Matthew 15:1-20                                                 Ordinary Time

 There’s an ancient proverb which says “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” I regularly rail against that proverb because cleanliness is far less important than Godliness. Yet people quote that and live by that proverb as if it is in the Bible. How often have we ignored the people important to us because we were too busy insuring that our house or yard or car looked as clean as the neighbors? How often have we ignored the hunger needs of the poor because we wanted to buy new clothes so we would look as stylish as the people around us? How often do we avoid inviting people into our homes because we say, “My house is too messy.” How often have we brushed the dirt of our hearts under the rug, so we could create a positive image of ourselves for others? Do we put on mask and pretend everything is okay because we cannot bear for others to see our weaknesses?

 We got another one of those letters from the Home Owners Association. The hedge is too high. You have a commercial vehicle in your driveway. It must go in the garage. You haven’t weeded your garden lately. You didn’t get permission for your paver walkway.
It’s all about appearances. Did the HOA care that I had a good conversation with my neighbor whose mother died and husband walked out? Did the HOA care that Richard baked bread so we could welcome our newest neighbors? Did the HOA care that the children on our street who spend time in our house feel cared for? It’s all about how you look, the outside and nothing about your character, the inside. Now these are superficial examples of an external focus, but Jesus challenges us to consider internal matters.

 Jesus quarrels with the religious authorities of his day over issues which seem silly to us, but to them they were very important rules, which were a measure of their faithfulness to God. They are bound by their rules and regulations, but forget the heart of the matter. It is easy for us to be self-righteous when we hear that they were concerned about rules of hand washing and which foods people ate. But we need to consider carefully the heart of the matter for us Christians. What hypocrisies would he find in us?

 Hear now the word of the Lord from Matthew 15
 

 Hand washing started as an action that was wise, became a tradition that held religious significance and still does for many Jews and Muslims. We have our own traditions which might be challenged in the days and years to come. When challenged by the Pharisee and scribes, Jesus distinguishes between the traditions of the elders and the commandment of God. He then points out their inconsistency. They are obsessive about the tradition of hand washing, but when they want to tuck their money away, they twist the law about caring for parents, so they can squirrel their money away, saying it is in service to God. They are avoiding taking responsibility for their parents, without actually losing it. They were finding that loophole, as we often do with taxes. Manipulating the system to make it work in our favor.

 How many of today’s parents teach our children to tell us the truth, and then when we want to take the kids out of school, just lie to the school system, telling them
all kinds of stories about sickness or appointments that are fabrications.
Great example.

 How many adults today have been shattered by Christian authority figures, role
models, people they thought they could trust, who betrayed that trust? Teens are
great at seeing through our hypocrisy. When rules and regulations become all
important, more important than the rule of love, then people lose their way,
become embittered or disillusioned with the church. It is not the rule itself which
is a problem. It is the rule taking on a life of its own, apart from the meaning, the
ethic behind the rule.

 There was a time when tradition said “Women belong at home, caring for families.
And men go to the workplace.” There was a time when women did not vote or
speak in church, but that time is past. There was a time when tradition said,
“White people and people of color needed to be separated – separate water
foutains, schools and separate houses of worship. With great conflict and pain
over many years, we were able to separate God’s commandment of love from the
traditions of our elders, which had gone awry. Human precepts became doctrine.
These human precepts were justified using scripture, but God was not pleased.
Because our hearts were not right, and we mixed up our human precepts and called
it “The Truth” I can remember, along with many of you, a time when ministers of
the Gospel who got divorced would be excused from their positions, no matter the
reason for the divorce. I am sure we can all agree that we need to hold up the
sanctity of marriage without being legalistic about it. Agreement on that would
have been difficult in 1900.

 Wonder what blind spots, what hypocrisies in our lives our children and
grandchildren will see in 2100? Will they say, “Wow. They certainly did not
listen to Christ’s words about peacemaking in international relationships.” Or
“They were quick to ignore what Jesus said about discipleship and money.” Will
they think we were senselessly wasteful with the earth’s resources of food and
energy? Will they wonder why Christian and Muslims could not get along?
Where will they be on the current hot-button issues of abortion and
homosexuality? When I read church history, I worry about being on the wrong
side and looking like a fool to my great grandchildren. I just worry about looking
like a fool to God.

 Jesus challenged those who thought they had the rules down, those who thought
they knew who was pure and who was impure. But the regulations had taken on a
life on their own, apart from their original intent. Whenever we become too
preoccupied with how things look, with the appearance of things, when we use
what we think are “God’s rules” or laws of purity to exclude certain people, then
beware. Usually we are in the wrong. And the prophet Isaiah speaks about us
when he says, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
me.”

 We establish church rules and regulations with good theology in mind, with good
intentions, but then people forget the higher law of love. We forget the ethic
behind the rule. We become the blind leading the blind.

 Trouble with us is that we follow the rules because with rules we can make
ourselves feel more secure about who is in and who is out. We follow the rules
simply because they are the rules, not because we are in obedience to a higher rule
of justice and compassion. Mother Teresa, mother of compassion, said, “Keep
your heart pure. A pure heart is necessary to see God in each other. If you see God
in each other, there is love for each other, then there is peace."

 King David prayed for a clean heart so that he could serve God. It really is our
hearts that need to be purified, so that what comes out of our mouths is something
pleasing to God. It is never enough to be right about an issue. We are called to
be holy.

 To those who were arrogant, thinking they had the Ten Commandments down,
Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount: You say “You shall not murder.” But
I say to you, “If you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to
judgment.” You say, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you, “If you
are looking at someone with lusty eyes, then you’ve already committed adultery.”

 Jesus came to deliver us from legalistic interpretations of holiness, to call us to a
standard of holiness that asks first, “What’s in your heart?” And by heart, we do
not understand “feelings” but the real inside you, the center of your spiritual self,
including your mind and soul and will.

 I want to conclude with a simple little example from my life, the kind of thing that,
unfortunately happens rather often. We gathered at Gia’s house for a rehearsal for
the Peaceable Kingdom. The kids and adults worked hard and then we prayed at
the end. I talked briefly to the kids about how to live in peace, then prayed God
would help us live together peaceably, loving one another. Then ten minutes later
I was not practicing what I had preached. I engaged in a phone conversation with
Rebecca that betrayed everything I had said. I was irritable, short-tempered,
demanding that she understand what I was saying when I was not speaking clearly
to her, because of my rushed attitude. Lack of self-control, disrespect. Children
learn love by being loved. They learn self-discipline by watching self-discipline.
They learn respect by being treated with respect – firmness and high expectation
but respect. I can simply lean on the commandment that Rebecca must honor her
father or mother, an important rule, but more importantly I can give her reason to
honor me by teaching by example what it means to be honorable. It is not the rule
itself but the heart of the matter.

 John Bunyan, English minister, Author of Pilgrims Progress said, “When you pray,
rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.”