In the Old Testament reading for today, Moses is giving part of his farewell address to the Israelites who are going to cross the Jordan river into the promised land. Moses will not be making this trip with them. He will die after being allowed to see the promised land from the top of Mount Pisgah. It seems unfair, somehow, that one so close to God that his face and hands glowed will not be allowed to reach his goal, after forty years of roaming the desert. Moses will, however be allowed to see it from afar, so this speech has a bittersweet quality to it. All but two people of the generation that had been raised in Egypt have died, leaving only Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephennuh, both of whom were steadfast in their obedience to God. Joshua will lead the Israelites across the Jordan River, and later he will become high priest.
Moses reminds the Israelite people of their former transgressions as a people in order to warn them that straying will cause the God of Israel to become angry. The price of living in the promised land is obedience to God. They will be very happy and prosperous if they obey, cursed if they do not. Elsewhere Moses points out that the covenant was made not just with those who were in Egypt with him, but with all of the children of Israel and their descendants.
The Ba'al of Peor is mentioned as an example of what this generation of Israelites should avoid. Ba'al, means Lord, so the god of the Moabites was literally Lord of Peor. The story is told in the book of Numbers. Some of the men of Israel, against the wishes of God, married Moabite women and began worshipping their god. They were punished with a plague, and there was some bloodshed to remove any who were straying outside the tribes of Israel.
Some of us have troubles reading about the violent actions of the Israelites in this period of time, and the depiction of God as a jealous, angry god. The Israelites were, by all accounts, a primitive people in a primitive time. The point of this reading is to make clear that adherence to the God's laws would make this new land a paradise, if only people will remain faithful to the covenant God gave them. There is an evolution from the primitive tribes that enter Canaan, to the Jews who later write in the Talmud that fishing should not be done with fish hooks, because it is too cruel. In other, later passages, God is also seen as a forgiving God, one that time and again forgives the straying of His chosen people out of love for them, and for their ancestors.
Today's reading from Ephesians talks of being strong in the Lord, putting on the armor of God, for we are engaged in a battle, not of earthly origins, but of principalities and powers.
Paul adds details to this armor of God: Truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, are all to help us withstand the temptations of evil. Note that the only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit of the word of God.
I brought a visual aid today, it is a teeshirt from Camp Living Waters of a couple of years ago. When we did this theme, we actually had Steven Dewey dressed up in armor, which was fun. You probably can't see it well from wherever you are sitting, but you can look later, if you want. Here is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
In previous readings Paul talks about being subject to one another, obedient, loving, and respectful. In all his examples, Paul makes it clear that we are subject to one master, God. We should act in our daily lives as if the things required of us are from God, not from men or women. We should humbly work as diligently as possible in order to please God, not mankind.
In putting on the armor of God, choosing truth even when it is difficult, choosing God's righteousness, not our own self-righteousness, we fight a constant battle against the powers of darkness, within and without. We need our faith in God, not in ourselves, to bolster us against the troubles of this world.
If the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, we must also use what we know of the Gospel message in the world around us, in speaking, and especially in our actions, in order to help others to come closer to God. This does not mean attacking people's religions or thrusting our religion at them, as some have done; the sword of the Spirit is often used best when focused inward, on our own shortcomings and misconceptions. Thus, if we become better examples of Christians, we will draw more to God than if we were to preach a thousand sermons in a public square.
In this reading, Paul is writing from prison, and is currently in chains, yet he speaks of being an ambassador of Christ. He is probably ministering to other prisoners, and to his guards, as well as to those who will judge him. Previously, Paul has traveled to Greece, Persia, Syria, Cyprus, Phrygia, Galatia, Cilicia, Thracia, Rome, Macedonia, Crete, and Sicily. Having learned to flourish in many cultures, Paul writes in I Corinthians:
". . . do all for the honor of God: give no offence to Jews, or Greeks, or to the church of God. For my part I always try to meet everyone halfway, regarding not my own good, but the good of the many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow Christ's."
Mosaic law instructs the Hebrews not to trim the edges of the beard, a practice that is still carried out in Hassidic and Orthodox Jewish congregations. They have the forelocks of hair dangling, though they may even be clean-shaven otherwise. In Assyrian sculptures, ancient Hebrews are depicted as having long hair like Samson. Paul, though, cut his hair short in the Roman style. He was a Roman citizen, which is why he was beheaded, not crucified. When directed by the Holy Spirit and circumstances, he dropped the requirement of circumcision for converts to Christianity, yet Paul was raised a strict and zealous Pharisee! This is a shocking transformation. Early Christians were always quick to translate the Gospel into whatever new language they encountered. With his international background, Paul understood that the intent of the law is important, not the letter of the law.
In today's Gospel reading, scribes and Pharisees criticize the apostles for eating without washing their hands first. Both groups are well-educated for their day. The Pharisees are very strict in their laws of cleanliness and diet, and all the little rituals that have been incorporated into their traditions. In their day, there were many rules Jews had to follow in order not to defile themselves, including washing whatever came from the marketplace because some contaminant might have gotten onto the food. They complain to Jesus, who rounds on them by calling them hypocrites. He says they teach human tradition as doctrine, instead of what God has commanded.
Jesus, in the portion today's reading skips over, tells the Pharisees that they obey all the little, picky laws, but the big ones, like honoring your father and mother, they skip, finding loopholes so they don't have to support their parents in their old age, while pocketing the money themselves.
Jesus uses this point to introduce the idea that outside cleanliness and ritual are not as important as that which is within our hearts. His statement, "there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile," is a radical departure from Mosaic law. The implications are that the eating of pork, shellfish, or even dogs would not be forbidden. It is surprising the crowd does not take up stones to stone him on the spot.
It is later, when Jesus explains this statement to his Apostles that it becomes clear. Food going in only goes to the stomach, and then out through the sewer without touching the heart, but evil intentions come from the human heart, and defile a person. A defiled heart brings forth harmful words and actions that spread like ripples on a pond through our families and associates, dragging others down with us.
If you think about it, with few exceptions, no matter what a person eats, it affects very few people. Unless the food is tainted with something contagious, when eating the food would carry disease to others in some way; unless eating more than your share causes another to starve; unless the person eating is a pregnant woman and her baby would be affected; or unless the food is itself bad food and causes you to die, leaving behind people who were dependent on you, no one else will be affected. As Jesus points out, however, if what is within a person's heart is something evil, such as pride, anger, hatred, murder, robbery, adultery, libel, slander, or any number of other acts, that evil is carried on to another person. While not all the evil intentions mentioned may affect others, there is that potential in all of them.
All three readings today deal with defilement as opposed to cleanliness of heart and soul. Moses talks of obeying God's laws as given to him, Paul talks about armoring oneself against evil, and Jesus talks about the defilement that comes from the heart, not from outside the person. Here we can see the evolution of Christian faith. Moses gave us the law; the apostles learned to follow Jesus by attending to the intent of the law rather than the letter of the law; and finally Jesus teaches us to look within our own hearts to test our motives, and to draw the light of God into our beings, and to purify our souls. Thereby the light of the church will shine like a city on a hill, and we will gain the strength to do as Paul said in Ephesians 5:2: Walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice for all.
Amen