When Tradition becomes Toxic

When Tradition becomes Toxic

In this passage the religious crowd comes to examine the Lord and they find fault with him

During their fault finding session He turns it on them and he exposes them for what they really are. And he tells them what he thinks about all their religious activities. And their traditions that made them who they were and set them apart from everybody else.

Now here is the fact in our culture of Independent baptist this is very prevalent. At least many of the influencers I have been exposed to. Some not all, some not all of us have Prided ourselves on being different and by different we think we are better than others based on extra biblical traditions.

The Lord has been continually bringing this to my attention it is very heavy in the book of Galatians on wed night So when I came to this passage in my studies I did not want to preach it

However the Lord kept impressing it on my heart.

And Honestly the reason I did not want to preach it is a lack of courage.

And were I have fear there i need more faith. An opossum when he gets scared he freezes and he stops progressing forward. He plays dead and acts like he does not know he does not hear he is not there.

And the fear I have for not wanting to preach this is not a fear of God. Because I believe he wants me to preach this. But is it a fear of man.

What will some of you sitting here think? that I love and respect and do not want to offend.

What will some of my friends think? I fear coming across as rebellious and disrespectful.

And as I prayed about this the Lord gave me this Idea just be honest. Be transparent.

So I will tell you, I have had a toxic culture, I have been a pharisee, I have done everything that these people were doing. And I have harmed myself, I have Hurt others , and I have hindered the Ministry.

So I bring you this message out of love, a fear of God and a desire to help you with the same help God has given me.

Before we proceed forward we need to define some words

Look with me at verse 1 Pharisee seperatist

One of a group among the Jews, whose were very strict and detailed and particular about how they kept the law.

How they performed these ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, IF the law said to wash they said this is how you wash

their pretended holiness led them to separate themselves as a group called themselves the pharisees to distinguish themselves from other jews. Are you jewish yes but I am a pharisee

considering themselves as more righteous than other Jews.

So what is a pharisee in our culture?

How was I a pharisee?

Are you a christian ? yes but I am a bible believer I am an independent fundamental king james only premillennial dispensational separated , noncalvinist, baptist. Oh yeah like so and so no not him I hate him I am like him who is that ? that is the best.

Pride not bad to be different but to think that your tradition gives you more favor with God

Really does that make you better ? Does that put you in a better position at the judgment seat of Christ ?

I really thought the Lord looked more favorably at me because of what bible I had on my coffee table. What hymn book I had in my hand what songs I sang and did not sing. I shook my head as I thought of the poor fools from days gone by that did not know what I knew at 19 years old. At 19 I thought I was in a better position than 90 percent of pastors in america because of what I knew. At I could not wait to let them know.

Scribe

A writer and a doctor of the law; a man of learning; one skilled in the law; one who read and explained the law to the people.

They were who the people went to to know how to apply the law and they used eachother and president and peer review for their authority.

How does that apply today many times I have elevated the word of other preachers and referred to what they said over what the bible says.

When I went I to debate or argue I took the scribes with me to explain away the scripture.

Tradition in the Bible 13 times and it is used positively 2 times and negatively 11 times.

Tradition is addition.

The bible says we sing so traditions say how we sing and when we sing and were to sing. How to stand when you sing. What is proper and what is improper.

Now tradition is not wrong we need to know how to apply this we need to know how to sing ad what to sing and were to sing and when to sing.

But the tradition should never be more important than the singing.

Everyone has traditions paul had traditions

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

But tradition can become toxic. We have traditions here that make us Unique and I like them. So lets not let it become toxic.

How does it become toxic ?

When it Taints your Soul

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

This is what their tradition did to them this is what it turned them into. Nasty Critical Self righteous Judgmental Uncompassionate

Our Tradition can definitely have that impact on all of us if we are not careful.

Timing when they showed up

Then came the pharisees when at the peak of the Lord's ministry at the peak of his popularity after he has feed a huge crowd in the wilderness after every one was coming to him for help and healing and to hear his sermons.

Pharisee show up after a work starts to get momentum

They come to a good work to criticize it not to learn

They come and sit in moses seat the seat of judgment to give their opinion about what is going on.

They come to find fault they do not come to learn

They come with their mind made up

Salt Life Their like the one preacher that said I did not know what it was but I knew I was against it. So I went to find out why.

They show up to shut the work down to stop the progress.

They do not come for the same reason the others came to Jesus.

He was threatening their tradition their status quo the way things had always been done.

So they came to see with their own eyes why they were against it.

For ammunition to take it down.

They were mad about other people coming.

The pharisees come to spoil the party.

That is why some people go to a meeting why they show up to church.

Target

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

To find something you have to be looking for it.

