Defiled.

Mark 7:1-23

Context
After a brief interlude in John, we return to Mark, the governing gospel for this year's lectionary. Gospels can be read at many levels - each small story can be read in itself, but each forms part of a larger whole. Often we read Gospels like we watch a sit-com - we know the basic setting, but the order of the episodes doesn't really matter. This is unfortunate, because the Gospels are more like a TV series with a developing story line - "The Office" - where individual episodes can be seen, but some details only make sense within the larger context.
So, the story thus far:
We readers have been told that Jesus is "the Son of God" from Mark 1:1, but the people he interacts with are clueless. They follow him as a disciple of John the Baptist, as an exorcist, as a healer, and as a teacher. He gets in conflicts with the religious establishment over Sabbath rules and forgiveness; most recently he has fed thousands and walked on water. His popularity is high as we enter this week's reading.

Listening to the writer
"Defiling" is a word we don't use much these days. "Bill, could you defile last month's expense report for me? I need to look at it again..." Some translations use "make unclean" rather than "defile". In the story, "to defile" is to make someone unfit for worship of YHWH, the one true God of the Jews.
The story's meaning for Mark is clear, in various contexts:
1) In the Gospel as a whole, the Pharisees and Scribes challenge Jesus' authority as a teacher, and they lose;
2) In the story itself, Jesus teaches that it is attitudes and immoral behaviors that make us unfit for worship, and that tradition can not overrule the word of God;
3) In Mark's first century Christian context, he uses the story to claim that Jewish food laws are not important - an issue that provided much controversy in early Christianity.

Listening to God
What do you think makes people "unfit for worship"? I have seen attitudes all over the map. Some people care about dress ("you shouldn't wear jeans to church" or "I don't mind what people wear, so long as it's CLEAN"). Some care about behavior ("can you believe she's here after what she said?"). Some care about frequency ("They only come on Christmas and Easter.") Some care about attitudes ("He's such a hypocrite" or "she's so unforgiving").
Spend some time with God in two areas:

1. Are there times when you think other people are unfit for worship? Why?
2. Are there times when you think you are unfit for worship? Why?

Jesus does state that some inner attitudes, and the behaviors they produce, make one "unclean" - but he also provides the source for cleansing. "Turn around and believe the good news, for God's reign is at hand!"

Miscellaneous Meanderings
"The things that come out are what defile." The human heart - or the human brain, as we now label the seat of motives and emotions - is a complicated beast. We have within us the potential for great good and great evil. Deep within each of us are drives for selfishness ("I must survive") and self sacrifice ("my community must survive"), for lifetime bonding ("We must raise offspring") and uncontrolled lust ("I must make as many children as possible"), and the list goes on.
It's tempting to believe that our decisions are primarily made consciously, that our "lower" or "reactive" brain doesn't have much influence on ourselves. Don't give in to this temptation. We are deeply influenced by what goes on underneath our thought processes. "The things that come out are what defile."
Of particular import right now, for some of my readers: dear college freshmen, it is incredibly tempting to believe that you will not be a fool for love, for alcohol, for whatever thing you've always wanted to try but your parents wouldn't let you. Millions of freshmen have thought the same before you. And it's quite true that a drink or two won't destroy your life, and a kiss or two can be quite fun, and people can recover from all kinds of "disasters".
It's also quite true that binge drinking can kill you, that sex can quickly take over your life, and that most rules had a good reason behind them at one time or another. Don't underestimate the power of your lower brain - and try not to overestimate the power of your will. Become part of a community that can help you make good decisions, and pick you up when you fall.

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