The Gospel of Mark: When Rite Is Wrong

When are traditions good, and worth keeping, and when are traditions evil, and should be abandoned? That’s what our text for this evening deals with. From a biblical viewpoint, how do we distinguish between a command of God, and the traditions of men? You say, “Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?” It wasn’t so obvious to the people of Jesus day. They had thoroughly confused the commands of God with the traditions of the elders.

The commands of God are revealed in the Scriptures, and are not amenable to human alteration. Unfortunately, we live in an era when many people see the commands of God as merely traditions that we can take-or-leave (but that’s another sermon for another time). Tradition, on the other hand, is established by habit or custom. It will vary in its character from place to place, and from time to time. Tradition is not intrinsically evil. Traditions may be wise, expedient, and instructional. In 1 Cor. 11:2 Paul commends the Corinthian believers for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. Yet, in Colossians 2:8 he warns the Colossae believers about being taken captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition.

Traditions become dangerous when men attempt to bestow the status of law, or a position of holiness upon that which is only manmade tradition, and not the express command of God. Sometimes, traditions can become so deep-rooted that any attempt to change them can incur the wrath of the tradition’s defenders. ILLUS. Years ago when Kurt Kelloge was pastor out at Solid Rock he told me of an incident that caused a major brouhaha. All he did was move a table. But unbeknownst to him, it was a table that had sat in that same spot for sixty years. He disturbed tradition, and felt the wrath! Sometimes our traditions can actually separate us.

ILLUS. Throughout most of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, it was common practice for congregations to administer the wine of the Lord’s Supper in a common cup. In Ukraine, they still use a common cup. Why did that change here? As more understanding developed about how disease is communicated, congregations began to migrate to the position that it might be more expedient to use individual containers. But some brethren were so welded to the “one container” notion — after all, the Bible says that “Jesus took the cup” - singular — that they separated from those who opted for individual cups.

Tonight’s passage deals with traditions. Traditions in our religious life or our church can be good as long as we continue to understand the spiritual significance behind the tradition. But traditions can become evil when they are embalmed by time and become accepted as “a command from God” when they are clearly not. That’s when they become burdensome, robbing believers of their joy in serving God, and separating them from fellow believers.

I. THE TRUE OF TRADITION: WHEN RITE IS RIGHT

1. some traditions are important

a. some traditions are valuable in communicating to us truth about God and truth about ourselves

A. THE CHURCH HAS CERTAIN TRADITIONS THAT ARE SYMBOLS OF A HIGHER REALITY

1. some of these traditions were instituted by Jesus Himself

2. we have the rite of baptism

a. Baptism could certainly be called a tradition

1) it is a ceremony, and a rite of initiation, but it is a symbol of a higher spiritual reality

2) baptism is an instruction that has been handed down to the Church by Christ, himself, and thus is one of our most important traditions

b. but while we hold to the importance of baptism, we recognize that it only has meaning because of what it points to

1) baptism points to the reality of a commitment to Jesus Christ

2) it is symbolic of Christ's saving work in the life of the believer who is baptized

3) baptism doesn't save – it is merely a symbol of what God has already done in the life of the believer

4) it is a beautiful symbol and a wonderful tradition

c. but apart from the reality it symbolizes, it is empty and meaningless tradition

3. the Lord's Table is another tradition in the church which is good

a. when Paul commended the Corinthians for keeping the traditions he had passed down to them, one of those traditions he is commending them for is their observance of the Lord’s Supper

b. Jesus Himself instituted this ordinance, and He encouraged us to observe it often

c. but the Lord's Table is simply a dead ceremony unless we see the reality to which it points

1) unless we see beyond the cup of juice and the morsel of bread to the shed blood of Christ and His broken body, we will miss the reality of this living tradition

d. the Lord's Table points to Jesus

1) it points to His sacrificial death

2) it points to His unmerited grace

3) it points to the love of God in sending His Son, and the redemption of sinners through faith in Jesus

4. living traditions like the Lord's Table and Baptism only remain alive when we see beyond the outward ceremony to the reality behind it

a. good traditions can tell us who God is and what He expects of us

b. they can help us to commune with God and to testify before the world

5. there are times when rite is right, but there are other times when rite is wrong

B. BAPTISTS HAVE CERTAIN TRADITIONS THAT ARE SYMBOLS OF OUR COMMITMENT TO BIBLICAL MANDATES

1. in Baptist life you can tell what is most important to us by the ministries we support

a. one of those ministries is mission work

1) in Baptist life you can often tell the season by the offering emphasis that is taking place in the church

a) if we’re taking the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions, you know that Easter is close

b) if we’re taking the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions, you know that Christmas is right around the corner

c) if we’re taking the Rheubin South Missouri Missions Offering, you know that school has just begun

d) what ever the hottest week of the summer is, you can bet that’s the week Vacation Bible School is taking place

b. Sunday School is important to us because knowing the Bible is important to us

1) in most Baptist churches the Sunday School literature budget is always one of the largest expense items

2. in Baptist life you can tell what is most important to us by the architecture of our buildings

a. our pulpits are central and elevated which is our declaration that the ministry of the Word is central to us

b. I’ve been in Baptist Churches that have a split chancellery with the pulpit to one side, and it’s just not right!

