Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - Wednesday in the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 10:1-10 and Mark 7:14-23]"Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile." [Mark]
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 WEDNESDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
[1 Kings 10:1-10 and Mark 7:14-23]
"Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile." [Mark]
I once complimented a child on the thoroughness of their confession. The child replied, rather dramatically, "I want to be CLEAN!" In Jesus' time and even now, pious Jews observe "kosher" and are careful about certain foods and practices. The origins of this concern may have been rooted originally in hygienic practices, but it is clear that in Jesus' time, certain foods and objects (e.g.,a corpse, Roman money because it had the image of the emperor who claimed divinity) were considered "unclean." Certain trades were considered unclean. The phrase, "tax collectors and sinners" included people who engaged in activities and trades that brought them regularly into contact with unclean objects. Women were considered unclean for a certain period after giving birth. The Book of Leviticus provides a long list.
Jesus was not punctilious about these things and thus attracted criticism. The issue was a matter of tension when Gentile converts began to embrace Christianity. A compromise was reached and life went on. We are, however, left with the significant statement of Jesus about what comes from within us that can make us "unclean." Uncleaness here refers to a state of being rather than a physical condition. It does not refer to the psychological state that leads some folks to compulsively wash their hands or the scrupulosity that leads some souls to go to confession again and again in an effort to stay clean. The desires of the human heart can lead us to act in ways that are harmful. This can mean any kind of sinful thoughts as well as actions. Those desires do not come from the outside. They are rooted in ordinary appetites and needs that we allow to dictate us in harmful ways. Jesus' statement today can remind us of the ways that we indulge ourselves at the cost of good spiritual, emotional and physical health. Coming to terms with these things is what will make us clean in the sight of God. AMEN.
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