Tradition

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were 'unclean', that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the market-place they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

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 "unclean" hands?'

He replied, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.' (Mark 7:1–8)

Mark begins the passage by telling us that some Pharisees and teachers of the law had come from Jerusalem and had gathered round Jesus. Jesus was at Gennesaret, ninety miles from Jerusalem, but his ministry was causing such a stir in Israel that the leaders of the Jews were watching him closely. They'd already challenged him about healing on the Sabbath, now they wanted to know why his disciples were eating with 'unclean' hands.

One of the main criticisms Jesus had of the religious leaders of his day was that they were following the traditions of men rather than the Word of God. They'd departed from some of the laws and commands God had given them and were following rules given by men. That meant that man was now the supreme authority in the Church and not God.

Could that happen today? Could we (without realizing it) be following the traditions of men rather than God? It's only as we measure what our churches do and teach, against the Word, that we can find that out (Acts 17:11).

The Jews didn't hide the fact that they followed tradition. 'Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders?' they asked Jesus. Likewise, many denominations today don't hide the fact that they follow tradition. You hear people talking about 'the Anglican tradition', 'the Methodist tradition' and even 'the Pentecostal tradition'.

What is tradition? Tradition is a set way of doing things. It's an established belief or custom passed on from one generation to another. In respect to the Church, it's a belief or custom we adhere to that has no foundation in scripture.

Is tradition wrong? Not in the secular world. I've lived all my life in a nation that is steeped in tradition (the UK). We have one of the oldest parliaments in the world, headed by a monarchy that dates back thirteen hundred years. Many of the things that are done have remained unchanged for centuries. Tradition like that is not wrong, it can give people a sense of security and belonging, but tradition in the Church is bad news.

Renewed minds

I don't think many of us realize what a powerful effect tradition can have on us in respect to what we believe and do—even in respect to spiritual things. Tradition conditions us to do certain things and to think in certain ways and it's difficult, sometimes, to change those ways.

I met an elder of a church many years ago. The Lord had recently visited the church where he worshipped. Many had been born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit and had left to form a new church where the Holy Spirit could be sovereign. Great things were being done among them, but he said to me with sadness in his voice: 'I've been a Methodist for forty years and it's going to take the Lord forty years to get Methodism out of me.'

I was surprised by what he said, but I haven't forgotten his words. What did he mean? He meant that his Methodist beliefs and the Methodist way of doing things had become so ingrained in him that he was finding it difficult to think in any other way. He was a conditioned Methodist. Is there a remedy for that? Yes there is!

Paul wrote:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

God doesn't want us to conform to the pattern of this world, or to the pattern of our denomination if its practices and beliefs oppose the Word of God. Instead he wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That is achieved through the study of his Word—saturating ourselves with the Word so that our old ways of thinking are erased and we start to think as God wants us to think and to do what he wants us to do. When that process is complete we'll be able to see what his will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Corban

Tradition can cause problems in the Church in at least two ways: Firstly, it can stop the Holy Spirit from moving as he wants to move and secondly, it can stop people from obeying God's Word. It was this second point that Jesus emphasized in his teaching.

And he said to them: 'You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, "Honour your father and your mother," and, "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death." But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: "Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.' (Mark 7:9–13)

The leaders of the Jews were advocating many practices that were nullifying the Word of God, but Jesus chose just one example to speak about. Why did he choose that example? He chose it because it would be relevant to us.

Of the ten commandments God gave to his people on Mount Sinai, the first four were about their relationship with God and the final six about their relationship with man. The first of those six was about how they should treat their parents.

'Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.' (Exodus 20:12)

That commandment is repeated in the New Testament.

'Honour your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise—'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.' (Ephesians 6:2–3)

The Bible teaches that Christians are not to obey Old Testament law, meaning the ceremonial aspects of the law, such as the sacrifices that had to be made and the religious festivals that had to be kept: God put those into his law to illustrate spiritual truth. But the moral aspects of the law (those that concern man's behaviour towards God and his fellow man) still stand and are binding on us. Judge for yourself: is it right for a Christian to murder, to steal or to commit adultery? In the same way, Christians must also honour their parents.

