Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

September 2, 2018 

Readings:

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8

Psalm: 15

Second Reading: James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27

Gospel reading according to Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

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Homily:

The Pharisees and scribes went out of the Temple in Jerusalem, they left behind what they were doing like praying, teaching to the Jewish people about the Law of Moses of which some of them were former disciples and followers of Jesus, and their offering of gifts on the altar of the Lord, and went out to find Jesus to make some discourse, for they learned many things from those former disciples of Jesus who abandoned him and came back to Jewish tradition, culture, religious fold and life, for they cannot accept what Jesus commanded them to do, “Eat my flesh and drink my blood and you will have eternal life” (cf. Jn. 6: 54).  This saying of Jesus came to the hearing of the Pharisees and scribes that’s why they wanted to see and talk to Jesus aside from many other issues.  “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, that is, unwashed hands” (Mk 7: 1-2).  They gathered around to Jesus when they found him.  But instead of asking and confronting him about what he said to the Jewish returnees, they saw some of his loyal and remaining disciples eating with dirty hands; they did not first wash their hands before earing.  They did not observe what the Law of Moses said as with regards to the tradition of hand washing they inherited from their elders.  The Pharisees and scribes were keen with regards to their traditions.  They followed all traditions to the letter and they did not miss any single word found in the Law (statutes and decrees) of Moses.  Nothing escaped in their eyes. 

One of the many traditions the Pharisees and scribes received from their elders was the ritual of washing hands.  They meticulously performed this ritual.  “In Judaism, ritual washing, or ablution, takes two main forms.  A tevilah (טְבִילָה) is a full body immersion in a mikveh (cf. Lev. 15:11, 13-14), and a netilat yadayim which is the washing of the hands with a cup (cf. Ps. 26: 6).  References to ritual washing are found in the Hebrew Bible, and are elaborated in the Mishnah and Talmud. They have been codified in various codes of Jewish law and tradition, such as Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (12th century) and Joseph Karo's Shulchan Aruch (16th century.) These customs are most commonly observed within Orthodox Judaism. In Conservative Judaism, the practices are normative with certain leniencies and exceptions. Ritual washing is not generally performed in Reform Judaism” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism).   “For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders” (Mk 7: 3).  Although not only Jewish people are doing this hand washing ritual, even us Filipinos have hand washing ritual before eating and after eating, after attending in burial of a deceased relative or friend or acquaintance, after urinating, etc., and on the Eucharistic celebration the priest washes his hands while saying, “Lord, wash away my sins and cleanse me from my iniquities.”   “And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves.  And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds” (Mk. 7: 4).  The Jews have many other examples of hand washing ritual.  Besides there are many other traditions they, as we, inherited from the old people, some of them good, others are not and some were based on superstitions and man-made rituals.  There is nothing to lose if we follow and perform them as long as they do not harm our body and soul, and other people. 

The Jews from Jerusalem saw what other disciples did, and they asked Jesus.  “So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, ‘Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders instead eat a meal with unclean hands?’” (Mk 7: 5).  The question of the Pharisees and scribes was valid, because not all of his disciples ate without washing their dirty hands.  Maybe some of his disciples did the hand washing ritual before eating.  

But, Jesus sensed their motives.  They have other agenda.  They wanted him to put to shame; that his teachings were wrong and from an ordinary man of Nazareth only, as compare their teachings that came from Moses, the greatest prophet of God.  “He replied, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: The people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts (Is. 29: 13).  You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition” (Mk. 7: 6-8).  Jesus knew their hypocrisy and insincerity.  He was freely quoted one-by-one the Prophet Isaiah regarding them, for they honor God with lip service, their hearts are far away from God, they worship in vain, their teachings are human precepts and not God’s, they disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.  What else can he describe about these Pharisees and scribes who left behind their functions in the Temple in Jerusalem to make arguments with Jesus regarding human tradition and not of God’s precepts?  

Using the theology of love, he wanted to convey to his disciples, to those crowd who were listening to the conversation as well as the Pharisees and scribes the most fascinating revelation of the heart.  “He summoned the crowd again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile” (Mk. 7: 14-15).  Nothing from the outside, even dirty hands, can make a person defile, despoil, and dirty, meaning committing sins.  But, “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.  All these evils come from within and they defile” (Mk. 7: 21-23).  Rather, from within, from our hearts come all that is evil.  Our dirty hands cannot make us evil, but what desires of the heart can make us evil or saint.  If our heart’s desire is good, and for the best of our neighbors it makes us holy and saint; but, if our heart’s desire is bad, and for the destruction of our neighbors, their ruins, “kasawian, kamalasan,” and even death, then it is evil.  Jesus identified what’s inside of our hearts; they are “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly” and maybe even more.  But also our hearts contain compassion and mercy, understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, etc., and above all love.  Why not practice love in our hearts towards our neighbors?  (“Bakit hindi natin pairalin ang pamamahal sa atin puso para sa ating kapwa-tao?”).  Instead of hating our neighbors and doing bad things, why not love them and do good towards them.