***
“Jesus 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 [a person’s heart] are what defile” (Mark 7:14-23).
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Jesus’ words were scandalous at the time he spoke them, because he directly accused the scribes and Pharisees of being hypocrites, phonies.
To be a hypocrite originally referred to someone who was an “actor on a stage.”
But Jesus develops this idea, saying that the scribes and Pharisees’ entire lives are a piece of acting – their words are no more than a script.
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Unfortunately, we know this phenomenon did not end in the era of Jesus. There have been – and always will be – some people who use religion as a cloak.
Though they appear to be holy on the outside, they’re defiled within.
***
We must be careful, however, not to overlook ourselves and feel unchallenged by the Gospel.
Though we are all men and women of good will and tangible faith, we all must wrestle with the devil. And sometimes the fruit of that encounter leaves us with unkind thoughts or unhealthy feelings.
But the fact that we struggle – the fact that we wrestle with him and do not give up – is a sign that the devil has not taken from us what he desires most.
Our faith remains intact; our love for Jesus, strong.
The invitation from Jesus today is to take whatever struggles we may have within and place them at his feet, because we never have to fight alone.
Jesus is the one who puts the devil in his place.