My Take On That Whole Faith & Works Thing From James
This is my manuscript I worked from for last Sunday's (September 6) sermon. As usual, I went off on a bit of a tangent. The Gospel lesson was Mark 7.24-37, and the Second Lesson was James 2:1-17.
Today’s Gospel lesson picks up where last week’s has left off; Jesus was arguing with the Pharisees and scribes about cleanliness. Jesus told them “(T)here is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. … All … evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” [Mark 7.15, 23]
After that argument, he leaves and heads northwest, away from the Galilean Sea to the coastal area of Tyre. This is not just a short trip to a nearby town; it is over a thirty-mile walk across the mountains. As I have found out in my month here, getting over the mountains is not an easy task, and I am driving. Jesus was going away from where he had been doing his ministry into an area not populated by many Jews. Tyre was more of a Greek community. He may have been going there to get away from the pressures of his ministry. He wanted to be left alone. He finds a house and did not want to be noticed. One of my classmates who I talked to about this week’s lessons called this Jesus’ Calgon moment, “Calgon, take me away!” But it did not work.
It must be like the busy executive who has been working long hours on a project takes off to a cabin by a lake, but then the cell phone goes off. Or after a long hard day’s work, you go off to your quiet spot, to read a book watch TV or just relax, and someone comes in wanting your attention or help. It is no surprise that Jesus barks at her. He wants to be left alone, and on top of it, she is not a Jew. She is Syrophenician. According to the First Century historian Josephus, the Phenicians were bitter enemies of the Jews. She is not one of the “Chosen People.” But even on the coast of the Mediterranean, even among the Greeks, Syrophencians and other Gentiles, the details of Jesus’ power has spread. So this woman comes, desperate to save her little daughter. She seeks out this man, who is not of her people and not of the high standing classes. She seeks out this stranger of whom she has heard stories that he can perform miracles. She seeks out a man who is the last chance she has to save her daughter.
But Jesus, not wanting to be disturbed, rejects her and calls her a dog. This statement by Jesus is one of the most challenging of his statements. Our savior, the Messiah, calls her (and all Gentiles) dogs, and that it is not right to take him away from the children, the chosen ones of Israel. It is hard to hear words that harsh and hurtful come from the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Love. But look closely at what he says. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." [Mark 7.27] He is not rejecting her begging for help; he is setting up an order to his ministry. First, he will feed the children, the chosen of Israel. If Jesus was only going to be the Messiah for Israel, then why would he go anywhere outside of Israel, especially a community several days journey across the mountains? If He was only coming to those already called by God, why go to Tyre? If he was going to minister only to those who were clean, why leave the synagogues?
But this woman shows her resolution and her faith in Jesus. She isn’t asking to be given the children’s food; she isn’t asking for a seat at the table, she is just looking for the scraps and crumbs that fall from the table. Because of the persistence of her faith, Jesus does as she wished, and banishes the demon from her daughter.
But let’s look again at what Jesus said to the woman, this time through the culture of the times. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." First, being invited to a meal in Jesus’ time was a very big deal. It was a sign of inclusion. Inviting someone to dine in your house, at your table, was a sign of acceptance. That is why the Pharisees and scribes had so many problems with Jesus. He dined with the worst people in society, the poor, the unclean, the outcast and the sinners. By having a meal with them, Jesus was accepting them, just as they were, into his family. Also, in those times in the Ancient Near East, a dog was not a man’s best friend. Most dogs lived in wild packs that foraged for food. Some families would keep dogs as protectors and pets. The children fed these dogs, from the crumbs from their plates. The children back then did, as children still do today, feed the dogs with food from their plate. Now if the children are Israel, the chosen of God, and the dogs are Gentiles, what does that mean? God came first to Israel and then, through the works of Israel, to the rest of the world.
She has not merited the crumbs of grace from Jesus because of her religion; she is not a Jews. She has not merited the crumbs of grace from Christ because of her piety and good actions; we know nothing of what she has done. She has merited the crumbs of grace from God because of her faith, and the words she says to Jesus showing she believes he is the only hope for her daughter.
In last week’s Gospel, the debate with the Pharisees and scribes was over following the Law and its relationship to God. The Pharisees taught that only by following the Law would one be able to be in a right relationship with God. When they accused Jesus of ignoring and rejecting the Law because his disciples did not wash their hands before they ate, Jesus rejected their claim. “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” [Mark 7.8] Because they are focused on living by the letter of the Law, they have lost the love that is at the center of the spirit of the Law. He tells them they have made “void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on.” [Mark 7.13]
James makes the same point in the passage we heard from his letter today when he talks about the way we show hospitality toward people. The person who is dressed well will be treated better than the one in rags, even though the one in rags needs our attention more. James states “Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?“ [James 2.5] One of my professors at the Seminary has said Jesus came to the “lost, last, least, little and lifeless.” Whenever Jesus does something for someone, when he heals, welcomes, cures or saves them, they fall into one of those categories. These are the people James is calling upon us to serve, because these people are our neighbors as well. Refusing to do so is showing partiality. James says that fulfilling the Law is an all or nothing proposition. You need a perfect score. Fulfilling 99.99% means you have failed in 0.01%. In a pass or fail environment, we have all failed. We cannot, despite our best efforts and intentions, fulfill the Law. We will, and do, sin. But Christ, on the cross, has paid for our failings. Our sins have been forgiven, but not because of what we have done and not by our works and efforts to fulfill the Law. Our sins have been forgiven because of the one who fulfilled the Law by his faithfulness, even to a painful death on the cross.
