Save the Snakes

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 15
Second Lesson: James 1: 17-27
Gospel Lesson: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
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The place was Springfield, U.S.A[1].  The date was May 10th.  It was a tradition that traced its origins to the fictional Revolutionary War hero Jebediah Springfield.  The day was known as “Whacking Day.”  Every year the townsfolk would round up all the snakes within Springfield to the town square and whack them to death with sticks.  Only eight-year-old Lisa Simpson would speak out against the cruelty of such a practice.  Lisa’s words though were ignored though as she was going against the town’s long-standing tradition.  Lisa Simpson then sets out on a one-woman campaign to save the snakes of Springfield.  What ended up happening, we’ll get back to the story of Whacking Day in just a little bit.

Second Story, Once upon a time a little girl was sitting in her mother’s kitchen[2].  She was watching her mother prepare a roast; she noticed her mother every time before putting the roast in the oven would cut a piece off the end of the roast beef discarding it into the trash. 

Little girl pipes up “Mom, why do you do that?”  Mom says in response “Because that’s how my mother taught me to do the roast?” The girl was more curious, so a few weeks go by, and she sees her Grandma at a family gathering,  she asks “Grandma, why do you cut the end of the roast off before cooking.” Grandma thought and said “I’m not sure, but I remember that’s the way that my Mom prepared the roast. I’m sure she’s got a really good reason”. Finally, a few more weeks, go by when the little girl goes to visit her great-grandmother she asks “Why do you cut the end of the beef off before cooking it, Mom said she learned it from Grandma, and Grandma said she learned it from you.” Great-Grandma starts shaking her head; she then blurts out “ Imagine the two of them doing that! Why I only cut the piece off because my pan was too small[3]!”

Both these stories tell us about how we often cling to tradition, because that’s the ways it’s always been, no matter how outdated the practices might seem to be.  People can confuse the true meaning of tradition within Religion like nowhere else.

Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of Tevye and his family[4].  Tevye was merely a poor farmer, yet he was respected as the leader of the family.  Tevye had three daughters who were all needing to be married.  Within Tevye’s tradition, a matchmaker would meet with the family then find suitable husbands for each of the three daughters.  The system had been working well for generations.  The daughters as you can imagine didn’t like this arrangement.  Tevye’s oldest daughter Tzietel gets set up to marry a rich farmer in his mid-fifties.  Tevye thought the family hit the jackpot.  The only problem was Tzietel was in love with a poor tailor who couldn’t even afford a sewing machine.  Tzietel and her prospective husband break the news to her father.  Tevye was outraged that Tzietel would go against tradition. Tevye huffs and puffs finally gives in[5].  The second daughter, similar story.  Finally, Tevye’s third daughter Chava went even further in wanting to marry outside the faith.  The following was unforgivable.  Tevye would bend no further.  He refused to take part in the marriage.  He kicked his daughter out of the house.  He declared Chava to be dead[6].  What ends up happening to Tevye and his traditions, we’ll get back to his story in just a little bit. 

Today’s Gospel lesson is about tradition[7].  It’s about a tradition that arose for very good reasons in ceremonial hand-washing.  Now within the Old Testament, there were all sorts of laws about what one could or couldn’t eat: shellfish, pork, mixing meat with dairy were all forbidden.  Now even if you were self-disciplined enough to exclude these foods from your diet, if you ate non-forbidden foods then you must wash your hands not merely for cleanliness, but also for ceremonial purposes.   For example[8], you needed to wash your hands with your finger-tips pointed upward, then dry with the opposite wrist, then finally turn hands downward to let excess water drip.   You violate these laws then you were declared unfit to be on holy ground.    Now good holy people of Jesus’ day like the Scribes and Pharisees had these rituals down from childhood.  Now as they were observing Jesus’ Disciples they realized they weren’t washing their hands according to proper tradition, so they went to Jesus for an explanation. 

They say to Jesus “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands[9]?”