How long do you think they watched them ?

Get the bread prepare the bread ?

They did not come for the reason the other people came to see the Lord.

To get help how tragic it is when you go to were jesus is and all you can see is someone that did not wash their hands?

When tradition becomes toxic you become blinded to what God is doing. You find little mistakes and you cannot see the people getting help healed getting the gospel the demons cast out disciples learning you have one fault and you want to talk about that.

You do not want to talk about the miracles

About the people getting healed

The people getting saved you want to talk about the problem.

No one told them they could not wash their hands.

Toil

Look at verse 2 where did they come from?

Map

That is at least 80 miles to drive 125 miles on route 6

4 days journey by foot.

In an effort to delegitimize a work and devalue

Culture becomes toxic when your best effort is put into tearing down instead of building up.

I think the bible says they would

Mat_23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Listen to the bulk of our effort should never be what is wrong with someone else but it should be about the work he has called us to.

And if you sit here and you have that critical spirit and you delegitimize every one and you do not seek to help them if they genuinely have a problem

Than you can say whatever you want about them. But your culture has become toxic.

I am not saying to be blind. I am saying do not tell me were not to go. Tell me where to go.

Have you ever been there?

were the times your emotions were engaged in your study they times you were diligent the times you left no stone unturned.

You may wonder is this me? Self evaluate.

Was you best effort to tear down or to build up?

You have destroyed that which you believe is wrong but have you ever built that which is right ?

Tribe

When culture becomes toxic the thing that brings you together with others is a joint effort to destroy.

You are brought together because others are wrong. You are brought together because you cannot stand alone.

Your religion only works when there is someone to attack

Someone to compare yourself to

Someone to blame

Someone to tease and make fun of.

Tradition does not comfort you in the dessert. It does not comfort you when you are alone.

It does not help you when you are around strangers.

It is not something that helps you on your sick bed.

Legalism elevates or vilifies man and leaves God out.

They were brought together with their hatred for Jesus

Culture is toxic when you are only brought together to oppose

Stop judging someone before you meet them stop loading up for bear to go kill someone and convince them why they are wrong

Stop bringing your scribes with you.

The elitist get their affirmation from man from the scribes

So what do we do?

So just understand this opposition comes to any great work because it exposes what they are lacking.

Consider the source do they leave people better or worse.

Do I leave people better or worse? All things done for edification

Does your affirmation come from God or man?

If they do not love the Lord they will not love you wither. Do not look for love from them.

When it Terrorizes the Saints

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

Requires ridiculous things

It is not that their hands were dirty they were defiled they were not washing to clean them put to purify them.

What are you talking about they were not concerned with sanitation

They actually say you have to clean your hands before you can wash your hands western wall hand washing station clean your hands now purify them same water different function.

Traditionally, Jews are required to wash their hands and say a blessing before eating any meal that includes bread or matzah.

video

the minimal quantity of water needed to fulfill one's religious duty is 1/4 of a log (a liquid measure of capacity equal to the bulk or volume of one and half medium-sized eggs)

After the washing, the following blessing is recited:

Take off ring talk start over.

Than you dry your hands do not speak or travel to far gone to the table to pick up your bread with all then fingers on the bread than recite the blessing for the bread,

That is what they are upset about forget the healings forget the demons leaving people

You say that is ridiculous

They were serious about this

Do it when you wake up because the devil comes into you when sleeping and when wake back up your soul goes back into your body he leaves everywhere but your finger tips.

The story is told of a famous rabbi hat when he was imprisoned and had his allowance for water restricted, he took what little there was and used it for the ceremonial rinsing of his hands rather than drinking it. To which he responded, “I would rather die than transgress the tradition of the elders.”

That is just the tip of the iceberg

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Washing of pots Kosher kitchen 14 minute video on how to kosherize your kitchen and china if it was bought from a jew you would not have to make it kosher but if from a gentile it had to be kosherized. 30 pages devoted

and if they go into the marketplace, that’s the particular illustration used here, they would escalate the need to do ceremonial cleansings because in the marketplace … guess what?.… you would bump into all kinds of unclean things and unclean people. You might hit a Samaritan, You might run into a Gentile. You might touch somebody who touched a dead body. There were a myriad of ways to be defiled. You might touch somebody who touched a reptile, and it goes on and on and on and on. This was not about sanitation … this was not about sanitation. This was about external rules that had to do with ritual defilement.

Where did these many things come from?

It all started, Moses gave the moral law at Sinai and then the Law of God was written down, the Pentateuch being the primary law, and the rest of the Old Testament came.

The Jews were concerned about the holiness of the Law in external ways and they wanted to protect the Law. So when the Law was handed down, there were some of the leaders of the great synagogue at Jerusalem who said, “We need to build a fence around the Law.

