Commands of God or Traditions of Men

Mark 7:1-23 tells of the exchange between the Pharisees (and teachers of the law), Jesus, and His disciples: The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, 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 marketplace 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 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.”

.....He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Today's devotional from Mark taught me the importance of listening and obeying God and God alone. Man's downfall throughout history is man's pride. The Pharisees, instead of washing their hearts of sinful pride, had turned to outward washing to prove to others that they lived "clean". Jesus rebuked them and shared this lesson with His disciples so that they would understand that it is not what we eat that makes us "unclean"...it is what we digest in our heart and mind that makes us unclean.

Take for example the chorus from a pop song from the Disney movie "Mulan" which says this: "True to your heart You must be True to your heart That's when the heavens will part And baby, shower you with my love Open your eyes Your heart can tell you no lies"

Although, our culture today tells us to trust in our hearts, the Bible actually paints a very different picture of what the heart is really like...Jeremiah 17:9 says that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" So the question you and I should be asking is what should we do then? What should we really believe in? Well, I still have to face my heart and feelings daily because it is part of who I am and what makes me, me. However, I have also learned to trust in God's heart and character. Because, although, my heart can tell me lies. God's heart cannot. God in His divine nature is holy (not sinful), loving (not unkind), and just (not unfair).

Jeremiah 17:10 is the highlight of trusting in God's commands over man's traditions: “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,to reward each person according to their conduct,according to what their deeds deserve.”

Jesus the "Calmer" of the Storms

There is really only one main distinction that separates Christianity from all other religions that is the person-hood and God-hood of Jesus Christ. All religions try to "explain" a worldview (or paradigm) of how to interpret human life. Some look to wealth and happiness. Some turn to fame and recognition. Others try to give and serve others. Others meditate and philosophize on life. But really...the one missing ingredient, the one essential element, and the one missing link crucial to understanding our purpose and existence in life is found in Jesus. Jesus was no ordinary man. Some called him a prophet. Still others called him a criminal. How do I see Jesus? Plain and simple, He was and is the "Calmer" of the storms in my life. Though He died, He still lives. Though He lived a man, He rules as the Lord of Creation. Though He is unfathomably wholly other, He made himself fully known by living as one of us. This God-man, Savior-friend, and Creator-servant is who I put my trust in day by day. For I understand that there is really no one quite like Jesus.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41