The works James calls us to do are a sign, or response, to our faith in our savior, Jesus Christ, and are not an attempt to earn our salvation. This difference is at the core of the dispute Martin Luther had with the Roman Catholic church, and the issue he had with James’ letter. The Roman church believed by the good works we do, the penance for our sins, we could atone for our transgressions and merit our salvation. This passage in James is at the heart of their reasoning. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? … So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” [James 2.14, 17] We believe that by his life, death and resurrection, Jesus has caused our sins to be wiped clean. Further, there is nothing we can do that can atone for our sins. Once a sin has been committed, it is there forever. All of the good we do cannot remove that stain against God. Only the blood of the Lamb of God can remove that mark.
But just because we cannot earn salvation, since it has already been earned for us on the cross at Calvary, does not mean we do not have work to do. Our good works, toward our loved ones, toward our neighbor, and toward the lost, last, least, little and lifeless are a response to our faith. They come from our faith. They are a reaction to our faith. In our high school physics classes, we heard Newton’s Third Law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” It is similar to faith. For the action of the gift of faith being given into us by the Holy Spirit, we have an opposite reaction coming from us; those are our good works towards others. It has been said works are the fruit of the tree of faith. They are a response to our salvation, not a cause of it. What if now, in our times the children are Christians, the church is the body of Christ, and the dogs are lost, last, least, little and lifeless, what does that mean? God has come to us and given us the gift of grace and salvation and then, through the works of the body of Christ, through us, to the rest of the world.
We are called to do works of faith to the lost, last, least, little and lifeless. The places where we need to go and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ are often the places to which we least want to go. The people to whom we need to share the Gospel with are often the people with whom we may not want to interact. But when we shy away from those places and people, we, as James tells us, “show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” [James 2.9] We must be welcoming to the rich and the poor. We must reach out to the clean and unclean. We must help the friend and the foe. It is not for our salvation, but is that we may share the message of salvation with others, not just by proclaiming our faith on our lips, but so we can proclaim our faith with our hands, our hearts and our lives. We must do God’s work with our hands. AMEN.
Today’s Gospel lesson picks up where last week’s has left off; Jesus was arguing with the Pharisees and scribes about cleanliness. Jesus told them “(T)here is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. … All … evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” [Mark 7.15, 23]
After that argument, he leaves and heads northwest, away from the Galilean Sea to the coastal area of Tyre. This is not just a short trip to a nearby town; it is over a thirty-mile walk across the mountains. As I have found out in my month here, getting over the mountains is not an easy task, and I am driving. Jesus was going away from where he had been doing his ministry into an area not populated by many Jews. Tyre was more of a Greek community. He may have been going there to get away from the pressures of his ministry. He wanted to be left alone. He finds a house and did not want to be noticed. One of my classmates who I talked to about this week’s lessons called this Jesus’ Calgon moment, “Calgon, take me away!” But it did not work.
It must be like the busy executive who has been working long hours on a project takes off to a cabin by a lake, but then the cell phone goes off. Or after a long hard day’s work, you go off to your quiet spot, to read a book watch TV or just relax, and someone comes in wanting your attention or help. It is no surprise that Jesus barks at her. He wants to be left alone, and on top of it, she is not a Jew. She is Syrophenician. According to the First Century historian Josephus, the Phenicians were bitter enemies of the Jews. She is not one of the “Chosen People.” But even on the coast of the Mediterranean, even among the Greeks, Syrophencians and other Gentiles, the details of Jesus’ power has spread. So this woman comes, desperate to save her little daughter. She seeks out this man, who is not of her people and not of the high standing classes. She seeks out this stranger of whom she has heard stories that he can perform miracles. She seeks out a man who is the last chance she has to save her daughter.
But Jesus, not wanting to be disturbed, rejects her and calls her a dog. This statement by Jesus is one of the most challenging of his statements. Our savior, the Messiah, calls her (and all Gentiles) dogs, and that it is not right to take him away from the children, the chosen ones of Israel. It is hard to hear words that harsh and hurtful come from the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Love. But look closely at what he says. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." [Mark 7.27] He is not rejecting her begging for help; he is setting up an order to his ministry. First, he will feed the children, the chosen of Israel. If Jesus was only going to be the Messiah for Israel, then why would he go anywhere outside of Israel, especially a community several days journey across the mountains? If He was only coming to those already called by God, why go to Tyre? If he was going to minister only to those who were clean, why leave the synagogues?