We need to make sure that that Law is kept. And in order to make sure that Law is kept, let’s put a fence around it away from it and if people stop at the fence, then they’ll never get close to violating the Law.

So the fence consisted of generation after generation of rituals and rules and ceremonies and hand washing to protect, supposedly, the Law of God.

in order to assure the people wouldn’t break the Law, they’d just put up more and more and more and more barriers, a massive amount of material developed,

I mean massive called The Tradition of the Elders. In fact, 200 A.D., The Mishnah and that means “to repeat.” It represented the total accumulated content of Jewish tradition.

, Mark tells us they had all kinds of laws about the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots, actually there are thirty chapters in the Mishnah about the ceremonial ritual cleansing of pots and pans. Come on, thirty chapters?

Picture

Many other things is The Talmud has 63 “books” is a and is over 6,200 pages long (in “standard” printed format)

The bible has 1,200 pages it is over five times as big as the bible and it is based on Negative  365

Positive  248 613

This is their answer for the things the bible does not cover. This is their answer on how to apply the commandments of God. This is their answer for how to wash with water and how to clean your kitchen.

You know what the Lords answer was thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all heart , mind and strength and thy neighbor as thyself.

Jesus reduced it to a verse they expanded it to be five times bigger than the entire bible.

A big burden you cannot possible get it all right.

📷

How devoted were they to this material? The Jerusalem Talmud, and I quote, says, “The words of the scribes are more lovely than the words of the Law.” It says, “It is a greater crime to transgress the words of the school of Rabbi Hillel than the words of the Scripture.”

By the time you get to Jesus, they’re all totally caught up in the traditions of the elders, like Roman Catholics today who haven’t got a clue what the Bible says and they do not care

It is ridiculous

Imagine an old man staring at you while you wash your hands ready to yell at you say start over you are defiled.

We put requirements on people not even God puts on them.

Restricts

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

What is the result ?

I am just not going to eat.

Jesus is the bread of life

This was all surrounding a picture of the show bread fellowship with God

And they are keeping people from fellowship with God

If I have to jump through all those hoops it is not worth it.

If I have to sign a contract 30 feet long and bring my w-2 I am just not going to join

If I have to agree to abide by all these requirements of man and I have to agree to soul winning every week and church three times a week and men's prayer meeting and i have to be early at every service and cut the grass in order to serve I am not going to serve.

YOu see they would forbid bread for tradition

They used the bread as a weapon

Heald it over people's heads

They more interested in sterilization than strength

Are you getting the picture ?

I will make them I will force them how the bread

That god gave that he wants them to eat you are going to get in between them and the bread?

Well bless God if they do not have a tie on than they cant eat the bread.

They hold hostage the gifts of God for the traditions of men.

Listen never begrudge a sinner bread.

The bread of life is what he needs

And if he has tattoos that does not mean he needs Jesus less.

Learn to enjoy watching unclean people get the bread of life.

Be glad they are his disciples instead of wishing they had the tradition down.

They are his disciples do not be quicker to point out their faults than the Lord.

You know I meet people all the time that love the Lord and made it all the way through life and served God happily and successfully they have led people to the Lord and disciple them. And were mighty people of prayer. And they did not have my tradition.

And somehow God was ok with it. Somehow God still used them and loved them and had a relationship with them many times that was stronger than mine.

Please let us not be the cause people do not eat bread.

Church in Houston Revival.

Lady at a dr office. Got saved in charismatic church. So happy. Could not think of anything good to say. God said tell her you are happy she got saved.

Sometimes our tradition keeps people from bread.

Sometimes people look at us like I would like to go to church and get bread but so and so is always staring at me when I wash my hands makes me think doing something wrong.

We are not looked at like a help but a hindrance

Ruins their motivation fear of man

If they do it is out of fear

We put them in a position were it is bread or tradition but it can't be both

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

We give them something to hold

You give them something to hold that can't stand on its own it requires human effort to keep it alive do not let my legacy die

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

It’s a problem, a serious problem to worship the wrong God, and it’s equally a problem, a serious problem, to worship the right God in the wrong way

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Something passed down that they must hold onto

Whatever you do do not let this go this handwashing than you will be like everybody else.

And we spend a lot of time passing on our proclivities and our hang ups and our traditions.

Tradition is not wrong but it is when it is elevated above the word of God and it takes priority over the word of God.

We are told to hold fast but not tradition faith love charity ,

we are told to walk a certain way and not in tradition but in the spirit and you can't do both.

We are told to lay aside some things so we can hold other things but it is not the commandments of God it is our sin so we can cling more close to the cross

Do not terrorize the saints by giving them something to hold that not even you can hold.

