09-09-18, Sunday Morning Sermon, Mark 7:1-23

09-09-18

Sunday Morning Sermon

Mark 7:1-23

There is a phrase which my wife says often:

·         Cold Hands = Warm Heart

But there is another saying which I want to address with you today:

·         Dirty Hands = Sinful Heart

Now, to what does that Really Mean?

Back when I worked on the farm and during the winter when we overhauled an engine or two, I had rough hands and with working in the dirty oil and grease, my hands were never this clean. My wife, Cheryl would often be reminding me that I need to wash better.

From this, we can come to the definition of having hands that are soiled black from doing good-honest labor as dirty, yes, but as honest hands as well.

Or, tell me if this has ever happened to you.

Coming in at night, after working in the field all day, on a no cabbed tractor or one in which the a/c is not working so you have all the windows and doors that will open, wide open as you go down the field and it just seems that no matter which way you go, the little breeze that there is, it continues to follow you. So all day, you are in this fog of dirt. And so when you come in the house at dark-thirty, you look as if you brought the field in with you.

·         There is no disgrace in having dirty hands

·         Or being caked with dirt everywhere.

·         It just Sometimes; Sometimes it just comes with the job.

Of course, if we are using the words “dirty hands” in a symbolically way: that meaning changes.

Then it would mean that His Hands are soiled with Dishonesty, Betrayal, or Greed.

For example,

·         If we would say that the Banker,

·         Or a Politician, well, that maybe a bad example,

·         But let’s say if a Preacher has Dirty Hands,

o   That is usually a serious matter.

Our Scripture for Today is Mark 7:1-23.

(Read the Scripture)

The disciples were eating with dirty hands.

At least, that is what the Pharisees saw and believed.

But let’s look at this a little better than what is on the surface.

What type of men were Jesus’ disciples?

·         Most of Jesus’ Disciples were common men with many of them being fishermen by trade.

I mean, this is what they knew and this is what they have done for their entire life. They fished.

Now unlike taking a worm down to the creak and catching a bullhead or two, these guys

·         Used large nets

·         And they pulled their catch in by pulling these nets on to themselves, into their boats.

·         They literally would be covered with their catch.

Now, besides Bullheads, Channel Cat and Flat Heads, which have a different smell all of their own,

·         The fish they caught were scaled fish which have a slime on their bodies that really smells like, well, like fish.

And once you get that smell on you, it is very difficult to get it off.

Let me explain,

·         If you are not used to fishing,

·         When you handle a fish or two with your finger tips or just your hands, you can most likely remove most of the fishy smell with the use of good soap like Lava or something like that.

But these men had

·         Tough hands and course fingers,

·         They were callused from physical work and handling their nets,

·         Their skin on their arms and chests and on their backs were Rough from the sun beating down upon them.

·         And you take their types of bodies,

·         Then cover them with their cash crop,

·         A boat full of slimy fish,

·         What do you think they smelled like?

So, with knowing this,

·         It doesn’t take a huge leap to understand

·         That the disciples had a total different belief system of what it meant to be clean

·         Than what the Pharisees and the other refined folks had.

They live in a different world.

But it is very clear that this disturbed the Pharisees.

·         This act was just so noticeable to them that it was as if someone had loudly-belched within a fine restaurant.

That type of behavior is fine for the peasants,

·         For the working class

·         But not for Honored People,

o   Such as the Pharisees,

o   Or the Rabbis

o   Nor was it acceptable behavior for the Rabbi’s Disciples. 

It is just bad form.

And the Pharisees were big on form.

I mean, if someone doesn't hold us accountable for our behavior,

·         If we can just act as we wish,

·         What will happen to us?

There were certain traditions that must be maintained at all costs.

·         Somebody has to save our culture from the ruin of common tastes.

It is so easy for us to ridicule the Pharisees,

·         But they were the people who helped maintain standards within the world

·         Which just seemed to constantly Slide

·         Towards being Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Pharisees were the guardians of good taste,

·         The gatekeepers at the walls of tradition.

St. Peter was telling us through Mark that the Disciples were eating with dirty hands and the Scribes and the Pharisees were disturbed.

And he goes on and explains their traditions.

Mark 7:3-4

“The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to – such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles."

Tradition is an interesting wonder.

·         It has its pluses.

