September 1, 2024 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B ( Proper 17)
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Rev. Misa Furumoto
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
“God’s Commandments and human traditions.” Which would you choose? Of course, because we Christians would immediately say, “Of course, God’s commandments.” But in reality, it’s not that simple. The reason is that God’s commandments are less visible than human traditions. For instance, the Ten Commandments given through Moses, which we all know. They’re simple, but when it comes to actually keeping them, it’s hard to know what to do. Because it’s hard to understand, people create easier-to-follow rules. This is how the vast number of “traditions of the elders” emerged in Judaism.
These traditions were created to help people keep God’s commandments, and they clearly defined what was right and wrong. If you followed them, you earned points; if you didn’t, you lost points. The more points you earned, the closer you got to heaven. Of course, no one would say it’s bad to follow these rules and earn points. But there’s a trap. The better you are at keeping these rules, the more you start to notice others who aren’t doing as well. You begin to think, “I’m doing fine, but they aren’t—what a failure!” And that’s where you fall into the sin of judging others. This leads to a reversal of priorities, where you lose sight of why you were following the commandments in the first place.
This reminds me of something from my own experience. When I went to study in the U.S. for high school, I was shocked by the differences between Japanese and American schools. In Japan, most schools have many rules, but American high schools are much more relaxed about anything that isn’t harmful or dangerous. For example, in Japan, rules might prohibit dyeing or perming your hair, wearing makeup, or getting your ears pierced. Even the length of your skirt and the color of your hair accessories are strictly regulated. In contrast, American schools have few rules about appearance. Everyone’s hair color and texture are different, so it’s hard to tell who has dyed their hair. But you also see someone with bright blue hair or a girl with a shaved head. Some students never wear makeup, while others put on elaborate eye makeup. Piercings aren’t just for ears; you might see them on noses, eyebrows, or tongues. In short, American schools have far fewer appearance-related rules than Japanese schools.
What does this mean? First, teachers focus on the inside, not the appearance, of each student. And students naturally respect each other’s differences, making it harder to create outcasts. They learn not to judge others by their looks, recognizing that each person is unique. Additionally, from a young age, they think seriously about how they want to live, what kind of person they want to be, and what is most important in life. This is very important.
Now, back to our main point. In Jesus’ time, similar discussions were happening. The Pharisees and other Jews strictly followed the religious rules known as the traditions of the elders. They did this to avoid breaking God’s commandments, like the one to “keep the Sabbath holy.” They created detailed rules to help them keep this commandment, such as how far you could walk, prohibitions on cooking or performing medical treatment, and so on.
In today’s story, washing hands before meals is one such rule. This wasn’t just about hygiene; it was about the religious belief that eating with unclean hands could defile you spiritually. So, when the Pharisees and scribes saw Jesus’ disciples eating without washing their hands, they were shocked. They thought, “Jesus, who speaks in the synagogue as if he’s the Son of God, has disciples who don’t even follow these important traditions we Jews have cherished.”
Why didn’t the disciples wash their hands? Did they forget? Were they just being rude? I don’t think so. The Bible doesn’t say Jesus told them they didn’t have to wash their hands before eating. But the disciples had seen Jesus healing the sick on the Sabbath, eating with those labeled as sinners, and touching the unclean—those with severe skin diseases, women with constant bleeding, even the dead. The disciples likely understood in their hearts that Jesus knew something far more important than the traditions of the elders, and that He was trying to teach them this greater truth. For the disciples, washing hands before a meal probably started to seem unnecessary.
When the Pharisees and scribes criticized the disciples, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah and said, “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” He pointed out that their devotion was only outward, while their hearts were far from God. They were so focused on following man-made rules that they were neglecting the way of life that God truly desired.
I wonder how the Pharisees and scribes felt when they heard this. They probably didn’t understand because, in Judaism, God’s commandments and human traditions were considered equal. People believed that washing their hands was a command from God to protect them from impurity. But Jesus made a clear distinction between the two. He urged them to stop being bound by visible rules and instead focus on what is unseen—love.
Later, Jesus gathered the crowd and said, “There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” He was teaching that impurity is a matter of the heart.
It’s the heart that matters. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To be poor in spirit means to have an empty heart. When your heart is filled with your own desires, that’s when evil actions arise. Perhaps Jesus is telling us to keep our hearts from being filled with such things, so that these evils don’t come out.
So, what should we do? We must fill our hearts with God’s love. The most important commandment, as Jesus said, is “to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s all there is to it. When we lose sight of what it means to love, instead of relying on man-made rules or worrying about how others see us, we should ask, “What would Jesus do?” That’s the only thing we need to do. Let us pray for the strength to follow Jesus, and walk humbly in faith.