3. in Baptist life you can tell what is most important to us by how we govern ourselves

a. we are fiercely independent, and no one should even remotely think of trying to tell us how to run our own church, yet, at the same time, we thoroughly believe in cooperating with each other for the sake of the gospel

II. THE TRAGEDY OF TRADITION: WHEN RITE IS WRONG

ILLUS. In 1903 Czar Nicolas II was strolling the ground of the Kremlin when he came across a sentry who seemed to be posted in a very strange place. There was no gate or door that he seemed to be guarding. He was standing next to a patch of weeds. When the Czar asked the soldier what he was guarding, he answered that he did not know. When the Czar inquired of the Palace Guard commander he was informed that a sentry had always been posted there, but he didn’t know why. He was just carrying out what the previous commander had done. With his curiosity now aroused, Czar Nicolas began to investigate why a Russian soldier would be guarding a patch of weeds. He discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great had planted a rose bush in that plot of ground, and posted a guard so that no one would trample her newly planted rose. As the years went by, Catherine died, and the rose died, but the plot of ground continued to be guarded. For 125 years, a tradition had continued, the purpose of which had been lost in time.

1. there is a tragedy of traditionalism which the church experiences all too often

a. this is when rite is wrong

2. our text this evening speaks about the tragedy of tradition

a. here we see what Jesus thought about man-made traditions when they obscured God’s intentions

3. Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and scribes because they were upset with Jesus' disciples

a. the Disciples, it seems, were not observing the traditions of the elders at mealtime

1) they were not performing the ritualistic washing of their hands before they ate bread, and the Scribes and Pharisees noticed this

2) it is interesting how there are always the keepers of tradition who keep an eye out for those who violate traditions

3) almost every church — regardless of the denomination — has them!

b. rite becomes wrong when traditionalism takes over

A. JUDAISM’S TRADITIONS LED TO EXTERNALISM AND SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

"And the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, 'Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?'" (Mark 7:1-5 , NIV)

1. the passage opens with a delegation of Pharisees and Scribes arriving from Jerusalem

a. these guys were the recognized authorities in Old Testament Law and rabbinic tradition

1) these were they men who knew the Tanakh (what we call the Old Testament) backwards and forwards

b. they noticed that the disciples were eating bread with unwashed hands — a big tradition breaker

ILLUS. Mosaic Law prescribed ceremonial washing for priests (Lev. 22:6-7), but did not require others to wash their hands in any particular way before eating. Then why is this such a big deal? Because ceremonial washing was part of the rabbinic teaching in the Oral Law, i.e. it was TRADITION!

2. for the Pharisees and Scribes, it wasn’t enough for the people to merely obey the Written Law, they also had to obey the Oral Law

a. the Written Law was the Torah — the first five books of the Tanakh

b. the Oral Law is a commentary on the Torah, explaining how its commandments are to be carried out

1) the accumulation of all this oral commentary — mostly from ancient well-respected Jewish rabbis — is actually written down and is called the Mishnah

2) and, just like Christianity has commentaries on the Scriptures, the Jews have commentaries on the Mishnah which is called the Gemara — think of the Gemara as a commentary on a commentary

3) together the Mishnah and the Gemara make up the Talmud, which is the Oral Law

3. some of the Oral Law, was indeed, helpful for understanding God’s commands

a. but, as in any tradition, law is added to law, precept to precept, until the tradition that is meant to help us understand God’s commands become a burdensome law unto itself

b. the Pharisees and Scribes compared the Oral Law to a wall erected around the Written Law to protect it

1) if you obeyed the Oral Law you would never have to worry about breaking the Written Law

2) Baptists have their holiness traditions, too

ILLUS. Think of Baptist life say fifty years ago. A “good” Baptist didn’t drink, didn’t smoke or chew tobacco, didn’t go to movies, didn’t go to dances, and didn’t associate with people who regularly did so. It wasn’t that any of those things were necessarily sinful, but if you didn’t do any of those things your chances of being tempted to sin were lessened.

c. but these traditions of the elders had become burdensome

“And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.” (Luke 11:46, ESV)

ILLUS. Hand-washing had become a very involved tradition. There were numerous steps that had to be scrupulously observed. The water had to be from a stone jar, because water from a clay jar was considered impure. The hands were twice washed from the fingertips to the elbows. First, with the fingers pointing upward, water was poured each hand. Then, with the fingers pointing downward water was again poured over the hands. Then, each hand was rubbed with the fist of the other hand, and then dried with a clean towel. When the individual was done washing he recited a prayer, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.” Strict Jews would follow these regulations before each mean and between each course in the meal. All this washing was not for the sake of hygiene, but it was believed that outward cleanliness led to inward purity.

