Day 26: Contagious

Mark 7:15

“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

Can you remember a time when you were more aware of the spread of germs than you have been in the last several months? Things that we didn’t give much thought to before – handshakes, door knobs, shopping carts – no longer seem so innocent. This virus is very contagious, but we know how to lower our risk of being infected. Washing our hands often and for a full 20 seconds, wearing a mask in public, and staying home more are all ways to help protect ourselves and others. Flatten the curve, social distancing… we know the routine by now. And if we somehow manage to forget, the reminders are posted everywhere. From the door of the grocery store to signs on the highway. Even the kids get reminders from Baby Shark before streaming a PBS show on Prime Video. Wash your hands, doo doo doo doo doo doo.  

In reality, there has always been a risk of contracting a virus from touching a door knob. We were simply willing to take our chances with catching a cold as we went about our lives. Most of us succumb to a few each year, and it’s annoying and uncomfortable, but something we accept as a normal part of being human. So the difference lies in how we perceive the danger of this particular virus, not only to ourselves but to the people around us. When something is this dangerous and this contagious, the whole world takes notice and does whatever is necessary to stop it. Right?

Maybe not. 

The Pharisees that Jesus met in Mark 7 were pretty concerned about hand washing too. They had no concept of germ theory and had never heard of a virus, but they were well acquainted with the idea of contamination. In their tradition, certain things would defile you and there were specific rituals for becoming ceremonially clean again. So when they noticed that Jesus’ disciples weren’t following their rules, they confronted Jesus about it. Jesus responded that they were a little too focused on what was coming into them and not concerned enough about what was coming out. 

The disciples were confused about this little scene, so they asked him about it later. Jesus explained to them what they should watch out for:

He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)

Has anyone else noticed that most of the things on this list are getting pretty free rein lately? In the media, from our political leaders, from our faith leaders, from our friends on social media, and dare I say, from my own heart? My hands are not clean.

I don’t mean to suggest that any of these things are new. Jesus was pointing them out 2,000 years ago, and they weren’t new then either. Sin is sin, and human beings have always struggled with these things. But sin is also contagious. We have spent so much energy in this season defending ourselves from the external threats around us that our defenses seem to be down when it comes to the threats from within. Or perhaps we simply don’t understand how dangerous these threats really are. 

Several of my friends have posted on social media lately with similar sentiments: I am free to post whatever I want on my social media feeds and if you don’t like it you can either scroll past it or unfollow me. This is true of course, but I think that Paul would write to us what he wrote to the Corinthians:

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

Harsh words are contagious. Slander is contagious. False ideas are contagious. Arrogance and folly are definitely contagious. If those are the things coming out of us right now, maybe we need to take precautions to avoid spreading them, such as staying off of social media or venting those things in a journal that no one else will read. Just like we wear masks primarily to protect the people around us from any germs that we may have, maybe we need some masks and social distancing to while God helps us sort out some of our current struggles. Ultimately he is the only one that can heal this disease that we each have inside of us.

The good news is that positive things can also be contagious. Encouragement is contagious. Beauty and truth are contagious. Humility and wisdom are also contagious. We have the opportunity to spread these things in our own circles of influence and watch them widen like ripples on a pond. May the followers of Jesus Christ be known for elevating the tone of our discourse and for our willingness to give up our rights for the benefit of others. And may it bring glory to God.