Tradition and Works

The old Hebrew faith was beset with problems.  It is hard for anyone to really blame God for losing His patience with His people.  No matter how strong their desire, all faith would be lost across as little as one generation and they would fall back into works - then sin as a nation.  And I have often thought about this.  How can you one day see miracle, be given truth, live it, teach it, and end up sacrificing your children to Satan ...  Huh?  Where did that come from?  History of the Jewish people, they constantly were falling into worshipping with their Canaanite neighbors (you might remember, the ones they were supposed to wipe off the Earth due to their sin ....).

Mark 7:1-13

Here the Pharisees and Scribes tangle with Jesus again!  Again, their traditions have come into conflict with Jesus and His disciples:

• We are supposed to be clean
• Why are your disciples unclean

Okay, where did God command anyone other than the serving Rabbi's in the Temple be ceremonially clean?  Nowhere.  Yeah, that come from the Rabbinical writings.  The thought is not a bad one, each males should be ceremonially clean, just like the serving Rabbi's.  And having put that into writing - it became an enforceable requirement placed upon all males.  Of course, the Scribes knew perfectly well it was just their own requirement and not God's - but it they could bully this Jesus into doing what they wanted ....

Jesus just turned this on them - you do what you want to do, ignoring God's words as it pleases you; making up new rules.  It is about your heart - not the cleanliness of your skin ...

We Making Our Own Prison
God gives us Laws
God gives us Principles
God gives some really good ideas

But, when man turns Ideas into Principals, Principals into Laws, and elevating them to Traditions, aka "Traditions of the Elders", we are departing God, departing the freedom of Christianity and creating paganism.

Making Application Tradition
If you ever get a chance to read through the Rabbinical writings - they are very interesting.  Millennium of thoughts, translations, how to apply God's Words.  There is both wisdom and foolishness to be found there.

In our passage we read in Mark, we find that the Rabbi of some prior time, read about ceremonial cleanliness and thought, "Well, if it is good enough for the Temple and the serving Rabbis, then should not all men be clean?  Should not all homes be treated as the Temple and be clean?"  Hey, not a bad idea - but not what God asked for.

So a tradition is created, I am sure for all of the right reasons but again, not what God asked for.  And Tradition becomes equal with God's Word and is turned into a work to be obeyed ...

Creating Roadblocks
When Tradition has achieved the status of God's Word in our lives, we throw up roadblocks to other's faith and limit the application of God's Love.

How you ask?

Because if you blindly accept what you are told,
if you blindly accept what has become a Tradition as Law,
if you blindly accept what is done as being "right",
then you have REJECTED God's Word - and substituted Tradition for what is to either Faith or Law!

Jesus pointed out that they had replaced Law with what their desired application is ... but that is sin!

But ... 
Is Traditional bad?
It is when we are willing to separate fellowship over Tradition and not Scripture.
It is when we are willing to replace Tradition (works) for Faith.
It is when we end up with a pagan culture because we have relied on Tradition and not Faith.

Is Tradition good?
I would have a hard time arguing for this.
Due to the Roman Catholic Church we have:

• No use of Jesus real name
• No use of Mary's real name
• Creating a separate priest class
• Ceremonializing of events within the Church
• Demanding money from all, when all is supposed to be God's!
• etc....

Due to the Protestant Movement:

• Loss of unity within the faith
• Allowing argument where none should be valid
• Ignoring historical
• Accepting Roman traditions

So I hope you can see today's point - substitute traditions, applications, rules, any form of works for God's Word and you just earned paganism.  Oh no, not right off the bat, it takes a few generations for what might have been a good idea to replace what God desired and then all goes bad.

How could the Hebrews have time and again failed?  Because of this very same problem ...  Which by the way has also destroyed the 20th century church - leaving a works driven model in the 21st century.