It has helped our Jewish friends maintain their identity over thousands of years of history.

·         And it surely sounds as if it has served them well in keeping up their personal hygiene.

Yes, Tradition had its positives.

But, It also has its negative as well.

Let me explain:

You may have heard this before so for those, this will be a review.

·         Put five monkeys inside a cage.

·         Hang a banana on a string in the cage and put a set of stairs under it.

·         It won’t be long before one of the monkeys will go to the stairs and start to climb up towards the banana.

·         As soon as his feet touch the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.

·         But it won’t take long before another monkey will make an attempt to get the banana, which will also result in all of the other monkeys being sprayed with cold water.

·         Pretty soon, when a monkey tries to climb the stairs to the banana, the other monkeys will try to stop it.

·         Now, put away the cold water and take one of the monkeys out of the cage and put in a different one.

·         It won’t take too long before the new monkey will see the banana and start to climb the stairs.

·         To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys will attack him.

·         After a short while, he will learn that when he goes for the banana, he will be attacked.

·         Next, take away another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one.

·         And just like before, it will not take long before the newcomer will go to the stairs for the banana and he too will be attacked but this time, the previous newcomer will also take part in the punishment with enthusiasm!

·         Then as you did before,

a.    Replace a third original monkey with a new one,

b.    Then the fourth,

c.    And then finally the fifth.

·         Every time the newest monkey starts up the stairs, he will be attacked.

·         But by now,

o   Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs

o   Nor why they are participating within the beating of this newest monkey.

·         After replacing all the original monkeys,

o   None of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water.

·         Nevertheless, None of the Five new monkeys will ever again approaches the stairs to try to reach the banana.

·         Why not?

o   Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.

Be careful about worshiping tradition.

·         It's fine to maintain the past--as long as the keeping of those traditions does not hinder us from being effective in the present.

The disciples were defiling the sacred traditions by foregoing the ritual of washing their hands, and this upset the Pharisees.

Jesus didn't care, but other people did.

And that's the point, isn't it?

·         God didn't care that the disciples ate with unwashed hands, but other people did.

A church growth specialist named Bill Easum authored a book several years ago titled, Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers.

What a great title!

In it he told a couple of horror stories about churches being devoted to sacred cows--churches that were determined

·         To do things the way they had always had done things before.

For example, he told about a church that was over one hundred years old and had been declining in membership for 30 years. However, it was still a church with over 400 in worship. Over the past 3 years young couples had begun buying up homes in their area of town and remodeling them. 2 or 3 of these young couples had joined the church and asked the church to provide a better nursery.

At the height of this church's history, the nursery was across the hall from the worship center. However, with the aging of the congregation, 30 years ago they decided that they could move the nursery into the basement, and for the past 10 years, it has been closed. At that present moment, it was used as a storage room. With the lowering of the numbers of the congregation, they have let the basement go and it is now, damp and very musty smelling.

The young couples approach the pastor about starting a nursery and returning it to its original place, and even asked for the church to provide a paid sitter so the mothers could sit in with the congregation and hear the message.

The pastor told them that they have to talk with

·         The Trustee Committee because what they wanted involves the use of the facilities,

·         And they have to talk with the Finance Committee because the move involves money.

The couples took a deep breath and then explained.

·         The Trustees say that the nursery could be started,

o   But it had to remain in the basement

o   Because the women's organization maintains the old nursery location as a parlor.

·         The Women’s Organization said

o   That even though “The parlor” isn't being used much these days,

o   They have put a lot of money into making it their spot and it is such a lovely place to."

·         And the Finance Committee

o   That they would not authorize any funds for a paid sitter,

o   Because the older members did not need a paid sitter when they were young.

So what happened,

·         The nursery was reestablished

·         Back down in the dark, gloomy, musty smelling basement.

·         However, this is with the understanding that a few maintenance things still must be stored in there as well.

·         When the nursery was opened once again in the basement,

o   It was still cool and damp

o   And the old carpet still had the stains from unmentionable origin.

The young couples went to the board meeting

·         And they offer to spend their own money to decorate the nursery

o   And pay for a sitter,

o   But the board informed them that their church does not encourage designated giving.

Now moving forward 2 years later,

·         This area has really developed.

·         There are now several thousand new couples who are living within walking distance of that very same church.

But that church’s congregation still feels that they have done the right thing.

