I’m going to be upfront with you. This Sunday’s Scripture and lesson is for you who take following Jesus seriously, but it isn’t easy or soft. This one might hurt a little! You see, this Sunday we hear the words from Mark’s Gospel reflecting anew the Prophet Isaiah:
He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
I’m going to be upfront with you about something else. We need it to be read and listened to anew in our world today. Jesus is once again going to stick His nose in your religious business today. He is going to rattle your cage. As we truly listen, some of you will be offended and I’m confident somewhere in this I will be misunderstood, too. And I’m okay with that. If I’m able, by God’s Spirit, to cause you to think more deeply about your relationship with God and if I’m able, with God’s help, to help you elevate God’s Word and desire for you over some unhealthy beliefs, traditions, practices and the way you intertwine God and Jesus into such mean-spirited posts and outbursts in your life then I have done my job. (And, yes, even if you hate me in the end.)
One more thing before I go. As your pastor, I love you. I have proven that with all that I have given and sacrificed and endured. I want the best for you. And that incudes those who have left and spit at me on their way out. I want you to experience all the freedom that God has for you. Some of the things I say may sting, but I’m committed to teaching God’s Word even when it is uncomfortable for me, and for you… and when it challenges all of us to move from traditional idols in our lives and finally embrace the God who deserves our full commitment and devotion.
In this passage, after all we have learned about ‘The Bread of Life’ this past few weeks, we are reminded that it is possible to have lives that are characterized by outward forms of godliness, but to have hearts that are far from God. And, conversely, we see many who have outwardly denied God and warped His word and images to suit their own ends and yet I know deep down, they are good people. But how do you get to know the good if their lives outwardly show meanness or the denial of everything we hold dear here? The answer: you don’t. You never will. And they will never know you, because they deny Him.
We can very easily find ourselves in the trap of maintaining a commitment to religious traditions or pander to false political equivalencies and yet neglect any true love for God and His Word. The Pharisees and Jesus are going to have a shakeup over religious traditions and how those traditions became more important than God’s Word. There are many of us who need the same shakeup.
Monsignor +Jim