“The Green-Eyed Monster”

Meditation for Sept 2, 2012

***

     “Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

     Jesus said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

    ‘This people honors me with their lips,
     but their hearts are far from me;
     in vain do they worship me,
     teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

     You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

      Then Jesus called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”      

                                                  (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15 and 21-23.)

***

    The child’s drawing was scotch-taped to the wall of my 6^th grade classroom. 

    I still remember how the arms and legs of the creature were going in different directions.  And there was a third eye in the forehead.

   At the top, a title:  “The Green Eyed Monster.”

   During the first few days of school, Mr. Lewis, one of my all-time favorite teachers, told us his classroom rules. 

    On the list was, “Watch out for the Green-Eyed Monster.”  He gestured to the crayon drawing a former student had made.

    This monster was always lurking, waiting to attack some unsuspecting soul—who may have ordinarily been a conscientious hard worker.  Someone who cared about their work and respected their teacher and fellow students.

     But when the monster was finished with his prey, the student was overcome with laziness and negativity.  He or she turned in sloppy, hastily done homework.  If he or she did their work, at all.

     They would tell themselves that no one cared, so why should they? No one would notice if they didn’t do their best.

    And the normally bright, enthusiastic student would suddenly sink to the bottom of the class, like a rock in a stream. 

    “Watch out for the Green-Eyed Monster,” Mr. Lewis warned, with a smile that told us he wasn’t kidding.

    I vowed it would never happen to me.

***

    The Pharisees and scribes didn’t need a Green-Eyed Monster to lead them astray.  They were already on the wrong path and were taking others with them. They had succeeded in transforming the passionate religion of Abraham, one that meant a personal, loving relationship with the Creator, into a religion of rules and regulations.

    Along with the 10 commandments that Moses brought down from the high mountain, Jewish people were taught to follow certain dietary and purity laws.  

   Everything must be thoroughly washed before they ate—foods, cooking utencils, hands, and so on.  Certain foods were forbidden as they came from unclean animals. 

    The religious authorities took pride in their ability to keep the dietary and purity laws. They used the laws to judge and exclude other people from the community.

    Then one day, the Pharisees and scribes see Jesus and his disciples eating without first washing their hands.  And they think, “Ah hah!  We’ve caught them in their sin!” They want to humiliate and discredit Jesus, whom the crowds have begun to trust and respect as having more authority than the scribes and Pharisees.

     They casually ask Jesus, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

     And Jesus, always ready with God’s Word, quotes Isaiah. He calls them hypocrites, who honor God with their lips, but not with their hearts.

      He dismisses the dietary and purity laws, saying there is nothing they can put inside of them that will defile them.

      Only what comes out of a person can defile.

     Fornication. Theft. Murder. Adultery. Greed. Deceit. Pride.

     Where do these sins originate?

     They come from the human heart.  The monster within.

***

   

    Sixth grade was my most enjoyable year of school. That was the year that I discovered some of my gifts and talents. I led the school’s safety patrol unit, and Mr. Lewis was the faculty sponsor.  I also started a school newspaper and became its very first editor, working closely with the principal, Miss Bruce.

    But sometime around January or February, I didn’t feel like working hard anymore.  My work became sloppy—especially the subjects that were not my favorite. Then my grades, which were usually high, started to slide.

   The worst of it was I told myself it didn’t matter. No one noticed what I did, anyway.  I told myself I didn’t care—but I did.  I just couldn’t do anything about it.  I needed help to get out of the hole into which I had slid.

   Help would come.

    One day, in the middle of seatwork time, Mr. Lewis suddenly roared from behind his desk, “Miss Kornspan”—that was my name back then —“do you know you now have a C average in math?!!!”

    The room was so silent you could have heard a pin drop.  My heart was pounding in my ears.  All eyes turned on me—and my classmates’ faces showed their surprise.

   I knew they were thinking, “Not Karen.  It hasn’t happened to her!”

   The Green-Eyed Monster had struck again.

***

   Does this happen to us Christians?  Can we get spiritually lazy?

   Yes. Sometimes even the most faithful Christians can begin to slide away from what the Lord has called them to do.

   On the surface, at least at first, it may seem like nothing has changed.  They are still going to church.  Maybe even to Bible study.

   But in their hearts something is different.  This change may be in response to a falling out with a friend, a disappointment, loss, or illness. They may just be tired from too many activities on their schedule.

  They begin to skip quiet times with the Lord.  They stop reading their Bible and praying, telling themselves it doesn’t matter if they pray or not.  God will always forgive them.

   They might even tell themselves that no one cares about them, so what difference does it make if they come to church or Sunday school? No one will notice.

    No, there isn’t really a Green-Eyed Monster.  But Satan is real.

    And the accuser loves to discourage God’s children.  He is subtle—feeding us negative thoughts until they affect our hearts and minds, without us realizing what has happened.

    That’s why we need to encourage each other and pray for one another. Hold each other accountable.

     Christianity is a religion of the heart. We can’t just act like we think Christians should behave.  We have to care about the Lord and His people! 

    Or we will be like the Pharisees and the scribes who thought clean hands were enough.

    The day my favorite teacher scolded me in front of the class was the day I realized someone did care that I was messing up.

    And so should I!

    It was time for me to have a change of heart.

   For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come. 

   Will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, we need your help!  Lead us to be the people of faith you want us to be! Create in us new hearts, clean hearts, so we may love one another and do your will.  Thank you for your grace, your amazing grace, that covers all our sins. Thank you for your love that never ends and for your Spirit that strengthens us to fight off the attacks of the accuser and any discouragement we may feel along this journey of faith. Bind us together in Christ as a people who need each other to function as the Church and live out your call to discipleship.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.