If I walk down the street eating an orange, do you think I would dare toss the peelings onto the sidewalk? Or if I have a candy bar in my hand, do you think I’d toss the wrapper into the street? I don’t know when the anti-litter campaign began, but it sure has been effective.
The Church conducts an “anti-sin” campaign; how effective is it? Why is that we keep our sidewalks clean and our grass leaf-free, but think nothing of littering our minds with off-color entertainment, or littering our lips with gossip, or our hearts with putting other interests before God in our lives? Since when are sidewalks and streets more important than our minds and hearts?
Jesus dealt with this issue in addressing a group of Pharisees and scribes (Mark 7:1-13).
“When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean with unclean, that is unwashed, hands…So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus, ‘Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?’”
These Pharisees and tribes travelled all the way from Jerusalem to see Jesus. Did they want him to bless them and talk to them about the Kingdom of God, or did they want to police his behavior? Instead of focusing their attention on what Jesus had to say, they watched the disciples to see if they would obey the ritual washing rules. “Some” of the disciples did not, so the “religious policemen” called this to Jesus’ attention.
Did Jesus thank them for pointing out the mistake? Not exactly.
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.’ You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
What was the commandment of God that they disregarded? Wasn’t the first and greatest commandment to love God with one’s whole heart, soul, mind, and strength? Were they expressing love for God by picking on a group of lowly disciples? Were their hearts directed toward pleasing God or keeping their petty traditions? Jesus let them have it.
When God looks at a person, it is not their clothes, habits, or cleanliness that he sees; rather he sees into their hearts. If one has a pure heart filled with love for Him, God is pleased. Going through all the behavioral hoops does not impress him.
Jesus continued to lash out at these hypocrites.
“Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother, and whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have had from me is qorban (meaning dedicated to God)’ you allow him to do nothing for his father and mother.’”
They saw nothing wrong in neglecting the needs of their aging parents in favor of keeping the “qorban” customs. The fourth commandment was one of the ten pillars written on tablets of stone. It did not bother these people to ignore this sacred commandment in order to keep one of their own petty rules.
Nothing seems to upset Jesus more than religious hypocrisy. Putting our attention on impressing other people with our manners and behavior, and at the same time closing our hearts to God’s love, violates the true commandments of God. Let us pay more attention to God’s “litter laws” than those of our society.
“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.”