Jesus’ answer isn’t that such traditions are bad, they had served a very good purpose for generations, just like Tevye had seen his tradition of matchmaking make many happy marriages including his own.  The issue is expressed by Jesus as such: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.[10]”

Tim Zingale tells the following story[11]: Once upon a time, a man grew ill between two villages.  Back in these villages whichever village was closer would take care of the stricken man.  The only problem was, in this case, it wasn’t entirely clear.  One village argued that the distance needed to be measured from the man’s belly button whereas the other village argued from the man’s mouth.  Both villages wished to pass off the responsibility onto the other.  They went back and forth between each other.  One problem was in the midst of all this drama; the poor fellow passed away.

The point of this story is even though your answer may be right, it can be very wrong at the same time.  How Jesus came not to do away with tradition, but give tradition a new meaning.  Jesus came to point all of the Old Testament in the direction of the Cross.  The promises given are in our Gospel are more significant than any tradition that came before it or since.

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them[12].

Once upon a time, there was a gentleman named Narcissus[13].  One day, Narcissus wandered into the forest where he went looking for a spot to get a drink of water.  As Narcissus looked down at the pond, he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen: a beautiful face, pretty eyes, a noble nose, the most beautiful human being he had ever laid eyes.  So Narcissus stared and stared wanting to kiss this figure.  Every time though he bent down to kiss the face in the stream, the face would disappear.  Narcissus would grow depressed, back away, until he saw the face once again.  He sat there withering away until the very moment he died[14]. 

We often think the following way about tradition.  What we think we see has more beauty than ever was intended for it, traditions are merely markers to the point to much greater truths. 

As long as people have worshipped God, they have often viewed tradition in the same way as within our Gospel lesson. 

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person[15].”-Mark 7:21-23.

Tradition does not eliminate human sin. Tradition does not put to death our own selfishness.  Tradition unto itself will merely lead to death, whereas the Gospel is the Gift of God which shall bring forth eternal life[16].

Earlier, I told you the story of Tevye disowning his daughter for marrying outside the faith.  The final scene of Fiddler on the Roof, the Russian Revolution was beginning[17]. The family was going to be split up forever.  Tevye’s daughter Chava returns.  She hoped to make amends with her father against tradition.  This was where tradition’s authority would ultimately make itself known within Tevye’s life.  Tevye turned his back on her once again; the story ends in nothing but brokenness, pain, and separation.

Compare this story to the ending of another story where tradition isn’t quite so sacred.  A story like within our Gospel lesson where traditions are redefined forever. 

Also earlier, I told you the story of Springfield’s whacking day[18].  Bart Simpson after being kicked out of school did a little bit of research.  He found out Whacking Day’s origins were not with the town founder not in the Revolutionary War, the origins were much, more recent, and the day originated as an excuse for ethnic bullying.  The Simpson children then hatch a plan to save all of Springfield’s snakes, before pointing out to the gathering crowd all the good the snakes had in fact done in taking care of Springfield’s rodent population.  The snakes against all odds had ended up being cheered upon the conclusion of Whacking Day.

Sometimes traditions live on; sometimes they die natural deaths.  The great Christian hope though does not come through how we wash our hands.  The great Christian hope comes that we have a savior who washes away the very sins of the entire world. 

Since being a young child, I’ve never cared much for snakes.  Even seeing a harmless garter snake out hiking, causes me to flinch.  Like all traditions, it’s a good thing that my traditions aren’t what ultimately determine whether our God could possibly work through even snakes for his purposes and for our salvation.  Amen
 
 


[1] “Whacking Day”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.  5th.July.2018. Web. Aug. 1.2018. “Whacking Day” is the tweinth episode of The Simpsons fourth season originally airing on the Fox network on April 29th, 1993. 
[2] Higgins, Scott. “The Pan.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[3] Higgins, Scott. “The Pan.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[4] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 13B. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[5] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[6] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle
[7] Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. 
[8] Zingale, Tim. “Using Religion To Escape Religion.” Sermon Central. 5. Sept.2003. Web. Aug.1.2018.    
[9] Mark 7:5
[10] Mark 7:8
[11] Zingale, Tim. “Using Religion To Escape Religion.” Sermon Central.
[12] Mark 7:14-15. 
[13] Sterne, Rev.Martha. “Looking in the Mirror.” Day 1. 30.Aug.1999. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[14] Narcissus (mythology). Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 1.Aug.2018. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[15] Mark 7:21-23. 
[16] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[17] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[18] Whacking Day”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation