Mark 7:14-23 (Pentecost 15B)
St. John, Galveston 9/1/24
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomine Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

    We tend to think rather romantically of the heart as the source of all that is good and right in human beings. “Search your heart and you’ll do the right thing,” is the oft repeated bit of counsel given to those who endeavor to make difficult ethical, or moral choices. This sort of romantic view of the human heart has even been memorialized in song.

“This is the time for yourself to be free
You gotta follow your heart
This is the time in your life and it's never too late
To see the light in the dark
You gotta follow your heart
You gotta follow your heart”
(Scorpion, 2017)

    A faulty understanding of the purity and wisdom of the human heart is one thing in the secular realm, unfortunately, it has even spilled over into our understanding of how a person becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ. To become Christian, some would say, is a matter of the heart, of gifting, if you will, your heart to God as a grand gesture of your willingness to follow Him. Again, in this case, the heart is viewed as pure and good, even as our greatest treasure, for it represents the essence of who we are as a person, as a human being.

    I’m reminded of chapel sermon at the Ft. Wayne seminary many years ago. The preacher was preaching on this notion that faith in Jesus is about giving your heart to God as an act of your will. Enacting the scenario as He envisioned it, the pastor said, “one day, a man, again, as an act of obedience and of selfless commitment to God, said to Him, “Lord, I give you my heart.” The man perceived his action as the best and most noble thing that he could possibly do. 
    The pastor continued speaking figuratively of the exchange between this man and God. He said, God looked at the man’s heart as it lay in His hands, and He said, “and what do you want me to do with this filthy thing?” Perhaps our rather romantic notion of the purity and goodness of the human is based more on our hopes and dreams, than it is on the Word of God. Indeed, shortly before God sent a deluge of water on the earth in the days of Noah, “He saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”

    It would seem then that “we have met the enemy and he is us.” Perhaps you’ve heard a version of that quote before. The original came from an American naval officer in 1813 after the Battle of Lake Erie, but it was made popular in several cartoon strips in the early 1970’s. Since then, it continues to resurface from time to time in moments of honesty and transparency. “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

    The quote came to my mind as I read the appointed Gospel reading for today. Both the quote and the reading from Mark 7 articulate a truth about the source of evil in the world and the reality of the human condition. “What comes out of a person (Jesus said) is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

    As the people of God, it turns out that our enemy is not just the world around us and the devil. Our enemy is not simply outside of us. It’s also within us. The old evil foe prowls around us “seeking someone to devour,” but the old Adam wreaks havoc inside of us. In truth, we have two enemies (or three, if you follow Luther and add the world to the Devil and our sinful flesh). We have three enemies, and they are relentless.

    So, what does this mean for us as Christians? Well, first of all, it means we are in trouble. History clearly teaches that it is hard to fight a battle on two fronts, much less on three. The message is rather simple: since our battles rage on three fronts, we need to be vigilant, constantly on guard. This theme is repeated throughout the Scriptures, but probably nowhere is the theme more prevalent than in the Gospel’s themselves. 
    
“Concerning that day or that hour (Jesus says), no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

    Even in the Epistle reading before us this morning we are admonished to, “Put on the whole armor of God,” to be on guard. Secondly, and this is where the Gospel, the good news really is good. If I told you that you have an enemy both in the world, as well as in the devil himself. And then I told you that the enemy has invaded you from within as well, but that Jesus Christ is greater than any enemy you will ever face, and that He is the victorious One, the conqueror of death, the master over sin, the risen and reigning Lord, who has tamed the evil foe and the old Adam, if I told you those things, wouldn’t you  find encouragement and hope in Him? Jesus is greater than the enemies you fight, even greater than the enemy you fear. Indeed, He is greater even than your heart. “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him (the Scriptures say); for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” God knows us. He knows you. And yet, He’s greater than you heart.

    Which means, God’s forgiveness and grace are greater than a conscience that won’t let you rest. His peace, that is, the peace of being forgiven by God, is greater than the condemnation of the Law, and is greater still than the taunting and accusations of the devil.

    So, be on guard. Look to the One who reigns victoriously over every one of your enemies. And finally, know that God’s promise of deliverance is not simply for the future. God’s promises, whether of forgiveness, of grace, or of victory, are new to you each and every morning. As Jesus Himself says, “In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage, for I have overcome the world.” How beautifully Luther expressed that promise of God in his great hymn of the Reformation.

“With mighty of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this?
Jesus Christ it is,
Of Sabbaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God; 
He holds the field forever.”  

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +