What?

From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.” Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.” He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.” Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed. Jesus moved on from there along the shore of the Galilee Sea. He went up a mountain and sat down. Large crowds came to him, including those who were paralyzed, blind, injured, and unable to speak, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. So the crowd was amazed when they saw those who had been unable to speak talking, and the paralyzed cured, and the injured walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:21-31, CEB)

I have always had issues with this text. Jesus calls this woman a dog. She was not from where Jesus was and culturally it was acceptable for people where Jesus was from to call Canaanites dogs. But that is really out of character for Jesus. He spoke with the Samaritan woman and ate with sinners, tax collectors, and adulterers. Why this woman?

She shows great faith and shows that Jesus can be more open than his people. Maybe that is the reason. Jesus shows that all people even those who we have been culturally taught to say are bad or not acceptable are actually part of God’s creation. All humanity deserves what we get.

Love like Jesus and freely share God’s gifts with all.

Loving People. Loving God.

The Law.

Those who have sinned outside the Law will also die outside the Law, and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. It isn’t the ones who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s eyes. It is the ones who do what the Law says who will be treated as righteous. Gentiles don’t have the Law. But when they instinctively do what the Law requires they are a Law in themselves, though they don’t have the Law. They show the proof of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences affirm it. Their conflicting thoughts will accuse them, or even make a defense for them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the hidden truth about human beings through Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:12-16, CEB)

If you have not lived under the law you do not sin against the law, but if you live instinct fully under the law then you show proof the law was written on your heart.

The law given by God is a way to live in relationship with God and others that allows mutual love and understanding to be the basis for all interactions.

It really is innate. Something we do because it is just right.

Love like Jesus.

Show that the love of God lives in you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Judge…

So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life? You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. God will repay everyone based on their works. On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. God does not have favorites. (Romans 2:1-11, CEB)

Anyone who judges another human is without excuse. They condemn themselves when they judge someone else for the very thing they judge the other for. We are storing up hatred and wrath for ourselves when we judge others.

We are called to love. Period. Not to look at others and see how they are not living according to how we think they should live, but loving them as they are and worrying about our own troubles and how we are living.

God’s loving kindness is supposed to lead us to change our lives and be loving to everyone.

God created us and loves us all. Therefore we should not judge anyone but love as God loves, unconditionally.

Love like God.

Loving People. Loving God.

contaminate

Jesus continued, “Clearly, you are experts at rejecting God’s commandment in order to establish these rules. Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death. But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m expected to contribute to you is corban(that is, a gift I’m giving to God),” then you are no longer required to care for your father or mother.’ In this way you do away with God’s word in favor of the rules handed down to you, which you pass on to others. And you do a lot of other things just like that.” Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.” After leaving the crowd, he entered a house where his disciples asked him about that riddle. He said to them, “Don’t you understand either? Don’t you know that nothing from the outside that enters a person has the power to contaminate? That’s because it doesn’t enter into the heart but into the stomach, and it goes out into the sewer.” By saying this, Jesus declared that no food could contaminate a person in God’s sight. “It’s what comes out of a person that contaminates someone in God’s sight,” he said. “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” (Mark 7:9-23, CEB)

“the things that come out of a person contaminate the person”

It isn’t what goes in that contaminates. It is what is already there that comes out.

If you look closely at the list at the end of the reading, I am sure you will see some things you can say, I have not done, but if you are honest, there will be some you are guilty of having done.

sexual sins, thefts, murders, adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness

Sexual sins is fornication or sexual activity outside of being married and is not to be confused with adultery which is sex when one or both of the members doing the act are married to a different person.

Maybe you can say you never stole anything. Maybe you didn’t murder anyone, but is it murder or kill, and yes there is a difference, and is this only about other humans, or any of God’s creation?

Have you ever been greedy? Not sharing what you had more than enough of for someone who needed it. I have if we are being honest. I am not proud of it, but honestly, I have.

Evil actions is doing something we know is wrong but we do it anyway.

Have you ever been deceitful? Again, if I am being honest I would have to say yes. Not that I’m proud of this either, but honestly, I have.

I have been envious of others. I have insulted others. I have been arrogant and foolish.

I made the world worse by focusing on myself and not being loving. Hate comes from within and we need to focus on others and let love flow and not contaminate our lives or the world.

