By: Jerome

Read: Leviticus 15:1-16:28, Mark 7:1-23, Psalm 40:11-17, Proverbs 10:13-14

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
(Mark 7:7)

Relate:  When it comes to relationships, I try really hard at keeping everyone around me happy, and ensuring that I don’t hurt anyone with the things I say or do. But when it comes to my brother, things change. My brother and I share quite a rivalry, and every time we face each other, our battles don’t disappoint. I hate it when he gets his way with Mom and Dad and starts crying if I do something ever so slightly against his will. For example, whenever we play any game with each other, whether it’s sports like soccer or basketball or even board games like Chess or Scrabble, it is mandatory for my brother to win the game, with a convincingly huge margin. If it starts looking like I’m about to win the game, my brother brings on his game face, emotionally and excessively wailing and crying. And since it gets super annoying after a while, my parents would get mad at me for “disrupting the peace of the house” and being immature. I should be mature, and be the “bigger man” of the situation, letting him get his way. This was how he made my life difficult, and it was really hard for me to not do anything besides trouble him. 

One day, as we took part in our ceremonial battle against each other, my parents had finally had enough of it. They had planned on taking us to an amusement park over the weekend, so my Dad punished me and my brother and explained that until we learned to live together in peace and harmony, we would not be able to go. The following 3 days were the most loving and peaceful days between the two of us. I showered my love upon him, more love than I’d ever shown him since the day he started to walk and talk and be annoying. I’d hug him every 30 minutes, tell him how dearly I loved him and wanted to keep him happy, and excessively kept kissing him. I know it sounds super weird and freaky, but me and my brother were 9 and 6 years old when this happened. He too was very cooperative from his side, having the longest stretch of his life of not troubling/annoying me or crying to get me into trouble. We weren’t the same guys anymore, and our parents couldn’t believe it. Thus, my Dad could do nothing else but take us to the amusement park in response to the metamorphic shift in our relationship. But after we got back, things went back to normal. We both continued fighting as if the words of love and affirmation between us never happened, and we picked up our relationship from where we left it. My parents were pretty disappointed but not amused either. It was during the following days when I came across this verse in Mark 7, where Jesus speaks to the Pharisees. 

React: Jesus in this verse is replying to the allegations from the Pharisees regarding the lawlessness of his disciples. Jesus hits back at the Pharisees, stating that Isaiah had prophesied about them all along, that while they “honor me (God) with their lips, their hearts are far from me (God).” While they spoke religiously and always performed all the laws and regulations as mentioned in the Law, their hearts were not in line with their actions, and their intentions weren’t to please God but rather to please Men. Their hearts were far from God. This was quite similar to my relationship with my brother. Just like I became the most loving and affectionate brother in the world when presented with the condition of going to an amusement park, the Pharisees also followed laws and performed outwardly acts of worship to appear holy in front of others. All my affection and kindness towards my brother during that period was not coming from the heart, it had ulterior motives, just like the Pharisees who also put on a show for their own personal gain, not truly devoted to God. 

This verse really hits deep on whether our actions are fake or real. God isn’t impressed by empty words or dancing to worship songs on a Sunday morning service and switch back to our “worldly” personality as soon as Monday arrives. He desires our heart, a heart that truly longs for him and is committed to him. A heart that will be ready to leave behind the pleasures of the world, to pick up his cross, and whole-heartedly follow Christ. We have a relationship with our father, and it should certainly not be similar to the relationship I had with my brother. We shouldn’t run to him with our needs, and after receiving what we asked for, turn back to the world for its pleasures. Even the love, kindness, and affection we have for those around us and for God should come from a sincere heart, a heart not loving them for what they can provide for us but a heart that loves them for who they are. It reminds us to have a deep introspection, whether our actions match our intentions, and do we honor God only with our words, or whether there is true devotion to him behind everything we do.

Respond:

Dear God,
I thank you for your grace, that even though sometimes my actions are hypocritical, and I only come to you for personal gains and needs, you always welcome me back with arms wide open, and erase all my sins away. Forgive me for the times I’ve not been true to you, and have praised you with my lips even though my heart was distant from you. I pray that you will help me have a clean and pure heart and that I will be wholly devoted to you. I pray that my words and actions will not be empty and meaningless, but will reflect my heart to you. Teach me to love everyone around me genuinely and without any selfish motives, just as you loved all of us unconditionally.
Amen