Pot Roast and Clean Hands

Nancy Taylor

Mark 7: 1-4

1Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)

Washing our hands is important today. As pastors, we are instructed to wash our hands, or use the antibacterial gel every time we enter a patient’s room and especially when we hold hands with them to pray. I know a nurse who insists that the doctors, nurses, etc. who care for her or her loved ones always wash their hands in her presence. She knows how easily disease can spread.

Washing hands was important in the Jewish tradition in Jesus’ time, too. Perhaps it is possible that leaders knew intuitively that somehow washing their hands and striving for cleanliness was valuable in the preservation of their people. The only problem is that tradition became concrete irrefutable law.

You might have heard the story of the granddaughter who wanted to cook her grandma’s famous pot roast. When she asked her mom how to make it, her mom replied that the first thing she must do is cut 2” off both ends of the roast. The granddaughter asked her mom why she must do that and the mom replied that she didn’t know why, it was just the way grandma, and grandma’s mother before her had done it. It was the way it was supposed to be done. A few weeks later she was talking to her grandma and asked her why she always cut the 2” off. And grandma said, no reason, except that she inherited her mom’s roasting pot and since it is small, she always cut off about 2” of the roast to make it fit. A good idea had become concrete irrefutable law.

I have a hunch that Jesus wasn’t about wasting 2” of a perfectly good roast. After all, he wasn’t about washing hands if it was just to abide by an ancient ritual that had become law. Jesus wanted us to think about our spiritual lives. He wanted us to clean up our insides; that part of us that hates, gets angry, is unforgiving, petty, greedy and disrespectful. If we don’t get rid of the bad stuff, there won’t be room for the good stuff.

Now, there are lots of corporate types who may think that the bad stuff isn’t so bad. But you and I know better. You and I know that when we are clean on the inside, something is right that isn’t right when we have dark, dirty thoughts and actions invading our soul. The Lenten season gives us an opportunity to cleanse our lives of the things that clog and keep us separated for God. A colleague of mine tells this story: “I ran across a friend at church who asked me how I was doing and I said, ‘Actually, pretty good.’ And he said, ‘I know, I can tell by your bright eyes. You have clean windows!’”

This spring, clean your windows, you will see so much better!

Prayer: Dear God, cleanse my spirit that I might draw ever closer to you. Amen.

Nancy Taylor is a Presbyterian minister in northern Arkansas. You can follow her delightful blog “Hmmmm…” here.

Blessing the World

Genesis 47:1-26

When God called Abraham and Sarah into a covenant relationship a significant part of the promise what that they would become a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Now as we approach the end of the Genesis account we find the promise being carried out. “Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.…Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh” (Genesis 47:7, 10). You would expect that the ruler of a great a civilization like Pharaoh would be the one dispensing the blessings, but in keeping with God’s word to his ancestor, Jacob is the one blessing the king.

We should not overlook the significance of this event. Jacob, a man of faith, has offered a benediction to one outside of his tradition. Jacob has essentially shared the love of God with Pharaoh. As people of faith we, too, have the opportunity to live as a blessing to the nations and to offer grace and benediction to those around us. Even when we feel weak or insignificant, when we ourselves are wrestling with weighty issues, when we feel displaced or set upon, we may reflect the love of God. This was the call to discipleship that Jesus issued over and over again. To follow Jesus is to seek the wellbeing of the world and to work for the coming kingdom. When confronted by evil Jesus offered a different path; with illness, healing; with brokenness, reconciliation. Jesus himself was a benediction to the world, God’s Word of grace, and as the body of Christ at work in the world we are challenged to be the same.

Prayer: Lord, may we be a blessing to the world and in sharing your love may we offer a light in the darkness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Geography

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34

Before leaving for Egypt to be reunited with Joseph, Jacob experienced a vision from God. “Then (the Lord) said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt…’" (Genesis 46:3-4a). God’s promise to Jacob is to be with him and to watch over him even as he travels to a foreign land. As is always the case, God is not bound by human geography or politics. God transcends the lines that human beings are so fond of drawing.

In our own day we are quite fond of labeling each other. Words such as liberal or conservative are thrown about like slurs or insults. We find it far too easy to except the worst stereotypes of one another based on race, culture, or language. And then, once we have put our boundaries in place we expect God to see things our way. This has never been the case. God has never been confined to the promised land (Genesis 12:1-9), never been stuck in the temple (Ezekiel 1:1-3, 28b), never been relegated to heaven (John 1:14). God, like the Spirit, goes where God wills, chooses whom God chooses, blesses whom God blesses. This is God’s geography, God’s way of interacting with the world. If we would be of service to God (and the world) we should learn to see things God’s way and not expect God to see things our way.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we try to control you or confine you. Instead, help us to be open to what you are doing in the world. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Becoming Herod

Mark 6:13-29

Our gospel account for today raises a question about who stands at the center of our lives. “King Herod heard of it,” we read, “for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised’ (Mark 6:14-16). Clearly Herod was unable to see the big picture. As an earthly king he was convinced that everything centered on him, on his actions, on his beliefs. For this reason he, like so many others, was not able to understand who Jesus really was. Herod had sentenced John to death; now John must have been raised and sent to continue tormenting Herod. Somehow it all had to do with the king, right? Of course it didn’t. Jesus was, and is, at the center of everything, but Herod could not see it that way.

