Heartside Out

Job 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Mark 10:2-16

Central Baptist Church, Lowesville, VA

08 October 2006

The news is full of reports questioning the integrity of public figures: senators, congressmen, CEO’s, and entertainers embroiled in moral issues, using the letter of the law to advance private concerns, and living contrary to their public positions. The reports are prevalent enough to make us wonder if there is anyone left who is above the duplicity we have come to expect. Can one live honestly and transparently in this world of hidden agendas and double-talk? What happened to integrity as the expected norm for living? Do we trust God enough to be transparent?

The story of Job begins and ends in the literary style of a fairy tale. Job is presented as a man of complete integrity. He is the righteous example of excellence. In good fairy tale fashion of absolutes, Job is the best of the best—so much that even God is impressed with him. When Job is tested and loses his wealth and children, he is taken one step further. This time his health is affected, and his body covered with itching boils. Job’s suffering escalates to such a point that his wife encourages him to curse God, and so bring about his own death as release from his torment.

It sounds like a way out of his dilemma, but it was a route Job would not take. He accepted that life was no fairy tale. Life contains both its easy and difficult aspects. Job’s words remind us that there is much more to living than seeking after our own interests. Faith, after all, does not draw others until it has been tested and shown its worth.

There are many stories in the media of people looking to ignore the rules and cover up their actions. A whole political party is struggling because of this issue of integrity. Its ideals may have been well placed, but there is apparent disparity between the ideals and the actions of the players. It is easy to cast blame. Are we really all that different from the public figures making headlines? We also hold to ideals that we fail to attain. Perhaps our failures are not as public or as monstrous, but we share the same struggle to live according to God’s ideal, while we are but failing and frail human beings. To what extent do we pretend to be what we are not? Do we have the courage to live honestly, or are we too worried about “not getting caught”?

When the Pharisees brought up the issue of divorce, Jesus shifted the discussion to the issue of living according to God’s ideals. These Pharisees were not really concerned with divorce being right or wrong. They were not worried about understanding God’s will for their lives. They were more interested in trapping Jesus with a thorny issue.

The current state of affairs gave women few rights in society. A man could divorce his wife for a reason as trivial as burning the toast. (Karen could be in hot water, since the toaster messed up this week, failing to shut off and eject the bread.) The term the Pharisees used, however, was not the term divorce. It was the term for “releasing” a wife, or kicking her out of the house. By sending her away, she would be forced to fend for herself. In that society, this would mean moving in with another man or prostitution, making her an adulteress. Moses decreed that she be given divorce papers, which would free her from the bond of marriage, giving her the freedom to marry another. In practice, many would simply kick out a wife without the protection a writ of divorce provided. The divorce would require her dowry to be returned, and grant her the opportunity for remarriage.

Jesus took a position they did not expect. He reminded them of Moses’ requirement for the writ of divorce. He also reminded them of God’s ideals for living on earth. The writ of divorce was necessary to protect a woman who might otherwise be dismissed with no means of support or protection. They were failing at this level. God’s ideal, however, demanded a more serious look at the value of marriage.

Jesus clarified for them that divorce was allowed and defined in order to protect individuals from the “hardness of the human heart”. Even so, it is not to be considered lightly. It might be a norm that becomes acceptable to a society, but we are to live by a higher standard—the ideals of God. Jesus did not categorically deny divorce as some are wont to proclaim. He emphasized the requirement of the writ of divorce upon the practice of separation. He also emphasized the struggle to live by God’s ideals.

Jesus knew that we are incapable of living by God’s standards. He understood the realities of human failure, sin, and selfish desire. He also challenged us to accept the discrepancy between what we know and do. We are to accept that reality and work to alter its application in our lives.

This is not about divorce. It is about bringing our lives into conformity with God’s will. It is about the very human struggle to be more than what society would call acceptable. The divorce writ was a measure of grace thrown in to mediate the excesses and conflicts of a society. It was God’s recognition that we do not live up to divine standards. If God does not see the need to cover up the reality of our failures, why should we feel compelled to mask our true selves? Rather than a mask, Jesus would challenge us to accept our failings and strive toward God’s ideal. We do not have the fairy tale character of Job, after all, nor does God expect such.

I was in the Campbell County courtroom to interpret and heard a host of stories by people charged with traffic violations. Some were honest about their intent, having broken the law, and accepting the related consequences of their actions. Most of these received reduced sentencing. Others displayed a refusal to accept responsibility for their actions. One man clocked at 95 claimed he knew he was speeding but thought he was only doing about 70 miles per hour, a speed supposedly required to climb a rather steep hill. He was the one only one deceived at all. His words did not match his actions. They were out of sync. We all read his words as worthless and false. Do our words find expression in our actions?

Jesus called the children to himself, chastising the disciples for keeping them away. They had yet to comprehend the lesson to the Pharisees. They had no standing to consider themselves superior to others. They were unlikely candidates to serve as doorkeepers to God’s reign. Jesus required them to contrast sincerity and honesty with their own pretense. They needed to understand their own need, just as the children understood their dependence upon others.

The world is full of examples of lives masked with the pretence of righteousness. The world is tired of these examples. They make headlines, for they are expected and fill us with anger at the false character statements of superiority. What the world needs are examples of honest faith—the integrity of those who accept their failures, but aren’t content with lesser ideals. We need examples of faith that stands the test of trial, accepts the reality of failure, and remains committed. Can we share an open and honest faith with others? Looking at my life, why would others listen to my story of faith?

—©2006 Christopher B. Harbin