So love like Jesus.

Focus on others and don’t let selfishness or any evil thoughts contaminate you or the world around you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Stand up

Now, it is commendable if, because of one’s understanding of God, someone should endure pain through suffering unjustly. But what praise comes from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are beaten for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God. You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed. Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives. (1 Peter 2:19-25, CEB)

We need to stand up for what we know is the way of God. Not follow the crowd and do what society or evangelical Christians say is right.

We will suffer for saying that God’s love is for all and all humanity is included just as they are but that is what we need to do.

Our suffering for standing up and fighting for the rights of God’s children will not compare to Christ’s or to that of the people we are fighting for.

Love like Jesus and help the world see all means all.

Loving People. Loving God.

These things…

If you point these things out to the believers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus who has been trained by the words of faith and the good teaching that you’ve carefully followed. But stay away from the godless myths that are passed down from the older women. Train yourself for a holy life! While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come. This saying is reliable and deserves complete acceptance. We work and struggle for this: “Our hope is set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe.” Command these things. Teach them. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, set an example for the believers through your speech, behavior, love, faith, and by being sexually pure. Until I arrive, pay attention to public reading, preaching, and teaching. Don’t neglect the spiritual gift in you that was given through prophecy when the elders laid hands on you. Practice these things, and live by them so that your progress will be visible to all. Focus on working on your own development and on what you teach. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:6-16, CEB)

I love it when the lectionary gives us readings like this. That obviously starts in the middle of a thought. Today’s reading starts, “If you point these things out to the believers,” What are these things?

Here is 1 Timothy 4:1-5:

The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some people will turn away from the faith. They will pay attention to spirits that deceive and to the teaching of demons. They will be controlled by the pretense of lying, and their own consciences will be seared. They will prohibit marriage and eating foods that God created—and he intended them to be accepted with thanksgiving by those who are faithful and have come to know the truth. Everything that has been created by God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected. These things are made holy by God’s word and prayer.

People will turn away from faith and be deceived. They will be controlled by their own pretenses. They will prohibit marriage and eating foods. They will turn from God and not see what is holy.

Now we can read this in many different ways, and different groups do. You will read it and say that those who do not agree with your understanding are the ones who have drifted away from God and those who don’t agree with you will say you and those who agree with you are the ones who have drifted from God. But who has drifted from God? Maybe them, maybe you, maybe all of us?

In moments like these, I want to err on the side of grace and love and love like Jesus. Unconditionally.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

What keeps us…

The Pharisees and some legal experts from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. They saw some of his disciples eating food with unclean hands. (They were eating without first ritually purifying their hands through washing. The Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat without first washing their hands carefully. This is a way of observing the rules handed down by the elders. Upon returning from the marketplace, they don’t eat without first immersing themselves. They observe many other rules that have been handed down, such as the washing of cups, jugs, pans, and sleeping mats.) So the Pharisees and legal experts asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples not living according to the rules handed down by the elders but instead eat food with ritually unclean hands?” He replied, “Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you hypocrites. He wrote, This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human words. You ignore God’s commandment while holding on to rules created by humans and handed down to you.” Jesus continued, “Clearly, you are experts at rejecting God’s commandment in order to establish these rules. Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death. But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m expected to contribute to you is corban(that is, a gift I’m giving to God),” then you are no longer required to care for your father or mother.’ In this way you do away with God’s word in favor of the rules handed down to you, which you pass on to others. And you do a lot of other things just like that.” Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.” After leaving the crowd, he entered a house where his disciples asked him about that riddle. He said to them, “Don’t you understand either? Don’t you know that nothing from the outside that enters a person has the power to contaminate? That’s because it doesn’t enter into the heart but into the stomach, and it goes out into the sewer.” By saying this, Jesus declared that no food could contaminate a person in God’s sight. “It’s what comes out of a person that contaminates someone in God’s sight,” he said. “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” (Mark 7:1-23, CEB)

What keeps us from including others?

What rules do we want others to follow that may not be a rule for them?

What are the evils that we hold on to while expecting others to get in line with our rules?

