What Goes In…

Text: Mark 7:14-23

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          What goes in…must come out. It’s a fundamental principle that applies to everyone and everything. Food and water go into your mouth and are expelled after being processed by your digestive tract. There’s a principle in research and statistical reporting that says, “garbage in, garbage out.” Which simply means that what you put in on the front end is going to be reflected on the backside. If your data is bad to begin with, the reporting you get from that data will be pretty bad, and unhelpful, as well. The same thing applies to our minds. Whatever you see, hear, and read will be expelled after being processed by your brain. The kinds of things you expose yourself to are quite likely to be the kinds of things that then flow from you in your speech, and your actions, and your life.

But Jesus’ take on this principle in today’s Gospel is a little different. He says, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” If what goes in must come out, then shouldn’t Jesus be concerned about what comes into our mouths, and our eyes, and our ears? The short answer is “Yes, we should all be concerned about these things.” But Jesus here is talking directly to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. These are the ones who built up rules and laws far beyond what the Law of the Old Testament had given them. Perhaps these were for the good of themselves and the people so that the hedge of protection surrounding them would be so wide that they would be really unlikely to break any of the God-given laws. If the intention and the execution in this were honorable, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. But as with anything we do, intentions and execution get distorted to serve our own sinful nature. It becomes very easy to say, “look how good I am over here obeying all these rules I’ve created.” When what we should really be thinking is

LOOK HOW GOOD GOD IS WHO WOULD CLEANSE ME

FROM THE SIN THAT IS WITHIN ME.

          The disciples were well-acquainted with these pharisaical traditions. Which is why this teaching is just as foreign to them as it was to the Pharisees. Jesus explains further to the disciples by saying, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” This would have been earth-shattering news for them, because the Law they were following would say that in fact these things did defile the body. But Jesus’ message here is that what actually defiles us is what comes from within and then flows out of the heart of a person. And what are those things that spring up from within. It’s this laundry list of terrible things that concludes today’s reading. “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This is the Gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel of the Lord? Where’s the Good News in all of this. Whenever we look at a text, especially a Gospel text, it’s imperative that we figure out where the Gospel is. At first glance it might be hard to find in this text from John. For some people perhaps it’s that little parenthetical aside that Mark adds to Jesus’ words. Did you notice that if you were reading along? This is the only portion of today’s Gospel that’s not a direct quote from Jesus. Mark’s interjection makes clear what a portion of Jesus’ teaching means, in the practical sense, for His followers. “(Thus He declared all foods clean.)” That sounds like good news. Those old Levitical laws no longer apply. Now I can have my grilled ham and cheese sandwich, or my bacon with breakfast. We can feel good about all the brats we served at Miesfeld’s on Friday. You can have your lobster dinner. All that is good news, but it’s not the Good News. It’s not the Gospel.

There are very few times that we can’t clearly find the Gospel in the appointed Gospel reading for a given day. But this is one of them. Which is why we have the whole Word of God. The full counsel makes it clear that the Law sheds a light on the sinfulness of man. It acts as a mirror, allowing us to look and accurately see who we are. And who we are, on our own, is often not a pretty sight. Read that list again if you need to. Maybe you haven’t done every one, but we’re all going to find ourselves in there somewhere. And it’s not because of something that we ate, or something that we watched, or something we heard. It’s because, since the Fall, we have a sinful nature. And we’re constantly on a mission to curb that sinful nature. And watching what we eat, and what we watch on television or on the computer, and what we listen to, will help to curb that sinful nature. But the only true solution is to be cleansed. To be washed clean and made new again. It was done for us in our baptisms, but Jesus also does it for us every time we acknowledge that sinful nature and fall before Him seeking forgiveness. He proclaims that cleansing in the words of absolution and He delivers it through His body and blood. And He’s the only one who can because He won that forgiveness for us on the cross.

It’s a huge weight off the backs of sinful people like us to know that when our sinful hearts turn from God and become defiled, that He is forever ready to cleanse us. But that too could become a stumbling block. Continuing to come for the refreshment and cleansing of God’s forgiveness without a desire to change heart and mind and direct them more toward God is not true repentance. And true repentance is what God desires.

So, we seek ways to focus our hearts and minds on the One who commands, and empowers, true repentance. Sometimes this might include evaluating what we’re taking in. It’s hard to focus on God when what we’re consuming is so directly in conflict with His will. So, be careful about what goes in. But above all, deliberately consume what you know is God’s will and His way. In the preface to the Large Catechism, Luther says, “Nothing is so powerfully effective against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts as to occupy one’s self with God’s Word.” Here is the Gospel. God gives us the way out. He has overcome so that we can partake in the victory that He’s won over sin, death, and the power of the devil. Focus on Him. His Word will not just enter your stomach and be expelled. It will enter into your heart. It will cover over the defiled parts of your heart. And it will transform not just your heart, but your mind as well. And as you allow God to be in control, as opposed to your sinful nature, good things are going to start coming out. That’s part of the Law too, you know. As we recognize the great sacrifice made for us by Jesus Christ and the salvation won for us, our reaction to that becomes a life filled with Godly thoughts, word and actions. May your life be filled with the love and forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus that then pours out of you and into the world around you. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.