Episcopal Church of the
Incarnation
West Point, Mississippi
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 18B]
Isaiah
35.4-7a Psalm 146 James 2.1-10, 14-17
Mark 7.24-37
May the Lord by in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart,
that I may rightly and truly proclaim His Holy Word. Amen.
“Which came
first, the chicken or the egg?” This
question is what is referred to in philosophy as a causality dilemma. Believe it or not, this common bit of folk
speculation is found first in the writings of Aristotle. The formal statement of a causality dilemma
is “Which came first, X that can't come
without Y, or Y that can't come without X?" There are parallels in science and
engineering, in which the dilemma is referred to as a circular reference,
one in which a parameter is required in order to calculate the parameter
itself. An example of a circular reference involves the need to
determine the thickness of the roof of a tank or structure requiring us to know
the weight of the roof. But in order to
know the weight of the roof, we need to know its thickness. The solution?
Assume a given thickness (one parameter), and by repeated iterations you
can start to calculate the thickness actually needed.
What does
this have to do with faith? Theologians
have for ages debated in a kind of circular manner. It’s not really a formal causality dilemma;
it’s more like the mock debate in beer advertising: Tastes great! Less filling!
In theology the debate can be caricatured as Salvation by
faith! Righteous works required! But the real issue with beer is whether
or not it’s good beer. And the real
issue with salvation is, are we saved?
With the chicken and the egg, we speculate about cause. But the phenomenon we examine is life. With faith and works, we speculate about
mechanism. But the gift we examine is
new life, life-everlasting.
In the
letter of James–which is really an extended sermon–the apostle asks, “What good
is it ... if you say you have faith but do not have works? ... [F]aith by
itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2.14, 17). James takes the “chicken or egg” question and
declares it irrelevant. He teaches that
faith must be a living thing, and a faith which is alive is manifested in what
we do. So, what do we do?
In our
gospel lesson, we hear of two healings, one of the daughter of a Gentile woman
who comes to Jesus, and one of a deaf man who is brought to Jesus. What is common in these stories? In each case, somebody seeks Jesus out. Boundaries are crossed. Jesus, in fact, appears to be rather harsh
with the Syrophoenician woman, calling her a dog. He’s testing.
She’s crossing a lot of boundaries.
She’s a Gentile woman coming to a Jewish rabbi. She’s a woman, approaching a man, in a
society in which this is unheard of. In
fact, there’s no mention of a husband or male guardian, and so she’s not even
supposed to be talking to any man. And
to make matters even more shocking, where does she seek Jesus out? In a private house, a Jewish house. She enters alone. Jesus, seeing this boldness, this chutzpah,
banters with her. He’s actually treating
her as an equal, talking to her, rather than ignoring her as His culture would
require.
She gives
back as good as she gets, making it clear to Jesus that her faith in Him is
genuine; that she believes He can heal her daughter. Jesus says, “For saying that [your
petition is granted]” (Mark 7.30). In
other words, you have proven your faith, and your faith will be rewarded. She has proven her faith–her faith has been
manifested in action–but what about the deaf man?
He doesn’t
come to Jesus; he is brought to Him.
He’s another outsider. Jesus is
still in the Decapolis, in Gentile territory.
But people who have encountered Jesus, and believe in Him, now bring the
deaf man to Him. In other words, they have
manifested their faith, and their faith is rewarded when Jesus opens the
ears of the deaf man, and loosens his tongue.
Because of their faith they see that Jesus does the works of the
Messiah, as prophesied by Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson.
Which
brings us back to our “chicken and egg” question, our question of faith and
works. Faith that does not show forth in
how we live, in what we do, is not alive.
So, ask yourself, “How is my faith lived?” You can use the Baptismal Covenant, the
series of promises you have made, as a “cheat sheet” to review the liveliness
of your faith. It asks (BCP 304):
1. Will
you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of
bread, and in the prayers?
In
other words, do you gather in worship?
2. Will
you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and
return to the Lord?
In
other words, do you turn to God, or do you seek to follow your own will only?
3. Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of
God in Christ?
Do people see that you live
how you live because of your faith, and are you ready to tell them about your
faith?
4. Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
Do
you in fact seek to help others, and in doing this to serve our Lord?
5. Will
you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of
every human being?
There, that sounds like
James again. Do you treat all as your
brother or sister created in God’s image?
Chickens
come from eggs, and eggs come from chickens.
Faith which is alive begets works of righteousness and mercy, and works
of righteousness and mercy strengthen us in our faith. Show your works, and we can see your
faith. Proclaim your faith in your
works. In how your live and who you are,
join with the crowd in our gospel lesson in proclaiming of our Lord, “He has
done all things well [!] (Mark 7.37).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it
was
in the
beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.