“As a man thinks, so he is.” This is one of the
most significant corrections Jesus offered concerning the Torah. As demonstrated
by the Pharisees, the Torah had been interpreted to focus on the outward action.
But Jesus came to say not only does the outward action condemn you, so do
your thoughts. Recall the Sermon the Mount. In regard to murder, Jesus condemned
hatred; in regard to adultery, Jesus condemned lust; in regard to outward
prayer, Jesus condemned selfish motives. Sin occurs first in our minds and
hearts, when we lust, when we hate. The action is simply the overflow of your
heart.
Likewise, holiness: being set apart to love God and the other
also comes from the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. But we should not
focus solely on the negative. What things can positively feed our heart? Paul
offers a great diet for our thought life in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever
is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Daily prayer and Scripture reading do not earn “goody-goody
points.” But they are vital to the ongoing relationship we have with
the Father.
While our thoughts come from the diet of our hearts, our thoughts
become the food of our actions. And it seems the most dynamic or powerful
tools we wield are words.
Since we are talking about words, let’s talk about reasons
why we say destructive words. In this movie clip from You’ve Got Mail,
Kathleen and Joe are talking about zingers. You know when someone belittles
you, having the right come back to really get back at them. Let them speak
to us about the power of a zinger. (You’ve Got Mail, clip shown here).
Zingers: We seek revenge when we have been wronged or injured
by another. Here is the philosophy of revenge. You have hurt me, I will feel
better about myself if I can hurt you. This is why revenge usually occurs
in the heat or passion of the moment. When we seek revenge on others either
through actions or words, this is not coming from a heart of love. This is
coming from a heart that is bruised, injured, hurt, and broken.
The Epistle of James spends nearly a whole chapter on the power
of the tongue:
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. (3:5-6).
Clearly the power of the tongue and our words can’t be overestimated.
I want you to think of a time in your life when someone said something very
kind toward you that made you feel very good about yourself. Now think of
a time when someone said something to you that was very hurtful.
Which situation came quicker? Many are haunted and have memories
with emotional scars of times when others used words to cut us to the ground.
And hopefully many of us have positive memories of people who have inspired
or encouraged us.
Who do you think criticizes the most, those who have the lowest
self-esteem or self-worth or someone who has a very healthy self-esteem and
is grounded in God’s love?
Here is a life lesson: do you want to make yourself feel better?
Praise and lift up someone else.
I am pretty certain we do not comprehend the power of our words.
While words can destroy, they can also build up and edify. Many of you in
this room have offered me words of support and encouragement and those words
have been blessings from God.
So who can God build up through you this week with your words?
Who specifically is it most difficult for you to say something encouraging
too? Ask God to help. For the thoughts and words we speak are a window into
our heart.
But heed this warning:
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. Can both fresh water
and salt water flow from the same spring? (James 3:9-11).
There is no such thing as divided purity. Go and say something
encouraging this week someone may remember for the rest of his or her life.
Let God use you and your words and actions to bless someone. For when we do,
God’s blessings fall on both the giver and receiver, life springs up
and hope abounds.
Like the Pharisees, we must be careful our outward behavior
is not substituted for inward holiness and purity. And while we do not earn
righteousness by checking off a holiness code list, we must be very careful
what we are feeding our heart, both in our work and leisure. For whatever
we feed the heart will feed our thoughts, and ultimately whatever feeds our
thoughts will feed our words.
And God desires to use each of us as a wonderful source of encouragement and hope to people in our world. It is hard to love those who have nothing but animosity for you. But let God’s love that dwells within your heart overflow in your thoughts, words, and actions.