Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Lead in: The Pharisees along with some scholars from Jerusalem noticed that some of Jesus’ disciples were not being careful with ritual washings before meals. So they asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples brush off the rules and eat without washing their hands?” In responding, Jesus does not mince words. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus says, “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”
Prompt: If there were anything in your life where you’re just going through the motions, but your heart really isn’t into it, where would that be?
Lead in: In commenting on religious rules for cleaning dishes and washing rituals before meals, Jesus makes it clear what really defiles. It’s not what goes in a person that pollutes. It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes. If out of our hearts comes greed, deception, envy, jealousy, mean-spirited words, arrogance, obscenities, or indifference to human suffering, these are the things that pollute and defile us from within.
Prompt: If there were anything in your heart that is adding to a polluting diminishment of the Gospel, what would that be?
Lead in: The rules of our faith are important. But in our zeal for doing it right, we sometimes can find ourselves more concerned about following the rules of our faith than following the founder of our faith, Jesus.
Prompt: Was there ever a time on your own faith journey when your focus was more on following the rules of our faith than following the founder of our faith, Jesus? What did you learn in that?
Lead in: The Book of James emphasizes how faith becomes real only when it moves us to action, an action that comes from a place of love. Jesus sums it up when he says, “Be doers of the word and not just hearers only.” This means living our faith is not just about believing in the right things, but doing the right things.
Prompt: If there were anything in your life where you need to step it up and put into action what our faith tells us we must do, what would that be?
Prompt: Is there any area of your life where you’re giving lip service to something that demands your heart?
Lead in: The Book of James cites orphans and widows as examples of the those in society who tend to be forgotten.
Prompt: Who are those in our society today who tend to be forgotten?