4. in Mark 7 the Scribes and Pharisees have become ‘bent our of shape’ because they were measuring the disciple’s spiritual condition in terms of external conformity to traditional requirements and ceremonial rituals, rather than their sincere love for God and humble obedience to His Word

ILLUS. This whole process could be very burdensome, especially if you were traveling. The rabbinic ordinance of washing hands prior to eating bread required people traveling the roads to go as far as 4 miles to find water that could be used for washing. The Pharisees and Scribes believed that a demon named Shibtah sat on people’s hands while they were sleeping, and if the demon were not removed by ritual hand washing before eating, he would be transferred to the mouth, and would enter your body. Some Pharisees turned hand-washing into a salvation issue. The Talmud said, “Whoever is firmly implanted in the land of Israel, who speaks the holy language, who eats his food in purity, and recites the Shema morning and evening, is assured of life in the world to come.” To eat one’s food in purity required all this ritual hand washing, which if neglected, could keep one from everlasting life.

5. Mark adds that the Pharisees and Scribes were so pre-occupied with holding to the tradition of the elders (vs. 3) that all this ritual washing included washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles

B. JESUS PERFECTLY KEPT THE LAW, BUT HE REJECTED THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS

1. Jesus responded, not by answering the Pharisees’ question, but by indicting them for their hypocrisy

a. he quotes the Prophet Isaiah at them and in doing so reveals several dangers that result from traditionalism

2. 1st, Traditionalism can breed hypocrisy (7:6-7)

a. when certain traditions become so familiar that the reason for observing them is forgotten, then actions can become perfunctory — we do them automatically and impersonally

1) they give the impression of spirituality, but are nothing more then empty ritual

b. we know — or we should know — that measuring spirituality by external behavior and measurements can be highly inaccurate

1) looks deceive as often as they convey the truth

2) but that’s how we tend to judge other people until it occurs to us that God is neither impressed nor fooled by appearances

c. God looks at the heart, and He’s the expert at cleaning hearts

1) for many believers, worship is merely a tradition

2) hymns can be sung without feeling, prayers can become predictable, and rituals become routine

3) we do it so often, in such similar ways that it becomes a tradition instead of a time to worship a holy God

d. though a person might impress others as spiritual because of certain practices, the outward doing does not reflect the inner motive or desire

1) a person can be far from God, while feigning godliness by conforming to tradition

3. 2nd, Traditionalism can nullify the Word of God (7:8-13).

a. this happens when a tradition supplants obedience to a clear command or principle in the Bible

b. the practice of Corban illustrates this danger

ILLUS. In the Ten Commandments, God had said, "Honor your father and your mother." Part of that honor obviously meant to take care of them in their old age. But the selfish religious leaders who did not want to take on the financial burden of caring for their aged parents had found a way out of it. They simply declared their resources to be Corban – which means, given to God. That meant that those resources were dedicated to God. To declare something Corban meant that it was set apart for God's use and so could be used for no other earthly purpose. In order to get out of assisting their parents financially or with other material resources, a person would simply declare them Corban. It was a loophole by which someone with means could neglect financially helping their parents. And here is the beauty of the system; declaring your possession Corban did not require you to donate them immediately to the temple or synagogue. The pledged items remained under your control, and if you needed to ‘dig into’ the ‘kitty’ you could un-Corban an item, by simply saying Corban over it again. This allowed them to maintain a veneer of dedication to God, while simultaneously turning their backs on their parents and breaking the Commandment of God. This was the height of hypocrisy.

c. churches can place certain traditions on the same level as God's commands

ILLUS.

Did you ever meet someone who was a committed King-James-Version-onlyist? They use the authorized text, and God help you if you don’t!

Some churches do not use musical instruments in their worship, and if you do, you’re a reprobate.

How often should you observe the Lord’s Supper? And do you use real wine, and do you insist on unleavened bread?

Does your pastor preach tithing? Wow, he’s preaching legalism.