But this woman shows her resolution and her faith in Jesus. She isn’t asking to be given the children’s food; she isn’t asking for a seat at the table, she is just looking for the scraps and crumbs that fall from the table. Because of the persistence of her faith, Jesus does as she wished, and banishes the demon from her daughter.
But let’s look again at what Jesus said to the woman, this time through the culture of the times. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." First, being invited to a meal in Jesus’ time was a very big deal. It was a sign of inclusion. Inviting someone to dine in your house, at your table, was a sign of acceptance. That is why the Pharisees and scribes had so many problems with Jesus. He dined with the worst people in society, the poor, the unclean, the outcast and the sinners. By having a meal with them, Jesus was accepting them, just as they were, into his family. Also, in those times in the Ancient Near East, a dog was not a man’s best friend. Most dogs lived in wild packs that foraged for food. Some families would keep dogs as protectors and pets. The children fed these dogs, from the crumbs from their plates. The children back then did, as children still do today, feed the dogs with food from their plate. Now if the children are Israel, the chosen of God, and the dogs are Gentiles, what does that mean? God came first to Israel and then, through the works of Israel, to the rest of the world.
She has not merited the crumbs of grace from Jesus because of her religion; she is not a Jews. She has not merited the crumbs of grace from Christ because of her piety and good actions; we know nothing of what she has done. She has merited the crumbs of grace from God because of her faith, and the words she says to Jesus showing she believes he is the only hope for her daughter.
In last week’s Gospel, the debate with the Pharisees and scribes was over following the Law and its relationship to God. The Pharisees taught that only by following the Law would one be able to be in a right relationship with God. When they accused Jesus of ignoring and rejecting the Law because his disciples did not wash their hands before they ate, Jesus rejected their claim. “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” [Mark 7.8] Because they are focused on living by the letter of the Law, they have lost the love that is at the center of the spirit of the Law. He tells them they have made “void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on.” [Mark 7.13]
James makes the same point in the passage we heard from his letter today when he talks about the way we show hospitality toward people. The person who is dressed well will be treated better than the one in rags, even though the one in rags needs our attention more. James states “Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?“ [James 2.5] One of my professors at the Seminary has said Jesus came to the “lost, last, least, little and lifeless.” Whenever Jesus does something for someone, when he heals, welcomes, cures or saves them, they fall into one of those categories. These are the people James is calling upon us to serve, because these people are our neighbors as well. Refusing to do so is showing partiality. James says that fulfilling the Law is an all or nothing proposition. You need a perfect score. Fulfilling 99.99% means you have failed in 0.01%. In a pass or fail environment, we have all failed. We cannot, despite our best efforts and intentions, fulfill the Law. We will, and do, sin. But Christ, on the cross, has paid for our failings. Our sins have been forgiven, but not because of what we have done and not by our works and efforts to fulfill the Law. Our sins have been forgiven because of the one who fulfilled the Law by his faithfulness, even to a painful death on the cross.
The works James calls us to do are a sign, or response, to our faith in our savior, Jesus Christ, and are not an attempt to earn our salvation. This difference is at the core of the dispute Martin Luther had with the Roman Catholic church, and the issue he had with James’ letter. The Roman church believed by the good works we do, the penance for our sins, we could atone for our transgressions and merit our salvation. This passage in James is at the heart of their reasoning. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? … So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” [James 2.14, 17] We believe that by his life, death and resurrection, Jesus has caused our sins to be wiped clean. Further, there is nothing we can do that can atone for our sins. Once a sin has been committed, it is there forever. All of the good we do cannot remove that stain against God. Only the blood of the Lamb of God can remove that mark.
But just because we cannot earn salvation, since it has already been earned for us on the cross at Calvary, does not mean we do not have work to do. Our good works, toward our loved ones, toward our neighbor, and toward the lost, last, least, little and lifeless are a response to our faith. They come from our faith. They are a reaction to our faith. In our high school physics classes, we heard Newton’s Third Law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” It is similar to faith. For the action of the gift of faith being given into us by the Holy Spirit, we have an opposite reaction coming from us; those are our good works towards others. It has been said works are the fruit of the tree of faith. They are a response to our salvation, not a cause of it. What if now, in our times the children are Christians, the church is the body of Christ, and the dogs are lost, last, least, little and lifeless, what does that mean? God has come to us and given us the gift of grace and salvation and then, through the works of the body of Christ, through us, to the rest of the world.
We are called to do works of faith to the lost, last, least, little and lifeless. The places where we need to go and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ are often the places to which we least want to go. The people to whom we need to share the Gospel with are often the people with whom we may not want to interact. But when we shy away from those places and people, we, as James tells us, “show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” [James 2.9] We must be welcoming to the rich and the poor. We must reach out to the clean and unclean. We must help the friend and the foe. It is not for our salvation, but is that we may share the message of salvation with others, not just by proclaiming our faith on our lips, but so we can proclaim our faith with our hands, our hearts and our lives. We must do God’s work with our hands. AMEN.
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