Mark 7
Traditions often become more
important than a right understanding of God. And tradition can be used as an
authority to control others. What makes you right is how you act and what you
say, not what traditions may define or dictate. If compassion and goodness come
out in you words and actions, as they do with Jesus, then you are clean before
God regardless of what the religious leaders of the day may say. Action reveals
the heart; a pure heart does pure actions, an unclean heart betrays evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. That is quite a list! There is
not a list of goodness because it is a condition of the heart depending upon
the circumstances. Goodness knows how to act and does not need a laundry list
to check against. That is the failure of religion trying to contain a clean
heart with traditional ways to act in goodness. Goodness always finds a fresh
way to act, through the spirit with newness of life.
Even outsiders, gentiles and
Greeks, see the truth and power of Jesus. An open tongue is to speak plainly;
an open ear is to hear the truth. Those who gather to Jesus cannot but help to
share the openness of who he is which draws more people to him. But the
religious leaders stay “closed” to Jesus. They cannot hear or see except what
they want to because, although they act according to tradition, they do not
understand the truth. To be open is to live with God in a life moving towards the
Kingdom of God, which it truth and peace.
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