This passage starts with the Pharisees asking Jesus why some of the disciples eat with unwashed hands when the tradition is that all the Pharisees and Jews wash their hands before eating. Well obviously not all the Jews, because the disciples in question who haven’t washed their hands are Jews. But also there is no direct law or code in the laws about washing your hands before eating. It was understood that Priests and those entering the temple had to wash their hands and feet. This is in Exodus 30:17-21. And this was taken and used as a biblical hint that hands should be washed before all meals. It is a cultural and contextual thing. Not something that has to be done.

We should not and can not force our rules on others. We need to be putting off of all evil, and looking to the needs of others.

This translation of the scripture uses sexual sins for what the NRSV translates as fornication. The word in Greek is πορνεῖαι which is sexual immorality with the implications of prostitution. And it is different than adultery. Most of us would say we are not fornicators, thieves, murderers, or adulterers, but what about greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness?

Have you ever been greedy, or done something immoral?

Have you deceived someone?

Were you ever envious?

Did you insult someone, or yourself?

Did you ever brag about something you did?

We all do things that push the envelope of evil and bringing down others.

We are made in the image of God. All of creation. All of Humankind is created in God’s image. Not just one of us, but all of us. We need every human being to be the image of God and when we say someone doesn’t fit our rules and is not living correctly and is cut off from God we are no longer the image of God because we have cut part of the image away.

Following the rules will only get us so far…

We need to let go of rules and lean into love.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Answers?

The Jewish leaders led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. So that they could eat the Passover, the Jewish leaders wouldn’t enter the palace; entering the palace would have made them ritually impure. So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If he had done nothing wrong, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.” Pilate responded, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your Law.” The Jewish leaders replied, “The Law doesn’t allow us to kill anyone.” (This was so that Jesus’ word might be fulfilled when he indicated how he was going to die.) (John 18:28-32, CEB)

The leaders took Jesus to Pilate and Pilate asked them, “What charge do you bring against him?” The answer was “If he had done nothing wrong, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

So what did he do?

What is the charge?

I guess he did something wrong because they were handing him over, but they never said what he did, just that they wanted to kill him.

Pilate didn’t want anything to do with this. He wanted them to handle this internal dispute themselves because he had other issues with Rome and keeping the peace in this area. This would just cause him more headaches.

But the leadership pressed and Pilate inclined.

What did he do?

What was the charge?

Why did he die?

We assume it was to save the world. I believe it was because people in power were scared they wouldn’t be able to maintain their power if people started living the way Jesus was telling them to live.

Love like Jesus and know that power will be upset.

Loving People. Loving God.

Status…

Brothers and sisters who are poor should find satisfaction in their high status. Those who are wealthy should find satisfaction in their low status, because they will die off like wildflowers. The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass so that its flowers fall and its beauty is lost. Just like that, in the midst of their daily lives, the wealthy will waste away. Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward. No one who is tested should say, “God is tempting me!” This is because God is not tempted by any form of evil, nor does he tempt anyone. Everyone is tempted by their own cravings; they are lured away and enticed by them. Once those cravings conceive, they give birth to sin; and when sin grows up, it gives birth to death. Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. (James 1:9-16, CEB)

Another Scripture says the rain falls on the wicked and the good. None of us are saved from getting wet. Here the author of James says the poor have high status and the wealthy have low status. We are not what we have. We are who God made us.

We need to stand firm in the love of God and share that love in everything we do. That is what shows God’s love to the world. Not what we have accumulated, but what we give.

Some of the money-poor people are the most generous with what they have. They give more than any one who has amassed a bundle of money.

Don’t fight for the golden ring. Live for the love of God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Endurance

From James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes who are scattered outside the land of Israel. Greetings! My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask. Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind. People like that should never imagine that they will receive anything from the Lord. They are double-minded, unstable in all their ways. (James 1:1-8, CEB)

The testing of your faith brings endurance.

Sometimes I don’t want any more endurance. I just want the testing to end.

So many times I am tested by someone who says those who live an LGBTQIA2S+ lifestyle are outside of the love of God and the adamancy with which they argue this is testing. Endurance is needed, but is more always better?

When Endurance works we will be mature, complete, and lacking nothing.

Maybe those moments are when I need to ask God for wisdom to speak the way that will be heard, not so minds are changed but hearts are opened.

Seak to be a beacon, to open hearts, and help people seek the wisdom that comes from God.

Love like Jesus and speak truth in love.

Loving People. Loving God.