Mark 7:5-9
“So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
Mark 7:5-9 NIV
Man considers the outside. God is concerned with the heart. Scripture tells us we are to beware of choosing what is important to man over what is important to God. We may be very pleasing to man, the world may think we are very religious , yet our hearts are far from God.
We try to be nice in today's politically correct environment. However, some truth, God's truth is just simply the real truth. The Jewish leaders accused Jesus disciples of being ritually unclean, but Jesus reply was that they were spiritually unclean. They were hypocrites who followed their traditions rather than God's law.
When people fake their religious devotion or when they bend God's word to justify the way they want to live, then it is hypocrisy no matter who they are. Jesus hates hypocrisy. When folks sink into hypocrisy, Jesus will not pretend with them that they are righteous.
So what do we do with these harsh words from Jesus? First, we need to ask ourselves if we are guilty of the sin Jesus condemns. After all, in one way of viewing things, aren't we the religious ones today like the people questioning Jesus were then? If we are guilty, then let's change and put our lives where our mouths are.
Second, we need not to be so bashful with each other when hypocrisy creeps into our lives. Lovingly and humbly, we need to help each other identify and correct any hypocrisy. Hypocrisy destroys our hearts and ruins the influence of Jesus people on the world.
This sort of hypocrisy enraged Jesus. Why? Because God wants us. He wants me. He wants you. He wants your heart. He doesn’t want your church attendance. He doesn’t want your quiet times. He wants you. Church attendance and quiet times are only good if they are ways of giving God you. If they are replacements for giving God you, they are bad.
Traditions can be good things. They can often remind us of where we came from or help us to focus on Jesus during our church services. Unfortunately, they can also be a great cause trouble and turmoil in the church. Churches have split because one group won’t let go of a tradition, while the other sees no need for it.
Why do churches split over traditions? It happens when we hold a tradition as a commandment from God that cannot be changed. Jesus was responding to the pharisees looked at Him as a bad person because He was breaking their traditions. Their traditions seemed good and were meant to honor God. But, they judged people by how well they kept the traditions and not how much they loved God.
As we hold on to our traditions above anything else, we are not honoring God with our hearts. We are in reality honoring Him with just our lips. Are there things you are judging others by that are not commandments of God? It might be what people wear to church, the version of Bible that is taught from, or maybe the music a church plays. Remember that traditions can take many different forms in our lives and our churches.
We worship God when I give Him our all, loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we worship Him when we treat others with love, especially those who are most in need of it. Come and sing songs and hear God’s word proclaimed. But do it with love for God as well as those around you. And don’t be satisfied with an hour or two on Sunday, instead worship Him in all you do. Don’t just give lip service. Give heart service as well.
Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, we have Jesus. Jesus secures for us much more than a new set of traditions. He secures for us rescue from our failure to obey God and new hearts capable of obedience!!!
Father thank You for this day and for the breath we breathe today. Lord let Your abundant blessings flow from the floodgates of heaven upon my friend and family today. Lord You are always being righteous and yet boundlessly merciful, please forgive us, we confess that we have sometimes sinned because we are weak and have stumbled. Lord there have been times when we have criticized others for their sin, yet allowed ourselves to do what we know was not right. Lord correct us gently and humble us tenderly so we can serve you without hypocrisy. Lord we confess the many, many times we have done the outward things with the inward heart far removed. Lord thank You that You know us and You have already made provision for our forgiveness. Lord help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Lord use my friend to be someone’s blessing today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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