Cleaning Day

And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:10-20 ESV). The moving company emptied the apartment yesterday; and, today we will be cleaning it in preparation to turning the keys in for the final inspection. I know there will be lots of dusting and vacuuming. Mary is particular about making sure everything is as clean as it was when we moved in. Thinking about that task brought me to our reading for today. Jesus is responding to the people of his day about the true nature of sin and our sin nature. Recently I read a story about Everett Worthington, chair of the Psychology Department at Virginia Commonwealth University and has specialized in the clinical study of forgiveness since 1990. Tragically, he was forced to confront the process personally after his elderly mother was murdered in her own home. He describes his intense anger as he imagined his gentle mother being bludgeoned to death. For all his academic knowledge about how forgiveness works, hardness still gripped his heart. Anger is a very human experience. Frederick Buechner writes, “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past is a feast fit for a king.” In the end, however, the roles change and anger begins to feast upon us. Our hearts turn toxic. We become emotionally displaced, physically agitated, and relationally strained. Our anger hardens into bitterness, resentment, and cynicism. Jesus knows that out of the heart come evil thoughts and actions. Only he can change the heart. Follow me, he says, and I will give you the power to forgive. Only there, in the depths of the heart, can forgiveness be genuinely received and extended back into a world that is desperately waiting to be loved and forgiven. Perhaps today ought to be a “cleaning day” for you as well.