You don’t have to be a king to get it wrong, of course. All too often we put ourselves at the center of life judging everything according to our own perspective. Herod was so concerned with himself that he failed to see what grace Jesus was offering. Do we have the same problem? I know that from time to time I get so caught up in my own feelings that I neglect to see all that God is doing for me and for other through me. On these occasions I play the role of Herod, assuming that I must be at the center of life while ignoring the truth: Jesus alone is at the heart of all things and in him God’s grace abounds.

Prayer: Lord, help us to place you at the center of our lives so that we may see more clearly the blessings you offer and the love you pour out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Not So Fast, Paul!

1 Corinthians 7:32-40

As a happily married man I find Paul’s words to the church in Corinth to be interesting. “The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided” (1 Corinthians 7:32b-34a). Now I will admit that I am concerned about a number of things, among them living up to the expectations of my family. But I can not in all honesty claim that were I single my concerns would all be focused on God. I know myself better than that; there would always be something for me to worry about.

It is not that I believe Paul is wrong necessarily. Relationships--and especially marriages--do lead us to new levels of concern and even anxiety. There are a whole host of things that I deal with now that I did not face when I was single. Add children to the mix and the list grows even longer. But committed relationships based on mutual love and regard are among the most profound blessings one may receive in life. When taken seriously and nurtured with care close friendships, marriages, and families each offer their own benefits and help us to carry much of the pain and sorrow of life.

Were I unmarried I am sure that my anxiety would still be split between the Lord and any number of other matters. So, all things being equal, I will count myself richly blessed to be in a loving relationship, one that helps me to make sense of my life and to be a better person, one that also helps me to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live our lives in mutual love and support so that together we may deal with the pain of life and give glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Crowding Jesus

Mark 5:21-43

Our gospel reading for today relates a typical event from Jesus’ ministry. “Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”’” (Mark 5:30-31). Of course Jesus always attracted a crowd. Here was a man who could heal and cleanse and forgive and feed and restore. Everyone with a need was determined to get as close as they could to him. The musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” seems to have gotten the right idea. Jesus was the equivalent of a modern rock star, and he caused a stir wherever he went. Assuming that we, too, are drawn to Jesus, what is it that we are looking for? What do we hope to find? Are we there for the excitement, or do we have a need that only Jesus can address? Are we followers or gawkers? Are we believers or skeptics? Are we hoping to gain something or do we have something to offer, such as our praise and our adoration?

When it comes to Jesus, where do we stand in the crowd? To answer that question is to decide whether we will be disciples, or curious onlookers.

Prayer: Lord, help us to follow you throughout our lives, not as spectators, but as disciples. Amen.

Alone

Bill Searight

Genesis 43:16-34

The plans are in motion. Joseph has orchestrated a great revelatory moment, when he shall stun everyone with the news that he is alive and well. His brothers will be chastened. His father will be ecstatic. He will be vindicated. Everything is exactly as Joseph wants it.

But… he didn’t realize it would hurt so much. Each time his brothers come before him, Joseph cannot help but ply them with questions about Jacob, old and alone back home. How is he? Is he healthy? Is he alive? And then he meets the youngest son, the newly crowned favorite of Jacob. And Joseph is overcome. He weeps—in another room, where no one will see.

Then they sit for dinner. Egyptians don’t eat with foreigners. And so Joseph, torn between his old life and his new, eats by himself. He cannot yet reveal to his brothers that he is a foreigner and he cannot eat with the men he works with everyday. Trapped in his own grand scheme, he is alone.

Manipulations bring loneliness. When we try to control friends, control family members, or control neighbors, we alienate others and we isolate ourselves. We may believe we have the best intentions, but the cliché is true, good intentions line the road to hell. Joseph, weeping alone and eating alone, reminds us of the pain and suffering that comes from manipulations performed with good intentions. He hurts, his brothers fear, and his father mourns. The joy of the revelation to come will be scarred as a result of Joseph’s inability to be open and forthright.

Thankfully, God continues to work behind the scenes to make the reconciliation happen. But that comes later.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in ways of openness and reconciliation that we may fine true community. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bill Searight is a writer and a Presbyterian minister serving congregations in northwest Louisiana. Bill and his wife, Sarah - also a Presbyterian minister - have recently become the parents of a daughter, Maggie.