As time goes forward,

·         That church membership continues to decline in numbers as member by member goes to see the Lord

·         And all of the rest who remain, they just continue to grow older.

And the few young couples

·         Who had once attended

·         And who had become members

·         And who tried to build up the nursery ministry,

o   Have now moved on to a more friendlier environment.

William Easum wrote in his book,

·         "A report came to him from the defeated pastor of this dying church

·         Saying that the church leadership is still convinced that they had done the right thing by refusing to spend the money to move the nursery upstairs and to pay for a sitter.

·         After all,

o   They hold as their reason,

o   Those young couples weren't committed enough in the first place

o   Or they would have never left!"

Holy cow!

Holy sacred cow!

Somebody needs to hold a barbeque.

Do you know what the last 7 to 8 words are of a dying church?

"But We’ve Never Done It That Way."

The Pharisees were good folk.

·         Actually they were some of the best people in the community.

·         They were simply bound to their traditions.

·         And the sad thing was:

o   This kept them from being effective in their service to God.

The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus,

·         "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?"

Coming from a human aspect, I believe we could all say that Jesus was just a little harsh with these keepers of the norm.

But Jesus knows that He has to draw a true line here, because this is the bases of our Faith within Him.

Jesus said to them, "You Hypocrites!

You Fakers!

You Phonys!

You Play Actors!

You Imposters!

Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition."

Wouldn't you agree

That this was Tough Talk?

·         But put yourself in Jesus' place.

He was trying to help people see God in a new way.

·         So naturally the people

o   Who hindered him the most

o   Were those who could only see God in the old way.

I am totally convinced that if Jesus was walking with us today instead of back then,

·         He would have the exact same fight upon Him now as He did then.

Christ will always be in

·         Upsetting the balance business

·         Because Christ is always calling us to a higher ground.

Christ is always doing a New Thing

·         In our lives

·         Because He is continually helping us see new realities.

In his book, The Reputation of the Church, G. Avery Lee cited Four Diseases which often strike the church:

·         1. Sleeping Sickness,

o   The disease of a church that falls asleep in the midst of possibilities for ministry;

·         2. Cirrhosis of the Giver,

o   The money illness of a church that practices improper stewardship and thus limits its ministry;

·         3. Hardening of the Hearteries,

o   The disease of the heart in which a church loses its compassion and concern for those who are in need;

·         4. Spiritual Macular Degeneration,

o   The lack of vision that keeps a church from seeing the long-term possibilities for ministry.

Heaven help us if we suffer from any of these dread diseases.

But certainly we could add a Fifth Disease to this list:

·         5. Traditionitis Compulsive Disorder,

·         An obsession within where we have been that obscures where we are going.

We may laugh at these names of illnesses of the church but they can be just as true of an individual.

After All, What is the Definition of a Church?

·         Is God trying to do a new thing is your life?

·         Is God challenging some of your old prejudices?

·         Is God saying to you that you've gotten a little too comfortable with the status quo?

·         Is God saying that He has more to show you about the meaning of discipleship?

This has no connection with anyone here –

·         Or does it?

Once there was a farmer who refused to improve himself.

·         His pastor would try to encourage and entice him, but the man just wouldn't change.

·         His response to the pastor was always the same:

o   "I'm not making much progress, but I'm well established."

·         One day the pastor was driving past that man's farm, and he saw that the farmer's tractor was stuck in the mud.

·         It seemed that no matter what the man did, the mud flew, but the tractor stayed put.

·         After the farmer gave it one more try and it proved to be no better off than he had been before,

·         The Farmer started cussing up a storm that would make the moon blush.

It was at that point,

·         When the pastor rolled down his window and hollered out to the man,

o   "Well, you're not making much progress but you certainly are well established."

That was the problem with the Pharisees in our story for today.

·         They were really good people.

·         The problem wasn’t that they were bad people. No, Not At All

·         It was that they were

o   "Very Well Established"

o   --Too Well Established.

And that can happen to any of us

·         If our faith is not

o   Vital,

o   Energetic,

o   Active,

o   Bouncing,

o   Animated,

o   Robust

o   And spiritual.

Our relationship with Christ needs to be intense.

Christ wants to open up new possibilities.

·         Christ wants you to move to higher ground.

Is your Heart Open or Are You Traditionalist?