Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22, Cycle B

This is one of the relatively few occasions within use of The Revised Common Lectionary in which there is, strictly speaking, no “gospel” in the Gospel selection chosen and not much “gospel” in the other texts either. Mark 7:15 is a wisdom saying that may be from the Jesus of history, “There is nothing outside of a person entering into the mouth of the person that causes the person to be considered profane. It is some of the things that come out of the mouth of a person that cause the person to be profane.” The extended introduction in Mark 7:13 to this saying of Jesus has all of the characteristics of polemic developed among followers of Jesus. The materials in Mark 7:16-23 provide elaborations and explanations of the Mark 7:15 wisdom saying.

In this selection from Mark 7 and in most of the other texts chosen for our use next Sunday the emphasis is on appropriate human ethical behavior, and the “gospel” of the grace of God is perceived and expressed only indirectly. The suggestions that follow here are intended to assist in bringing out the “gospel” that is perceived only indirectly within these texts.

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The most significant initial step in bringing out the “gospel” that is perceived and expressed only indirectly within these texts would be to adjust the Mark 7 reading to Mark 7:14-23, using instead of the anti-Jewish polemic in Mark 7:1-8 that continues in Mark 7:9-13 the more earthy explanations of the Mark 7:15 wisdom saying that we have in Mark 7:17-23. The anti-Jewish polemic of Mark 7:1-13, one of the most extensive expressions of anti-Jewish polemic in the Gospel According to Mark, distracts from the “gospel” as anti-Jewish polemic always does. The quotation from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 29:13 in Mark 7:6-7 has little actual connection with the content of the question that is said to have been raised by the religious leaders in Mark 7:1-6, and as a response to that question can best be described as overkill. For a detailed discussion of evidence for the development of this controversy dialogue among followers of Jesus, see Arland J. Hultgren, Jesus and His Adversaries (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1979, pages 115-119). If we are serious about application of statements such as that by the Division of Theological Studies, Lutheran Council in the U.S.A., that “Christians should make it clear that there is no biblical or theological basis for anti-Semitism. Supposed theological or biblical bases for anti-Semitism are to be examined and repudiated,” in “Some Observations and Guidelines for Conversations between Lutherans and Jews,” forwarded to LCUSA member churches in 1971 and printed in Speaking of God Today: Jews and Lutherans in Conversation, edited by Paul D. Opsahl and Marc H. Tannenbaum (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974), page 165, we will not use Mark 7:6-8 and preferably not any of Mark 7:1-8 on this occasion.

If we use Mark 7:14-23 in our sermon or homily next Sunday, it would be helpful to mention that the wisdom saying in Mark 7:15 and the elaboration of that statement in Mark 7:18-23 are observations in the realm of theology, ethics, and anthropology rather than in the realm of biology and of health, since we are all aware that certain foods, liquids, and drugs if taken by mouth into the stomach will certainly “defile” a person. Perhaps the most that we can do in our explication of Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 is to remove impediments so that the implied “gospel” in the saying of Jesus in Mark 7:15 will at least not be hidden because of the unnecessary distractions of anti-Jewish polemic in Mark 7:1-8, nor by concerns raised by our awareness of important factors in biology and health that impede our acceptance of the statements in Mark 7:15-19 that nothing that we eat or drink into our bodies can harm us, can “profane” us.

James 1:17-27

The “gospel” in this portion of the Epistle of James document is expressed in the statements in James 1:17-21 that every good action and every perfect gift has been provided by God from above, by God who spoke the creative and redeeming word that saves our lives. Our response to the “gospel,” therefore, is to receive that word of God not merely as hearers but as doers of it by providing care for those who are in need, especially for orphans and for widows, and by keeping ourselves unspotted by the evils of the world, restraining our tongues from speaking evil.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

For the people of God in ancient Israel, it was life giving to live in accordance with the statutes and ordinances that the Lord commands. There was and is life in the Torah, that is, the Torah provides the guidelines that are necessary for a person to live in responsive interaction with God. While the primary emphasis is on the commandments and ordinances that are in the Torah, the stories about the responsive interaction with God and often of the lack of responsive interaction with God of the people as portrayed in the Torah are also vitally important. We can and should point this out as “gospel” next Sunday. We should also note that, at their most profound level, the letters written by the Apostle Paul that are included in our Newer Testament do not disagree with this expression of the “gospel” that is in Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9.

Psalm 15

It is asserted in Psalm 15 that the person who does what is just and right, who speaks truth and does not slander others, is graciously accepted into the presence of God. This is “gospel” in Psalm 15, in which the grace of God is proclaimed within a life that is lived well. For us as Christians, the life of the Jesus of history is the best example of such a life, and we should seek to learn as much as we possibly can about the Jesus of history. There have been and are, of course, many other examples of the grace of God in lives that are lived well, including examples within our times.

Song of Solomon 2:8-13

The “gospel” is proclaimed here in a song of a bride hearing the voice of her beloved as he is bounding over the hills like a graceful young antelope in the springtime, coming to her and calling her to come with him. The winter is past. The flowers spring up from the earth. The time for singing has come.

Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

The “gospel” in Song of Solomon 2:8-13 of the joyful song of the bride is carried over in Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 in the words of a court poet, preparing and singing a lyric poem to be used in a royal wedding. God is said to have anointed and blessed this new king with glory and honor as the king stands with his bride, the queen, at his right hand.