God as the Great Giver

James begins this passage by reminding us that God is the originator, the great giver. All good and perfect gifts come from Him. His greatest gift, as James outlines it, is the gift of new life—rebirth. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, you must be born again by the Spirit of God. Here James says we're given birth through the word of truth: as we read the good news in the Bible, as we respond to the invitation of the Holy Spirit that we find there, we are born again into new life.

The Power and Peril of Our Words

James is very practical about anger and speech: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and even more slow to become angry. Listen—don't fool yourselves. If you think you are following Jesus and all is well, but you cannot control what comes out of your mouth—whether it be critical, negative, condemnatory of others, or words you know you shouldn't use—James says: get a grip.

Don't fool yourselves that this kind of religion is worthless. If your faith cannot change how you speak, what are you really following?

Religion That Matters: Justice and Compassion

James ends by giving us a very practical pull towards social justice. There is a religion that God finds delight in, and that is a religion which works itself out in caring for those in need.

Orphans and widows are biblical shorthand for those on the edges, on the margins. Today there will still be orphans and widows in need of care, but there are far more categories: those who sleep rough on our streets, those who come to the end of the month without enough food, those who suffer economic injustice, those who suffer racial injustice, those who suffer the injustice of living in poverty while many of us live in relative comfort and ease.

This is a challenging passage for us today. Let's reflect on how quickly we are angry. Let's take a check on the balance between the amount we listen and the amount we speak. And then ask: What is my religion worth? How does my faith show itself? Does it simply keep itself to itself, or is it willing—like Jesus—to be spent for the needs of others?

External Religion vs. Heart Religion

Mark's Gospel follows helpfully on from James's challenge to our notions of religion. Essentially, so many people over the centuries have made the mistake of seeing religion as something external—a set of rules to keep, a way of life designed for those able to put on a good show of keeping it. Religion was at arm's length; it had nothing to do with the heart, mind, and will.

Jesus cuts right to the point: the teachers of the law and the Pharisees are offended that Jesus's disciples are not observing the ceremonies of hand washing. Interestingly, for this to be the case, Jesus must already have privately taught his disciples that it was okay to set aside this part of human tradition.

Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules." Let these words challenge us: *Is there any way in which you and I honor God with our lips while our hearts are far away? Is our worship in vain?

How Religious People Compromise God's Word

Jesus goes into detail about one of God's clearest commands: honor father and mother. Yet these Pharisees had found a way to effectively keep money for themselves. They would say: "I don't need to support my parents financially because I'm declaring that part of my income devoted to God."

It's an outrageous denial of what God's Word teaches. Jesus says: "You nullify the word of God through your own human traditions." Religious people can argue themselves into positions that are clearly contrary to God's will.

Where True Defilement Comes From

Having chastised the so-called religious leaders, Jesus turns to the crowd and says: "I want you to understand this: don't be fooled into thinking that true religion is anything to do with the external."

Don't worry about things that are outside. The place to focus your energy, attention, repentance, and desire for God to work in you is within your heart, your mind, your conscience, your will, your very soul and spirit. That is the origin of the things that divide us.

From within come: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.

Let's not be fools. Let's not be blind to this reality: true faith is a matter of the heart. It's a matter of submission to Jesus and a daily commitment to follow His way in the service of others by the power and help of the Holy Spirit.

Application: The Heart Matters

Lord Jesus, help us to live and walk Your way. Help us daily to take up our cross and follow You. Enable us to worship You truly in spirit and in truth—not just with the words we speak, but with the lives we lead.