Jesus

Fits of Piety and Heart Attacks

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17And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”   Mark 7:17-23

We get keyed up about the wrong things; in a fit of piety we move the furniture and try to clean up our lives.

Jesus highlights our misdirected piety.

Instead of attending to the real problem of purity, our piety (effort at holiness) often attacks the wrong thing.

Humanly motivated piety attacks substances. The hope is that by limiting the substances coming into the body then a person will be righteous.

The central concern of piety must be the heart. For its what comes out of my heart that slimes me and others. Jesus gave some examples of what He sees there in the heart:

evil thoughts
sexual immorality
theft
murder
adultery
coveting
wickedness
deceit
sensuality
envy
slander
pride
foolishness

A quick look at this list clarifies my need for a priest, a physician for my heart. I need someone who can attack my heart and change my life.

But who has the priestly power to cleanse me from impurity?

Who is qualified to radically transform the heart?

Who has knowledge of the secret designs of my heart?

Jesus Christ, the Creator of Heaven and earth, the Lamb of God, who comes to take away the sin of the world.

The Holy Spirit motivates a different piety.

This pursuit of holiness is now a pursuit of the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ.

11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance… Hebrews 9:11-15

 

Going Home to Friends

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18As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. Mark 5:18-20

Exiled to the grave yard, this man’s humanity was barely recognizable. Unbindable. Uncontainable. The man’s freedom among the tombs displayed his captivity to the demonic as he spent his days and nights crying out and cutting himself.

And then came Jesus.

Jesus, His divinity unrecognizable to many was seen by the demonic and they called out to Him.

“And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”  Mark 5:6

It was a bad day for pigs, but a great day for this man. The herders and villagers were scared; they begged Jesus to leave. This man, restored in his health, begged to go with Jesus.

But Jesus sent him home to his friends.

Jesus commissioned him to tell his story. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”

This warms my soul. Can you see it in your mind? The reunions. The incredulous looks. The questions. The amazement. The joy.

Go home.

To your friends.

And tell them how much the Lord has done for you.

How he has had mercy on you.

 

It’s personal

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2And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:2

It was a fact; this young man was a paralytic. That’s public information. What was not so public was the deepest need of his life: forgiveness.

His friends brought the young man to Jesus, so he could be healed. And he was healed first from the inside and then in his external relationships and capacities. That’s what forgiveness does. Jesus used the physical miracle here to demonstrate the reality of His authority for the spiritual miracle of forgiveness. The wonderful thing about it: there was nothing the could do to earn such forgiveness. That’s grace!

Only God can forgive sins: the act and condition of acting and being separate from Him. Jesus came from the communion of the Father and Spirit with a mission: to deal with our sin problem. His announcements of forgiveness were a prelude to the cross.

 

Our sin – God takes it personally.

 

(50 Day Gospel Challenge: Matthew 9-10)

Jesus has a problem

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24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”  Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus has a problem: People like to listen and then… not do anything with what they’ve heard. But they feel good about themselves for having heard something. It’s the same problem a friend of mine has with his consultation business. So he says, “No more free advice.” Free advice = we won’t do what you say or even think about it after we get out of the room.

And here’s our problem: Jesus doesn’t give advice.

So He paints a picture for us.

The wise man builds his house upon the rock!

So while we are reading the Gospels during the 50 Day Gospel Challenge, I’m reading to not only get to know Jesus, but also to find out what He would like me to do… today.

Read to obey since we have been given the grace of knowing Him!

 

(50 Day Gospel Challenge: Matthew 6-8)

 

In Relief

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12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:12-16

Shine like stars.

Darkness is not necessary for us to enjoy light. That’s how it is with Jesus. There is no darkness in Him. However, we are different story. The light of the stars is most obvious in the backdrop of darkness. In relief we see what the darkness cannot hide. So it will be with those of us who are being transformed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. “In the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” we are to shine “as lights in the world” as we hold the “word of life.”

Messing with Artistic Detail and Reliefs 

I have reflected for days now on this art on the Chem building at UBC. Reliefs are easily muddied. And that’s what concerned the Apostle Paul. Going about our lives grumbling and disputing rather than leading into the challenges of this world with Jesus and from God’s perspective will easily cover up God’s glory in us. Grumbling has its sources: legalism, ignoring problems, unforgiveness, unbelief, bitterness, and rage. All loosen our grip on the Gospel and all cloud the glory of Jesus in and through our lives.

Hold fast to Jesus and work it out with Him!