clean and unclean

"What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' " MARK 7: 20-23

Reflecting upon this passage, it seems fake, it seems impossible, as if humans couldn't possibly be this evil, alarmingly shallow, or frighteningly terrible. But when I evaluate it in truth, my own heart is revealed. I am this evil. I am this brutal. I am this terrible. I am the essence of this passage.

In any given day and at least week, I am all of these things. I am a cheater, a liar, a greedy fool, a lover of money, an adulterer, an arrogant snob, a thief, a deceitful scoundrel, a gross slanderer - a man full of pride and envy. I am all of these things and more. I am at any given time, the epitome of the fall.

We are warned of the yeast of the Pharisees. Yeast spreads through dough, the whole dough. In today's language we might have been warned of cancer or weeds. Cancer spreads through the body with disregard for health. Weeds spread and choke out anything in their path. They kill. The same is true for those who oppose the Truth. I often wonder how evil can spread so quickly, so ruthlessly, while good can take so long to take hold...? It seems backwards and silly. It starts with the man in the mirror. It appears the symptom of a fallen world where sin runs wild and evil flaunts around untamed and uncontrolled, while good is confined to a jail with walls made of greed, envy, jealousy, lust, sex, murder, arrogance and immorality.

Ultimately, I have come to realize that evil can be overcome but with one thing, Love. I don't mean the kind of love that we whisper in secret corners of past crushes, or about the kind of love we bestow upon our pets, or the love we profess for decadence like ice cream or cookies, or the love we proclaim for amusement park rides, or the love we attach to cherished possessions.

Rather, I mean the love someone would show by redeeming us for all of our debt with one single, incredible act. I'm talking about the kind of love someone would die for in order to free many from the grasp of demons. I'm talking about the kind of love someone would show by carrying the sins of the world upon their back only to be betrayed and put to death, as to pay the ransom for people like me.

This love manifests itself only when we sacrifice of ourselves for something, or should I say, SOMEONE, bigger than ourselves. So long as we look to the 'self' first, evil will have it's way. There is nothing greater in life than laying down our own for the sake of another - it is the very essence of love. I hope I will learn to lay down my life every day.