Newsletter—September
Philosopher C. S. Lewis once wrote, “The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small dirty object. In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself as nothing by comparison—you do not know God at all.”
God’s chosen people, the Jews, had been in the presence of God. They were acutely aware of God’s holiness. God is over here, and imperfect humanity is way over there, and between us stands a Grand Canyon of sin. Who is worthy to come before the Lord? We must respect the Pharisees’ position. They wanted to honor God. For centuries, the Jews had practiced external rituals of cleanliness, like the washing of hands and feet, to remind them of the holiness of God. But somehow, over the centuries, their reminder became a rule, and the rule became a religion.
“(Jesus) replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.
“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’ ”
Jesus is saying here, “Don’t judge your devotion to God by how clean your hands are. Your devotion to God shows in your ethics, your attitudes, your motives. And most important, your devotion to God shows in your love for others.”
People are more important than religious rituals to God. That is what Jesus is saying to them. Remember where Jesus had just been. He and his friends had been ministering in Gennesaret. This is how Mark describes Jesus’ ministry in Gennesaret: “And wherever he went--into villages, towns, or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.” (Mark 6: 56)
Jesus let sick people touch him! Let that sink in: Jesus let sick people touch him. The diseased and disabled were ritually unclean under Pharisaical law. They were barred from offering sacrifices in the Temple. They were unacceptable in the sight of God. The Pharisees were so concerned with ritual cleanliness that they washed themselves after passing through the marketplace, because they had been in the presence of Gentiles. Yet Jesus wasn’t simply in the presence of Gentiles and sick people and sinners—he touched them. He let them touch him. And everyone who received his touch was healed. Restored. Made acceptable in God’s sight.
What a beautiful thought. Jesus let unclean people touch him.
I wonder what would happen if unclean people started visiting our worship service? Homeless people. AIDS sufferers. Drug addicts. Prostitutes. How would we react? I’m just asking. Where are people today apt to touch Jesus if not in a church? I don’t know anyplace else they can turn for spiritual help. The government can’t provide it. Nor can the schools. Certainly not the bars nor the centers of entertainment. Where can they turn except the church? And what if they did come here? Could we handle it? Or would we head toward the exits? Just asking. Our religion is a good thing. Our worship services are a good thing. The way we dress for worship is a good thing. But if our religious activities stand as a barrier between other people and God, they no longer are a good thing.
It’s a scary thing to think about, isn’t it? What’s really scary is how far the church of 2006 is from what Jesus means for it to be. Just a thought.
In case you somehow missed the Gospel somewhere along the way, let me say it again: The only thing God cares about is people. And it doesn’t matter who those people are, what they look like or what they’ve done. Even if they are prodigals off in a far country giving themselves to riotous living, there is a patient Loving Divine Parent at home, waiting, praying, hoping, ready to accept and forgive. And if the boy comes home smelling of the pigpen, that’s all right. The Loving Parent won’t stand apart and order the prodigal to clean himself off. The Loving Parent will run out and throw his arms around the prodigal and welcome him home. That’s the Gospel.
According to Jesus, none of it matters to God. What God cares about is people. What do you care about? See you in Church—bring some people with you.
Blessings,
John