Jesus made it clear that 'honouring' our parents involves more than just speaking well of them, it includes looking after them financially if they are in need. Paul underlines that fact in 1 Timothy 5:8.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

That is a strong statement. Even unbelievers (usually) provide for their own families, and Christians should do the same.

Jesus criticized the leaders of the Jews for encouraging the people to give to God while their parents were in need. Jesus wants us to provide for our families before we give to him. What does 'providing for our families' entail? Making sure that, at least, they have the necessities of life. If we don't do that, then we've denied our faith in Christ.

Emotional blackmail

What was Corban about? It was about money. The leaders of the Jews wanted the people to give to God in order to swell their coffers. They weren't bothered about the people or their families as long as the money came in. Jesus was angry about that. Could that happen today? Yes it could: why do you think this is written (2 Timothy 3:16–17)?

We are currently witnessing increased competition in the Church for the Christian's pound or dollar, and that competition is becoming intense. Many ministries are claiming to have the 'burden of the Lord' or the 'vision of God' and are asking for our support. The visions they've received may be of the Lord, but the methods they use to raise the finance can leave a lot to be desired. They range from incorrect handling of the Word (teaching that Christians should obey parts of the Old Covenant that relate to giving), through worldly marketing techniques, and even to emotional blackmail.

I was appalled many years ago to receive a letter from the head of a famous ministry (who I will not name) telling me that if he didn't complete a task the Lord had given him to do, by a certain date, he would be taken home (i.e. he would die prematurely). He asked the Lord how he could raise such a large sum of money and the Lord told him that his partners would provide it—effectively making them responsible for his life or death.

I didn't give a penny to that appeal. That wasn't from the Holy Spirit, it was from man; it was emotional blackmail. Why should God take a servant home because others had failed to finance his ministry? Either a man's ministry deserves to be on earth or it doesn't—irrespective of whether anyone supports him. I don't know whether he received the money, but he's still alive today. Not everything that goes on in the Church is of the Holy Spirit.

The world in the Church

I recently watched adverts on a Christian television channel offering a series of books for sale. As an introductory offer they were being sold at a 'substantial saving', but I was warned several times that after the introductory period was over they would be sold at their full price, which was considerably more.

Those are worldly marketing techniques that have no place in the kingdom of God. If they can sell those books to you at that price now, they can sell them to you at that price any time. Why charge you more because you purchase them later?

Perhaps you haven't got the money to buy them now. Is that showing love to you—charging you more, later, for the same goods? It's alright for the wealthy, they've got money to spare, but the poor have to save up for things, and they're the ones who pay the most.

Why do they do this? They do it to stimulate demand and to increase sales. It's something the world does all the time and by using these techniques they're bringing the world into the Church.

Another technique they use is to offer you something in return. 'For a gift of so much this month, we'll send you a "love gift" (a book or DVD) by way of a thank you.' Either the Holy Spirit wants you to give to their ministry or he doesn't. And if he does, he'll show you how much to give. How much you give shouldn't be influenced by whether you'll receive anything in return. That's the way the world works.

There was a widow who put two very small copper coins into the temple treasury. Jesus said she'd given more than all the rest because she'd given all she had to live on (Luke 21:1–4). God views our giving according to what it costs us to give. These people view our giving according to how much we give. How worldly can you get?

Spirit-led giving

Why do they do these things? They do them because they're effective and increase their income. The work they're doing may be of the Lord, but the way they raise their finances may not.

Christians should not be swayed by emotional appeals, special offers or other techniques they devise. We should always listen for the voice of the Lord in an offering and not give until we receive a prompt from the Spirit. We should seek to be Spirit led in every area of our lives, and that includes our giving.

To be continued…

Michael Graham
July 2009

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