True Righteousness, beyond appearance!
September 1, 2024, Text: Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23
Title: True Righteousness, beyond appearance!
Pastor Fred Okello
For the past two months and several more, we have been and will continue discussing what needs to be done in our church and community. As a church, we reflect on some good programs, outreach activities, get-together events, Bible studies, and so on. These are essential and valuable efforts. However, today's scripture reminds us of something even more fundamental—true righteousness beyond appearance! As we explore Mark 7, I want to draw our attention to the idea that true purity is not about outward practices but about the condition of our hearts.
In the first eight verses of Mark 7, we see the Pharisees and some scribes coming to Jesus with a complaint. They had noticed that some of Jesus' disciples were eating with "defiled hands," meaning they had not performed the traditional handwashing ritual before eating. For the Pharisees, this was not just about hygiene; it was about maintaining ritual purity according to the traditions of the elders.
The Pharisees' concern with these outward rituals reflects a broader tendency in human nature: the desire to focus on what is visible and measurable rather than internal. The Pharisees believed that by strictly following these rituals, they could maintain their purity. But Jesus sees through this facade. He quotes the prophet Isaiah: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."
The Pharisees were so focused on the external rituals that they neglected the true essence of a right relationship with God. Their lips professed devotion, but their hearts were distant from God. This is a warning to all of us. It is easy to fall into the trap of equating religious practices with true spirituality. We may attend church regularly, say the proper prayers, and follow religious traditions. However, if our hearts are not in it and God's presence does not genuinely transform our lives, we are no different from the Pharisees.
Imagine a house that looks beautiful on the outside. The paint is fresh, the lawn is manicured, and everything seems in perfect order. However, beneath the surface, the foundation is cracked and crumbling. Over time, that faulty foundation will cause the entire structure to weaken and eventually collapse.
Our lives are much like that house. We may work hard to make everything look good on the outside—thriving careers, happy families, active church participation—but if the foundation of our hearts is cracked by sin, hidden bitterness, or unaddressed issues, the whole structure of our lives is in danger of collapsing. Jesus' teachings in Mark 7 remind us that it is the heart, the foundation of our spiritual life, that needs our attention and care.
Jesus turns to the crowd and delivers a profound teaching that challenges the conventional understanding of purity. He says, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, what comes out of a person defiles them."
This statement, which would have been shocking to His Jewish audience used to a religious system that emphasized dietary regulations and external rites to maintain purity, is still one of the most misunderstood teachings today. Jesus makes it plain that the primary issue is not what we eat or how we do rituals but the state of our hearts.
Jesus explains that evil thoughts and actions arise from within, from the human heart. He lists a series of sins—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly—all of which originate from within and defile a person.
What Jesus teaches here is radical because it shifts the focus from external observances to internal transformation. True defilement is not a matter of what we touch, eat, or observe but what resides in our hearts. Our actions and words are merely reflections of what is within us. If our hearts are corrupt, no amount of external ritual can make us clean before God. If our hearts are pure, our lives will naturally reflect that purity.
Mark 7 means that we must take a deep dive into our lives, priorities, and missions and ask ourselves where our focus lies. Are we more concerned with maintaining a good outward appearance and following religious rituals and traditions than cultivating a pure heart before God?
It is easy to get caught up in the externals—attending church, reading the Bible, saying the right things—while neglecting the inner work of spiritual transformation. Jesus calls us to something more profound. He calls us to examine our hearts, root out the evil thoughts and attitudes that defile us, and seek true purity from within.
True purity is not something we can do on our own. We need God's help. We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of the areas where we have allowed sin to take root. We need to be willing to repent, to turn away from those things that defile us, and to seek God's grace to cleanse and transform our hearts.
In closing, let us remember that true purity is not about the external rituals or traditions we observe but about our hearts' state. Jesus challenges us to move beyond a superficial, outward focus and to engage in the more profound work of heart transformation. Let us seek to honor God with hearts that are truly devoted to Him, hearts that reflect His love, grace, and righteousness.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You today acknowledging that we often focus on the outside things, neglecting the actual work that needs to happen in our hearts. We ask for Your forgiveness and for Your grace to help us turn away from the things that defile us. Purify our hearts, Lord, and help us to live in a way that genuinely honors You. May our lives reflect the purity and righteousness from a heart entirely devoted to You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.