Pent 15, year b, 2025

Last week we spoke of evil, sin and the devil.  Of what they are, and how we are affected by them, and how to live faithfully in spite of them.

Therefore, Be strong in the Lord.  Clothe yourself in truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and scripture and thus dressed for the day walk into the world that makes you doubt…and turn faith into action.  In a world that seems full of evil, sin and the devil … chose God, believe in love, act in reconciliation and live each moment knowing that we are all forgiven.

           

This week the readings have us on the same topic but from a different angle.   The gospel explores the question of what defiles us. 

Defiles us …this it isn’t a phrase that we use that often.  Biblically speaking the word defile is usually associated with the rendering of a sacred thing common or unholy.   For example, in 168 BCE a Roman emperor caused a riot in Jerusalem by setting up a statue to Zeus in the Temple and sacrificing a pig on the altar.   This action defiled the altar, it was no longer fit for proper worship.

When the gospel and the epistle speak of defilement, that is the definition they are working with.  The making of a holy thing…not…holy and the holy thing that they speak of in our gospel today is not a temple, or a church or an altar.  The holy thing that they speak of…is us.

I’m sure that you are not used to thinking about yourself as holy, but indeed you are.

We are all called to be holy.  To be sacred.  After all we were made in the image of God and God is reflected in us.  We can read in Deuteronomy that God spoke to the people of God declaring to them and promising to them that they would be a holy people, set apart and dedicated to the Lord.  Later on as well, in Ephesians we can read that God’s people were called chosen, and that we should live our lives holy and without blame before God. 

We, are the inheritors of those promises, and we too are to live our lives as a holy people.  Living undefiled before the Lord, knowing the commandments of God and walking in his ways.  We are called to reflect the image of God and behave accordingly.   The details of exactly what that looks like and how to do that, though, have varied over the years.

  “Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. …So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?"”

 

There were a number of both laws and traditions that existed in Biblical Judaism that rendered a person unable to attend at the Temple in Jerusalem, rendered them unclean, defiled, not prepared to enter God’s house.  It was extremely important for Jewish people to sacrifice and to worship regularly; however, to do so a person had to be clean; physically, physiologically and ritually.  So, what did and did not defile a person was a very important question, and one that Jesus and others of his time had differing opinions on. 

“the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?"” (that is without washing them).  Jesus “ said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' "You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."”

 

What is it that makes a person holy or defiled, fit or unfit for worship?  Is it washing of hands, ala Pharisee and scribe?  Is it confession ala Catholic?  Perhaps it’s wearing the right clothes…or not being divorced, or being a single parent, or homeless or a woman who speaks too much in church.  And who gets to decide?  The Pharisees had a very specific understandings of what could defile a person, and there were many traditions in place to ensure that those who followed were as pure and prepared for worship as the priests of the temple.  Jesus had a broader definition, a simpler understanding and way to ensure his disciples lived as holy people.   Simply by following the Great Commandment, and sometimes …heaven forbid, breaking tradition.

“you abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition”

but it’s the St. Andrew’s way!!! 

There are many, many human traditions that have been elevated to the level of a commandment, but none of them will make the common sacred, or the holy defiled. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…and love your neighbour as your self.”  This is the Greatest Commandment, the one that summarizes all else.  Love God, love neighbour from the depth of your being.

“For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."”

 

These are things that damage our relationships.  But because they are old fashion words and because we tend to focus on the big ticket items let me rephrase.  These are what make the holy, common…greed, misleading people, envy, lies, pride, ignoring common sense.  We may not be murderers, thieves or sexually excessive…but we all sin.

It is what we hide in our hearts, the greed, lies, and pride that renders us sinful, that defiles.  That separates us from God and tarnishes the image of God that we bear.  That is what could keep us from righteous worship. 

So, then if we are full of sin, do we stay home from church?  Are we unfit for worship like the pharisees considered the disciples?  First things first, God isn’t only found in the temple, or church…God is in all places and people, so avoiding God because you don’t feel fit to worship is going to be hard. 

Secondly, God knows we are not perfect.  God knows we sin.  God knows that from time to time we all hit that list of evil intentions.  God knows and has provided for us.  Christ’s birth, death and resurrection was God’s forgiveness in action.  We have already been forgiven and we are welcome at the table.

We come together as a community in church, not only to worship, but for the community to help heal our souls.  So, that we can, in the presence of others, confess our sins and all that defiles the image of God in us.  We confess, we repent and we promise to do our utmost to live into the commandments. 

The confession may be one of those traditions of the church, but the hope is that through our joint confession we may be held accountable.  That through our joint promise to ‘strive to repent and be in good relationship with our neighbour’ we can fulfill God’s Greatest commandment.

We may by our nature defile the image of God within us daily, but we are still a holy people and  called to worship, confess, be absolved and share in the Eucharist…a polishing up of God’s image and a means to equip us to continue the process of reflecting God.

Being unfit for worship makes us perfect members of this community. 

It is not what is outside that counts, but our desire to improve what is inside. So, as we say the confession together and receive absolution…remember you are forgiven, and all are welcome to worship at lords table.