Does he preach repentance of sin as part of the gospel. Well, if so, your pastor preaches a works salvation.

d. traditionalism and hypocrisy is not limited to ancient Judaism

1) it is pervasive in the Church where it thrives in empty ceremonies, superficial worship, errant doctrines, indifferent prayers, and legalistic moralism

4. 3rd, Traditionalism produces and promotes a false spirituality (7:14-23)

a. up to this point Jesus is having a relatively private conversation with the Jewish religious leaders, buy now he speaks to the larger crowd

b. people may genuinely feel that they are more spiritual or closer to God because of a ritual or tradition

1) the Pharisees believed and taught that if you looked and acted spiritual on the outside, God would deem them righteous on the inside

2) consequently, Judaism became a breeding ground for hypocrisy, externalism, and superficial spirituality

c. but Jesus taught that it was not things external that defile us or make us closer to God, it is things internal

1) the defilement that offends God does not come from eating with unwashed hands, but living with an unclean heart

2) Jesus tells his disciples what the results of an unclean heart are

“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”” (Mark 7:21–23, ESV)

III. THE TEST OF TRADITION: WHEN RITE POINTS US TO GOD

1. what is the ultimate test of tradition?

a. how do we determine when a tradition in the church is right and when it is wrong?

1) we have seen how, at times rite can be right

2) we have seen how rite can be wrong

2. the test for tradition is when does it point us to God, and does it conform with the Scriptures

a. the heart of Christianity is the heart

b. Jesus is after a transformation of the inner man

1) He cares more about who we are inside than who we appear to be on the outside

2) He cares more about our inner man than our outward appearance

3) He cares more about our heart condition than the observance of religious tradition

c. so we might say that the ultimate test of tradition is "Does it deal with our heart trouble?"

1) when our rites and our rituals and our traditions truly remind us of who God is and who we are, then they are good

2) when traditions are established which assist us in knowing God and communing with Him, then they are good

d. and knowing God is what Christianity is all about

3. we must always beware, lest we find ourselves worshiping traditions instead of God

ILLUS. During the wilderness wandering, the people of Israel murmured against God and against Moses. Because of their murmuring, God sent poisonous serpents among them which bit them and caused many people to die. The people came to Moses and confessed their sin and asked him to pray for them. So he did. God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Whoever looked on the serpent would live. Moses gives the order and the workmen set out to fashion the serpent. But in the meantime, people were dying. Finally it is finished. The hole is dug and the brazen serpent is raised above the people. A shout goes through the congregation: "Look! Look! Look and live!" And God begins to move and heal. People are healed by the power of God. Now it is rejoicing time in the camp! God has moved. And the brazen serpent is the symbol of God's action in their midst. I'm sure there was rejoicing, dancing, shouting, and praising. I'm sure people said, "Praise to the serpent ... how glorious ... don't do away with that serpent." And that's precisely what they did. They kept the serpent. The Bible says that the Hebrews burned incense to that serpent for years up until the time of King Hezekiah – almost 1,000 years after Moses.

“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)” (2 Kings 18:3–4, NIV84)

ILLUS. Nehushtan simply means a brass thing.

a. God had graciously provided the serpent

1) it was a means of grace to them, and a means of healing

b. but the brazen serpent was not God

1) Hezekiah, many years later, tore it down and said, "It's just a piece of brass" and he was right

2) they had allowed the serpent to become what it only intended to symbolize

4. sometimes we hold onto things long after God has finished using them

a. sometimes we talk about the "good old days," – those days in years past when God was moving – and we try to recapture those good old days by recapturing some of the good old things we were doing

IV. LESSONS FROM MARK 7:1-5

A. GIVE FREEDOM WHERE THE BIBLE IS SILENT

1. the Bible speaks to many things which should be followed scrupulously, but it also ignores many issues

a. for example, it says nothing about how many times a week a church should meet or the time of day it should meet

ILLUS. My pastor, Martin Brocket, used to say, “Those who come to church on Sunday morning love the preacher. Those who come to church on Sunday night love the Church. Those who come on Wednesday night love the Lord.

b. for a long time I took that as Gospel

1) but as much as I’d like to see every member of our church at every service I had to realized that a believer’s spiritual life is not necessarily diminished by only attending one service weekly

2. the Bible is also silent about suits, neckties, pulpits, hymnbooks, PowerPoint presentations, passing a collection plate, and altar calls

B. DON'T BECOME PROUD OF TRADITIONS

ILLUS. FBC, Adrian – giving 20% to the CP, but never giving me a raise.

C. ZEALOUSLY GUARD OUR ORTHODOXY, BUT RUTHLESSLY EXAMINE OUR METHODOLOGY

1. change in a Church can be good. (There, I said it)

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