Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

They hadn’t washed their hands! How disgusting! Those filthy disciples just dug into their bread without observing the proper rituals! Clustered together and casting disapproving glances at the obvious heathens in their midst, the scribes and Pharisees were filled with outraged repulsion. How could these men claim to be so righteous yet not follow all the religious traditions and rituals passed down from their elders? More importantly, why didn’t their Leader, the great Teacher, tell them to mind their manners? The affront was intolerable. Unwilling to leave the issue unaddressed, they approached Jesus demanding to know why His men were eating without proper washing according to their traditions. 

I wonder what response they were expecting. Did they think He was going to run over and slap the bread out of the disciples’ allegedly dirty hands? Did they assume He would call them out publicly for their great offense? Did they mistakenly believe Jesus He would make His disciples engage in the ritualistic handwashing of their tradition? I don’t know. I do know this. Whatever response they expected, they were in for a huge surprise. 

Jesus, looking calmly over the scene, answered like this, “You are hypocrites. Isaiah was right about you. What you say and do doesn’t match the mess in your heart. What you teach reflects the commands of men, not the heart of God. You religiously observe your own traditions passed down from generation to generation, giving them more reverence than the commands of God. You have effectively invalidated God’s precepts, replacing them with your rituals and traditions. You don’t truly love, honor, or worship God and it shows in what spews from the ugliness of your ungodly hearts.” Then, to the entire crowd, Jesus clarified His words, saying, “What you eat or drink doesn’t contaminate you, but what springs up from within can.” (Mark 7:1-16)

The disciples were confused. What was Jesus saying? Eating spoiled food won’t make you ill? Of course it could! And too much wine could have negative effects as well. They all knew these things. So what could Jesus possibly mean when He said, “What you eat doesn’t contaminate you?” They needed an explanation! 

Jesus gave it to them. “Don’t you understand? Following Me has nothing to do with what you eat or how clean your hands are when you eat it. There are no traditions or rituals that can save your soul. Only a clean heart, free from evil thoughts, adultery, greed, deceit, promiscuity, pride, and every other sin, will ever make it to Heaven. The evil of one’s heart contaminates their entire being.” (Mark 7:17-29)

You see, following Jesus has nothing to do with food, traditions, or rituals. You can’t cleanse your heart by washing your hands, following a bunch of guidelines, or putting money in the collection plate. Your soul can only be contaminated by the evil that springs up from within and flows out of your heart. Sins that you pamper and nourish. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, hate. These things contaminate your entire life. Adhering to traditions and rituals can’t decontaminate it, either. Only following Jesus wholeheartedly, living for Him doggedly can cleanse the contamination from your soul. Because Following Jesus has nothing to do with following a bunch of traditions and everything to do with the state of your heart.  (I Corinthians 8:8; Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45)

We are people of traditions, completely immersed in their practice. Cultural traditions. Family traditions. Religious traditions. Traditions like Lent, which starts today. Across the globe, people will choose something to forgo and eschew it for the next 40 days. It seems it’s often a food item. Coffee, chocolate, caffeine, carbs. I’ve never been able to understand it. I can’t find a correlation between drinking coffee and following Jesus. According to the above account, Jesus didn’t see one either. So why do we hear so much about quitting a food group in keeping with Lent? When did the Lent tradition turn into a diet plan? Do you spend more time in Bible reading and prayer without your coffee cup or carb-laden breakfast? If not, what possible connection can there be between your diet and your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

There really isn’t one. Unless, of course, your besetting sin is gluttony. You can give up candy, pasta, or pie. It might change your body, but it won’t change your heart. No type of fasting alone will change your heart. You can forego the new shoes and donate the money to the poor, but it won’t make you more devoted to Jesus. You can give up an exciting novel, stop watching your favorite television show, skip social media, decline dinner with friends, but if you don’t fill those voids with Jesus, it means nothing at all. Lent isn’t about exclusion. It’s about inclusion. Lent is about finding or making more room in your life for Jesus Christ. It’s about rearranging your priorities to give Him first place. It’s about laying aside the temporal and reveling in the eternal. 

Your soul can’t live without it, this decadent feasting on the things of God. You won’t survive without intimate knowledge of Jesus in the deepest part of your being. You can never safely navigate the tricks and traps of the world without a profound personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You need it desperately. Your soul longs for it. If you can shush the clamoring noises of the world long enough to listen, you would know it. Mary did. 

Beset on every side with cleaning, cooking, and a nagging Martha, Mary plopped down at Jesus’ feet, focused her gaze on Him, tuned her hearing to His voice alone, and listened. Others were gathered to listen as well, Mary didn’t notice them. Martha came to insist she stop wasting time and help serve, it didn’t break her concentration. Mary wasn’t unaware that there were important things to do. She simply understood what most of us miss, the most important, most needful thing was to feed her soul. The dishes could wait. The meal didn’t need to be elaborate. The laundry would be there tomorrow. The sweeping would only need redone once everyone left. So she laid aside Martha’s absorbing tasks and soaked up Jesus’ presence instead. Mary knew her soul would die without Him. (Luke 10:38-42)

Your soul will too. Your soul cannot exist on a constant diet of news, social media, and television programs. It cannot survive day after day on a calendar Scripture and a quick prayer as you rush out the door. Simply put, your soul will die if you don’t make time for Jesus. You can’t possibly know Him if you don’t spend time with Him. You’ll miss hearing His voice if you don’t shut out the noise of the world and listen. You will never experience spiritual growth when you are actively denying your soul the one nutrient it needs to survive. You must have Jesus. Your soul will die without Him.

Today is Ash Wednesday. It’s the traditional beginning of Lent. Maybe in the past you have followed the tradition grudgingly as part of your religious affiliation. Perhaps you have half-heartedly participated because a parent or spouse or friend thought you should. Maybe you have observed the tradition in an attempt to assuage the guilt for the things springing out of your ungodly heart. Perhaps the taunting echoes from that same heart are tempting you to forgo Lent this year. I hope you don’t. I hope you participate. Not in some tradition alone that doesn’t change your heart, save your soul, or bring eternal joy, but in the spirit of the traditions. Don’t just give up peanut butter and go on with your life as usual. Keep your peanut butter. Rearrange your life instead. Spend more time with Jesus. Sit at His feet. Listen to His voice. Learn from Him. Let Him change your heart. Not by tradition alone, but by the cleansing and continued presence of His Spirit. (Titus 3:4-7; Mark 8:37)