Readings for Proper
12B:
Deut: 4:1-9, Mk 7:1-23
August 31, 2003
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Moses said to the people: "Give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you…You must neither add to… nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you." [Deut. 4]
One of the most challenging aspects of biblical scholarship and Christian faith, is to be able to distinguish between human insights and traditions, and God's will for humanity. Both human insights and God's will are found in the Bible. Some of those insights (which were drafted into laws) made a lot of sense at the time. Those laws were helpful in ordering the live of the Israelites. These laws helped the Israelites be transformed them from a tribe of slaves into an organized and just society. But as life has changed over the past 3000 years (along with human consciousness), some of those insights seem time bound, no longer relevant, or outright inhumane.
Over the past few months, we have been hearing about changes in the Episcopal Church; changes which seem to break with tradition. Is anything sacred anymore? Are there hard and fast rules which should never be broken? Conservative members claim that we must hold fast to the laws and ordinances of the Bible while liberals desire to move beyond the law to a spirit of inclusivity and love. Do either of these groups represent God's will for humanity? Today I want to talk about the letter of the law vs. the Spirit of Christ. I am going to begin with a test.
I am going to read a list of laws and ordinances from the Bible. Which of these laws and ordinances do you believe came directly from God and which of them came from human insight? Should they be cast in concrete or should they be looked at as something of the past?
- "When anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments…he shall bring a bull to the entrance of the tent…and lay his hand on the head of the bull; the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord." [Lev. 4:4]
- "You shall not eat the following…The rock badger, the rabbit, the pig, shellfish, the ostrich, the owl, the bat." [Lev. 11:1-19]
- "If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean for seven days…and her time of blood purification shall be 33 days. If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean for two weeks and her time of blood purification shall be 66 days. [Lev. 12:1-5]
- "I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods before me."[Deut. 5:6]
- "When any man has a discharge from his member, his discharge makes him ceremonially unclean. Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean. All who sit on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening." [Lev. 15]
- "If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days (beyond the time of her period) she shall be unclean." [Lev. 15…]
- "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman." [Lev. 18:22]
- "Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy…You shall not do any work on that day." [Deut. 5:12]
- "If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father and mother…then all the men of the town shall stone him to death." [Deut. 21:18-21]
- "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people. But you shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Lev. 19:18]
- "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death." [Lev. 20:10]
- "You shall not murder." [Deut. 5:17]
So, which of these commands came from God and which of these came from human insight? How did you make that determination? This entire list of commands comes from the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. To blindly follow some of these commands and not others, means that either a person is not thinking the faith, or that there is something more than Biblical authority that is guiding one's decision making process. The Bible contains everything necessary for salvation and also includes much that is not necessary for salvation. Thinking people try to discern between the two. And the way most Episcopalians discern God's will, the way we read the Bible, is through the lens of love. For without love, we are nothing. The truth is, no one in this congregation follows the purity code or the holiness code in its entirety [as found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy]. So it does no good for us to turn to these codes and pick out one or two “favorites” to discriminate against others or to determine the mind of the Church. Having said all that, this does not mean that Christianity is a "free-for all" and that "everything goes." It doesn't. We are to mature into the fullness of Christ and that is a pretty big marching order! It does mean however, that we must be honest about our own cultural prejudices and personal preferences, and not misuse the Bible to prove our point.
For instance, when I was growing up, young women were instructed not to show their underwear in public. At the time, it seemed like a good rule. Bra straps were to be covered by one's blouse, slips were to be hidden, stockings were to be aligned, and underpants were never to be seen. Today, both men and women display their underwear, thinking it rather stylish. Young girls are looking more and more like prostitutes once did. (You can tell I am getting older.) Now it would be easy for me to quote the Bible to defend my “underwear” position. For instance, in 1Tim. 8, women are told to "dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes." But the truth is, this biblical advice was for 1st century women in a particular context. Although it may still be good advice for today, it is not a commandment of God. Just because I am a modest dresser, does not mean that those who dress half-naked are any less faithful than I am in trying to love God and love our neighbor. I need to get beyond the 1st century in this matter. Who knows, I could look really good in spaghetti straps!
In today's readings from the Bible, Moses tells the people of Israel to observe the hundreds of statutes and ordinances and that they should not add to them or subtract from them. This might have been good advice for a community of people (some 3000 years ago) who needed to learn how to live together in a more agrarian society and to survive in a hostile environment. However, in today's gospel story, Jesus tells the people that many of those statues and ordinances are unimportant. Jesus tells the people that true purity is not about observing a list of purity codes but rather is a condition of the heart. He supports his disciples in eating without washing their hands. Things change. Today, people are back to being obsessive about cleaning their hands and often use extra strength biocide in their hand soap.
In the Bible, Moses tells the men that they can divorce. Jesus says "no" to divorce. Paul says well, divorce is O.K. in some instances. The Church now permits divorce. Moses tells the people not to touch lepers or women who are bleeding. Jesus touches lepers, bleeding women, and all sorts of supposedly unclean people. Today because of AIDs, we are much more careful with the handling of blood but we are much less concerned about leprosy. Moses tells the people that all male children must be circumcised. Jesus is circumcised but never addresses the issue. Paul comes around and tells people they no longer have to be circumcised. Today, there is a grass-roots movement that labels circumcision as being excessively cruel and abusive to children and that it should be prohibited by law. As you can see, things have been changing in the religious community since the beginning of the biblical record. Change is very unsettling and often frightening. How are we to understand our religion?
There is a difference between the religions of Judaism and Christianity. Judaism is based on the Mosaic law, some of which we still follow. For instance, most of us hold the 10 Commandments in high regard which summarizes the great commandment to love God and love our neighbor. However, Christianity goes a further step. Purity of the heart is as important (if not more important) than the purity of actions. “For it is from within the human heart that evil intentions come.” [Mk. 7] Our religion is based on “following the Spirit of Christ,” not the letter of the law. This means we are to mature into "the full stature of Christ.” The full stature of Christ mean living a life of compassion, inclusivity, generosity, mercy, justice, forgiveness, and peace. Our minds are to become the mind of Christ. This is what it means to live in the Spirit!
Human beings have an incredible ability to deceive themselves. That is why Episcopalians are called to rely on a combination of Scripture, tradition, reason, experience, our Baptismal covenant, and a compassionate heart, when discerning God’s will for this changing world in which we live. And the test of this discernment is through its fruit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
"Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of your name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; though Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." [Collect of the day]
| Updated 9/1/03 |
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