The old “saw” “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you” is NOT true. Words can and do hurt. In this day and age, people’s thoughts and feelings go out daily on Facebook for all to see. We wonder which news media we can trust because reporting gets “slanted”. We argue and fight and become angry over things that really don’t matter. The past happened. You cannot rewrite history. If an issue comes up that you take umbrage over---lift up what you have to say in a gracious manner---there are always more sides than one to an issue—and let everyone have their say in peace. But don’t tear down---build up! Add new statues from a different perspective of the issue but don’t tear down the old. If you have to, move it to a museum. I’d say that the devil is loving our times—because every thing we do and say gets “magnified” and “spread” to all and sundry! Because this---written anonymously is the truth: “The most ferocious monster in the world has his den just behind the teeth.” And that goes true for our thoughts flowing from our pens and fingertips on a keyboard or phone screen, too!
Scripture has a lot to say about our tongues. One movie illustration of how our tongues can get us into trouble is this one from A Christmas Story about growing up in Gary, Indiana. One scene depicts a school recess in the middle of winter. Two boys are surrounded by their classmates who are arguing whether a person’s tongue will stick to a metal pole in below freezing weather. Eventually one boy, Ralphy, succumbs to the infamous “triple-dog dare.” Hesitantly, he sticks his tongue out and touches it to the school flagpole. Sure enough, it gets stuck. The recess bell rings. Everybody runs into the school building except Ralphy. When the teacher finally looks out the window, she sees the boy writhing in pain, his tongue frozen to the flagpole. Most of us have never been in that predicament, but we do know what it is like to have our tongues get us in trouble. When we suffer the pain that eventually recoils upon everyone who speaks boastful words, lying words, bitter and cruel words, hypocritical or doubting words, we learn the truth of the proverb, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.” (Proverbs 21:23)
Outside of our reading from Matthew, there is another text that warns us of the use of our tongues—from James chapter 3: “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth, come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3: 5b-10)
Then our reading from Matthew chapter 15 has this: “It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” Jesus goes on to say, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. These contaminate a person in God’s sight.” (Matthew 15: 11, 19-20). This is the heart and mouth connection!
Now, granted Jesus was on a slightly different track here with the Pharisees. Jesus was stating that spiritual impurity is not contracted through eating foods that are not ceremonially cleansed. He was renouncing the Pharisees’ tradition that required ritual cleansing before eating. He was not speaking of hygienic cleanliness but of spiritual purity. Ceremonial cleansing was not the key element in producing godliness. A hypocritical show of devotion to God can mask a heart that is more intent on gaining a religious reputation than it was on seeking to do God’s will. In challenging Jesus about conformity to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees reveal that their inner life was unclean. They continued to rely on their own practice of external righteousness (the ritual cleansing) which did not allow them entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Their focus was on ritual/man-made laws rather than the Spirit of God. And this had also misled the people so Jesus gave due warning.
Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees for elevating human traditions over the Word of God brought to light a problem—the evil of one’s heart cannot be cleansed by religious activity. The only cure for spiritual heart disease is through the penetrating transforming work of the kingdom of God in a person’s life. As we allow Jesus to unleash the power of the Spirit in our hearts, we will experience an inward transformation that will begin to influence our thoughts, our actions, our emotions, and our relationships.
Consider this: “If the words you spoke appeared on your skin, would you still be beautiful?” Think about it!
Here are some other words from Scripture to think about:
• Proverbs 12: 18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Our words should always be ones of healing!
• Ephesians 4: 29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Build up, not tear down!
• Colossians 4: 6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” What we say should be “tasty” and should encourage further dialogue.
• 1 Peter 3: 10: “For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” Good days here on earth---speaking good words--brings the kingdom of heaven to earth.
We see from Genesis 45 in the story of Joseph, now Pharaoh’s right hand man in Egypt, who having suffered so much evil at the hands of his brothers and others, instead of speaking words of hate and rebuke, offers instead these gracious, wisdom filled words to his brothers in their time of need and reunion: “Now don’t be upset and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here. Actually, God sent me before you to save lives. We’ve already had two years of famine in the land, and there are five years left without planting or harvesting. God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household and ruler of the whole land of Egypt.” These words brought the family back together. These words tore down the barrier of years and replaced it with a river of joyous weeping.
Our two Psalm readings this week tell us what we are to use our lips for:
Psalm 67: “May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.” Praising the Lord, singing for joy is how we are to use our lips!
Psalm 133 says: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” When we argue and say hurtful things we are NOT living together in unity!
Did you know that on the average, a person opens his or her mouth approximately 700 times a day to speak.(I read this somewhere). In Psalm 141, David wisely asks this of God: “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” May this be so, Amen!