Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23          Having Heart Trouble??                      2/9/12

 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and {2} saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. {3} (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. {4} When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) {5} So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" {6} He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. {7} They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' {8} You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

{14} Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. {15} Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'"
 {21} For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, {22} greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. {23} All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"

We today are being confronted with an age old problem: how do we make individuals better; to do good, and to live the way that God would have us? What is the answer to crime and human depravity – more education; more laws; better prisons; capital punishment; higher incomes for the poor? What is the way that we need to go? Today an emphasis is placed on behaviour modification through drugs, rewards, positive thinking and the like. If outwardly we do the right things we will overcome our problems.

 Even within the church we are confronted with this same issue: how do we make people better Christians? How can we make our world and our lives better and more acceptable, and how do we have a greater impact in our mission to the people around about us? We need to be more righteous and holy; so we figure that we need more positive and upbeat worship; we need to be seen to be living in a particular way; we need more gifts of the Spirit and miracles: we must observe the traditions that have been passed on to us: we must do ...... any number of things, if we are to make the church the kinds of place that it should be.

 In this reading however, Jesus puts his finger on the cause and resolution of most of our major problems in both of these aspects of life; a bad heart. A good life calls for a good heart. Jesus knows full well that it is what comes from the heart that counts. He says; For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. They are all symptoms of a bad heart. Simply doing what outwardly seems right and saying what it is right; doesn’t make it right: it doesn’t make a person right. That as Jesus says, is only hypocrisy. The heart tells the real story.

 That being the case we can see that our country and ‘christianity’ is suffering from a serious case of heart trouble. We are in the process of having a serious heart attack; and unless it is dealt with promptly and in the right way we will die. Unless we deal with the cause of the problem, no amount of outward tampering and putting on a good face, will solve the problem.

 We know this very well, when it comes to our physical heart. We know that when the blood pressure is not right it affects the rest of the body. We know that when there are blockages of arteries, that it seriously affects the performance of the rest of the body. And we know that when we have severe chest pains that a major seizure is possible just around the corner. When these things occur we don’t run for the medicine cabinet and take a few panadol or some other potion that ‘might do the trick.’. We don’t race out and do a lot of exercise and eat some greens to quickly get fit and healthy. We don’t put a smile on our face and pretend that everything is going fine. No, we get to the doctor as quickly as we possibly can. We tell others to do the same when they are in trouble also.

 But how do we know that we have a serious heart problem when it comes to our spiritual lives? Here, what did Jesus say? For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Yes, we all have a heart problem: A serious one at that.

These are all symptoms that that our heart is turned in the wrong direction. They are all symptoms of a heart that is selfish and wants simply what it wants. They are all pointers that our heart has a major and irreparable disease. By nature our heart is evil and is destined to bring our life crumbling down around us.

However, the temptation is to think that we can do something to help and improve our situation. The temptation is to do what the Pharisees of Jesus day did. In order to make sure that they were OK and acceptable, they detailed a whole host of things that they had to do or not do so that they could ensure that they could keep their ‘heart’ going. They were very concerned with the outward appearances; seeming to think that if they did them that would help. In this way they could avoid having to have major surgery: that is, face true repentance. Self surely had to play its part.

 Yet here again what did Jesus say; "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their hearts are turned away from God even though there were all the pretences of sincere religiosity. In their self-righteousness they thought that they could work their way out of their problems. Surely if we do the right thing and have the right attitude we will get through.

 As a result the heart attack is imminent. Death: eternal death is just around the corner. In their certainty that they were doing OK by themselves, they were ignorant of the disaster that was near at hand: like a time bomb ready to go off at any minute. Yet they did not want to recognise it or turn to the help that was there for them.

 You see, they and each one of us needs major surgery; we need a complete heart transplant. We need Jesus Christ to give us a new and clean heart; a heart that is turned away from self, to God: A heart that is the source of good living. That is why he constantly preached the need for repentance and belief in the Good News that he had come to bring. His death and resurrection makes possible this great heart transplant. There on the cross he dies our death and then rises again to establish new life.

 Then he gives us baptism whereby he performs this transplant in each one of us personally. There he drowns our old evil heart, putting it to death. In its place gives us his very own heart. A heart the will live for ever: A heart that will bring forth a good life; a life that lives in accord with how we are meant to live as God’s people. A heart the focuses and gives all glory to our great God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 In many ways, following the transplant theme, we need to continually go back to our great Physician, for our anti-rejection drugs. We still often feel weak and insecure, we still stumble and fall. But gradually bit by bit as this new heart works in our lives, we become stronger and evidence of this new good heart comes more and more to the fore. But we recognise that while we still live here on this earth, we will still struggle with the old nature as well. However now we can keep going back to our great Physician and receive his forgiveness and help, as well as the constant assurance that his new heart that he has placed in us will live forever.

 We need to keep looking to him and receiving from him his body and blood which he gives us in Holy Communion. We need to feed on his Word so that we can be strengthened in body and soul and led in the knowledge of what he wants so that we can live this new life that he has given us.

 So we can see again that the only way for us to overcome the troubles and death of this world, that has as the source of its problem a bad and evil heart, is for a complete change of heart. But then with the assurance that we have received a new and living heart at our baptism, we now can seek more and more to live this new life that has been given to us. All along though, we look to and seek the help of the great Physician so that this new heart gets all that it needs to sustain and keep it safe in the midst of the threats and dangers that it faces in this world.

 With this new heart then may each and every one of us give glory to whom it is due: to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for to him alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish