Speak No Evil
A few days ago, I sat in my office at home working on an upcoming sermon. Variations of this duty fill most of my days. It takes time to prepare sermons and make all the peripherals of the sermon come together for the Sunday morning service. The material for the printed outlines, the PowerPoint presentation, choice of scriptures for our readings, writing the bulletin articles—these are just a few of the necessary parts for conducting the service. As you can see, the tasks at hand will not allow my mind to stray too far away. Each day plants me squarely in the middle of scripture.
On this day, it was cool enough to leave the window in my office open. It was shortly after the local schools dismissed their students in the afternoon when I could hear the conversations of these young people as they walked along the sidewalk in front of my house. Their conversations are at times breathtaking. In my day, we used to comment that some people “curse like a sailor.” We understand the expression despite some sailors do not curse. Jarred rudely from my concentration in my studies, this is what came to mind. What I heard was not the filthy talk of sailors but some of the worst language I have heard any adult speak. These were school children in their normal conversation. There was no anger. No one was fighting. It was their regular fare, just their normal vocabulary.
As I thought about the sermon for this week, the evil speech of the scribes in Jerusalem constructed parallels. They were part of the religious ruling class of Israel who used nothing less than the worst language imaginable. Their comments were not about ordinary affairs but directed towards the activities of Jesus. Our English translation spares us from the details of intended meanings. However, make no mistake the original readers of Mark’s gospel well understood their intent.
In today’s message, I will tone it down to the G-rated version. These comments were against the Holy God whose purity defies our ability to understand. To compare the Christ to demons or working with the power of demons is beyond the depths of our minds. We do not know the nature of our crimes if we take part. This is so deep in the well of mire and filth that no daylight exists. Indeed, Jesus said there is no forgiveness for it.
Returning to the speech of the school children, I dare say they speak what they know by watching television, listening to their music, buried in their phones, and yes, hearing their parents in their normal conversation at home. Neither parents nor child knows the weight of sin contained in their speech especially if God’s name is there. The third commandment prohibits this language. I find it hugely interesting that in Mark 3, Jesus mentioned the Holy Spirit. The speech of the scribes offended the Holy Spirit. Listen to Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice…” (Ephesians 4:29-31).
Many Christians have no clue what they do when they lace their conversations with filthy language. What comes out in speech is the same as thoughts lodged in the heart. Read Mark 7:20-23 in conjunction with these thoughts. We hear so much filth every day from Christians and non-Christians that we consider it normal speech. God does not. It is the territory of the unforgiveable. Think carefully before you open your mouth. Speak no evil.
Pastor V. Mark Smith