Rules

This coming Sunday, we move to Mark's Gospel. And right off the bat, Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders because he and his disciples are breaking the religious purity laws--specifically, they didn't ritually wash their hands before they ate. I'm sure this sounds a bit picky to moderns, but there is something important to remember: the Law was in place, all 616 parts, to serve as a means of grace, a way to draw people closer to their God. That Jesus seems to void that does seem to be pretty drastic and dramatic.

What Jesus does is he uses the opportunity to point out that the emphasis needs to shift. It's not what goes into a person that defiles, he says, it's what comes out.

For the gentle reader or two I have, this is no big surprise. But there are many Christians who insist that following rules is really at the heart of being a believer. The rules are just a bit different. A rule might be that one understand the Scriptures to be the literal word of God, without error of any kind. Or it might be that husbands are to rule over their wives--though that tends to be dressed up in less straightforward language these days. Perhaps the rule is about who can receive Holy Communion or who can be married. Suffice it to say, there are lots and lots of them.

The Epistle reading from James picks up on this same theme by insisting that we be doers of the word of God and not just hearers. And he goes on to illustrate the kinds of behavior that would demonstrate doing instead of just hearing: controlling anger, showing compassion and more.

Fundamentally, what makes a person acceptable isn't rule keeping, but the grace of God freely given to all. And perhaps, since we know very well we really don't deserve it ourselves, we could decide to give that grace to others who don't deserve it either. That's what I've been thinking. What about you?

Peace,

Jerry