Clothesline 290 "Body of Christ: Mouth"

Our Lenten series has been a reminder of the humanness of Jesus, how he fully understands what it’s like to live an earthly life; he lived it himself! We talked about the Feet of Jesus that took him from town to town, preaching and healing, and how we are his feet on earth today. The Hands of Jesus helped and healed, and today we are those same hands to do the same. This week we focused on the Mouth of Jesus to speak God’s Word.

Scripture says that God “spoke” and creation began. God spoke the Ten Commandments to Moses, and they were written down for our learning. Wherever Jesus went, people hung on his every word. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, the devil told Jesus to turn the stones into bread; he knew that Jesus was hungry after a 40-days fast. But Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

Most likely, we only think of our mouths in terms of what we put into them. But what comes out of our mouths can be a source of both good and evil. A word spoken in love can renew a heart, but a word spoken in anger can grieve a soul. A word spoken in teaching will grow a mind, but a word spoken in tearing-down wounds a spirit. Even Jesus himself said: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”

Jesus even used “spit” from his mouth to heal a blind man. He spit on the ground, made mud, spread it on the man’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Why on earth would Jesus do such a thing? He could have simply spoken a word, but he chose to use his own saliva for healing. Why? Could there be yet another teaching moment in this story? Yes, there was. As God did in creation when he made man out of the dust of the earth, Jesus recreates sight for this man using the same dust and dirt, adding a simple, base human element…yet, another way for God to elevate the human body into something holy and blessed!

And then there is the common act of kissing, a form of sharing love. Even Paul instructed Christians at Corinth to greet one another with a holy kiss. But some disregard its holiness. Perhaps the worst marginalization of a kiss came from Judas. After such a kiss, Jesus replies, “Judas, do you betray your Master with a kiss?”

We are the Mouth of Jesus here on earth. Our baptism gives us the grace and power to speak God’s Word. But our attachment to the ways of the world undermines God’s plan. We must take back our birthright. Speak only what would be pleasing to God. Greet those you love with a holy kiss. And remember the power of the spoken word to hurt, to heal, to build up, and to tear down. We are the Mouth of Christ. May our words be worthy of such a holy calling.