The Heart of the Matter

Reverend Philip Stringer

Matthew 15:(10-21)22-28

LET US PRAY: Lord of Life, give us ears to hear and hearts willing to receive, that your word may be food for our lives and a blessing to the world. AMEN

Last week it fell to me to cook dinner, and I decided to try a new recipe that Patty had found online for Orange Chicken. The list of ingredients was not in the same order of appearance in the instructions, so I was jumping back-and-forth on the screen to get things together.

Among the ingredients it called for 4 teaspoons of soy sauce. According to my conversion chart, there are 3 teaspoons in one tablespoon, so I decided to just reduce the sodium a little and use 1 tablespoon.

Next, I saw 4 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes. Patty doesn’t care for things overly spicy, and that seemed like a lot, so I decided to do the same thing and reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon.

And so-on-and-so-forth for the rest of the recipe. When it was finished, we all agreed it was beautiful — it looked great and it smelled great! Patty and Margaret both took bites before me. Patty remarked, “that’s really spicy!” Margaret agreed. I commented, “Yes, and I even cut back on the crushed red pepper.” Then I took a bite and the spiciness literally caught in my throat, choking me!

I rushed over to the recipe again and looked it over. What I had seen earlier was 4 teaspoons of crushed red pepper . . . yes, it was right there . . . but immediately before the number 4 was a number 1 followed by a “/“.

The recipe called for one quarter of one teaspoon! By misreading the recipe, I had added twelve times the amount of crushed red pepper!

We all know how important it is to follow instructions — and even more so — how important it is to follow the rules.

Instructions and rules are similar in that they are developed by the wisdom of experience.

Adding too much red pepper ruins a meal. The instructions show an enjoyable level of heat.

Rules and laws are more substantial, but similar. Experience has demonstrated that societies that don’t maintain certain standards fall apart. So, we have a rule: You are not allowed to simply walk up to someone and punch them in the face if you don’t like them.

You can’t just walk into someone else’s house and take what you want.

You can’t drive down the street at whatever speed you choose and refuse to stop at crossroads.

Our gospel reading for today is both a message of good news for us, and a reminder of our role in the world.

The message of good news is this: You and I stand before God as the recipients of God’s grace — redeemed and held safely by the power of God’s love expressed in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The reminder of our role in the world is this: Overriding the letter of any law is the authority of God’s love — and as those who live lives of faith in God’s grace, we are to be instruments of God’s love in the world.

Following the rules is important. We all know that. Except sometimes following the rules can get in the way of following what is right, and that is where we seem to have trouble.

There is a big difference between doing the proper thing and doing the right thing — but knowing the difference can be a problem.

The Pharisees were upset with Jesus — again. This time, it was because of what he said about eating with unclean hands. Jesus said that what goes into the mouth isn’t what defiles a person, but what comes out of a person’s mouth.

“Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

There are many voices that speak with authority over the course of our lives— sometimes that authority is well-founded, but other times not. Some authority is rooted in the wisdom of ages and experience over centuries.

But some who claim authority claim it on the basis of popular opinion and the passion of the moment. Sometimes those who speak with authority do so because they think their own opinion is the only one that matters. Sometimes those who assume the authority to dictate what is right and wrong do so, based on the fact that what they say resonates with people who are angry or afraid and looking for a way to feel like they are in control. It has always been this way, in varying degrees, and the present moment is no different. That is true socially and politically.

The question for you and me is how to discern the difference between what is socially acceptable or even desirable, and what is right.

Everyone agrees that we need the rule of law for society to function effectively. But how is the rule of law to be established, adapted and applied? And for who’s benefit and toward what end? These are highly subjective.

Today, we see this being most dramatically played out in our nation with the matter of non-citizens and with the matter of wealth inequality and of course, many other issues.

For you and me there is one authority above all other voices: the love of God revealed in the person of Jesus.

Looking to scriptures is important — essential — but even turning to the Bible can’t solve the problem of discernment, because the scriptures have been recorded with human hands and they are read with human eyes and expressed with human voices.

Some turn to the scriptures and hold fast to passages that portray strict adherence to law and conduct. Others say that none of that matters. Just be kind.

Jesus said that what issues from the mouth comes from the heart, and that is true of God, too. If we believe that Scripture is God’s word to us, then we must decide what we will believe about the heart of God.

As Christians, we believe that at the core of God’s heart is love. The Law is given in love. So, when applying the law is cruel and unloving, it no longer represents what God intends.

Love is the standard.

Immediately after upsetting the Pharisees, Jesus went into the region of Tyre and Sidon — a region populated by those said to be descended from Ham — the son of Moses whose descendants were forever cursed because he looked upon the nakedness of his father.

In Jesus’ day, the people of this region were essentially treated as trash. When Jesus encountered the woman who begged for mercy, he gave us a window into the heart of God. He acknowledged the social context of the day by stating that his official mission was among the chosen people — but in showing mercy to her, he revealed that his broader mission — God’s broader mission — is to redeem all people. What Jesus reveals to us about the heart of God is that there is no barrier that can resist the love of God. That is the fact — the law — that overrides all other positions and arguments and rules.

The issues that you and I face in life are complex. That is true with our private lives, as well as our life together — locally, nationally and globally.

The process of wrestling with what is the right thing to do will always be before us.

Some people want what is truly selfish and evil. Some people want to divide and to destroy.

I think that most people want what is good and right, but even that can be hard to determine because our own pain and fear and anger are mixed up in our searching.

We are continually challenged with balancing degrees of harm and benefit. It is no easy task.

But for you and me, our greatest aid in navigating this challenge is the example of Jesus — who was compassionate and loving to all — and the knowledge that you and I — standing with the woman who was from Tyre & Sidon as recipient of God’s grace — you and I are called to be expressions of love issuing from the mouth of God.

AMEN