"Corrupted Files"     Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Delivered 8-30-09 to Smith Chapel UMC



What I Didn't Say

Pharisees--One of my friends who attended service that day commented later on what a bad rap the Pharisees seem to get.  That's very true.  The question becomes, I suppose, do they deserve it?

My answer to him was to remind him of the Pharisees we never hear about.  They were, quite possibly, the silent majority of their time.  We know about Nicodemus.  He was a Pharisee who was looking for the truth.  I would guess he was not alone.  I like to think he was in a silent majority among his peers.

On the other hand, Jesus was quite clear as to what He thought about the Pharisees.  I hope He was speaking in particular to those Pharisees who dismissed Him out of hand and more particularly to those who railed against Him and even sought after his elimination from this world.

The Pharisees remind me of today's politicians.  In seminary, they used to tell us that when we got out into the parish, we would discover there were three sexes...male, female, and clergy.  It seems to me that it is equally appropriate to state that there are two kinds of people in this world...politicians and everyone else.