Monkeys cage bananas

Way always done it

Casserole dish and meat loaf

Removes their obligation to God replaces God with man

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

What is this talking about? Well Corban means that, devoted to God, an offering. And here’s what had developed in the rabbinic system. “O mom, dad, I know you have need. I know you’re struggling for food. I so wish I could give you some money. However, it’s all devoted to God.”.

And just to make it clear to you, that was a deferred gift. You know what that means? Pledged but not yielded. They kept it and they managed it and they did what they want with it. But the idea is that when I go, it’s all God’s. And after all, says, “Don’t make a vow and break it.” This was the rabbinical tradition of looking pious by devoting things to God which was simply a way in which you could violate the commandment to care for your aged parents who were in need. That’s how hard-hearted they were. “Oh, I’m very sorry, Mom, Dad, just can’t give it to you, I dedicated it all to God and you’ll understand that’s a much higher calling for this money, isn’t it? Nothing better than giving to God. The whole purpose was, they didn’t want to lose the cash. They wanted to avoid the loss by saying this and there were ways in the rabbinical system to undo the vow. The Talmud says that a man was not even bound after saying “Corban” to dedicate the gift, he was not bound to give it immediately, he was not bound to limit its use for himself, he was not bound to give it to someone other than he had pledged to do, that is to say if he chose he could break the vow and give it to someone else … not to God.

And it was pretty typical, according to some of the historians, to say “Corban” over everything you had and in that way you could look spiritual and give nothing to anybody. So you got around a biblical command, didn’t you? That’s the hypocrisy of your religion

What a terror when you absolve people of their responsibility to God so they can serve you

You make what is Important insignificant and make what is insignificant important

I put money in the plate so now I no longer have to witness I did my part.

Rabbi Tahaneth said, “Whoever has his abode in the land of Israel and eats his food with washed hands may rest assured that he shall receive eternal life.”

Really? Eternal life? That’s how far it went. I mean, if you don’t have a heart religion, you’ve got to work your way there. And if you can’t get there by being moral, well at least you can get there by rinsing your hands,

Are you terrorizing people with your tradition.

When it Terminates our Strength

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Even balam said I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord.

Num_24:13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?

But we have.

And we render ineffectual the word of God

Because of tradition the word of God no longer has any effect

Because what is not important is made to be more important than what is actually important.

It has no power

It has no authority

It no longer motivates

It no longer captivates

It no longer brings you to fear

It cancels it

It makes it void and nullifies it.

It renders it in effectual.

IF you are not careful you can make the most powerful thing on earth the word of God without effect.

You can preach it to people and they blink at you because of tradition.

You can be shown it and it means nothing to you because of the tradition you were pushed into.

If this and by this I mean sitting in pew singing preaching tie is tradition to you and the way men think

If you are a hypocrite that honors with your mouth this morning but at home your heart is far from you

Than you will make the word of God of none effect in your sphere of influence

Listen to this woman

Why tradition the bible meant nothing. Traditional judaism.

This is leaf works at insomnia coffee shop in hillsboro OR

Tried to witness to him he said I done with all that man why would I go back to that bondage

Mt dad was a preacher and he was always angry at me and everyone else for the way I dressed . Just seemed like he was mad at me for being happy.

Three times a week my whole life and visitation and everything. My dad was not even happy himself.

Jesus came to set the captives free and religion puts them back inot bondage.

God forbid my son should grow up

With no happiness but just a bunch of rules he has to fulfill

God forbid he grow up and look at the church and Jesus as what he can't do instead of power to do what he cannot do .

Some time the reason they walk away 13

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

They are walking away from you and your tradition but you leavated to the place of scripoture so they cannot tell the differance

Woman video

The message of the New Testament is simple.

Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

How do I know if it is tradition or a real problem sin?

I do not know

Pray seek god study ask counsel from godly people check it by the bible. Seek God

If you are in a place of inflecue Be genuine be open loving talk to them. If not pray for them love them

Our Goal is to walk in the spirit and not in tradition tain terrorize and terminate

5. For them it was not according to the commandments of God they were worried about but the tradition of the elders.

6. They thought that it was important.

7. They thought it was a good question.

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.

Paid him lip service

If they were not doing it for him they were doing it for a different reason.

Their hands were in it but not their heart.

They tell people it is what God wants but they do not care what he wants.

Inside they were corrupt and perverted but outside they were clean and carried an air of piety.

Fakes and frauds

It was not a religion that functioned apart from apearances. IT was not somthing that helped them slep at night and helped them in time of trouble it was all about apearances of men who thier elders thought of them and in tunr they lived to make others fear what they thoght about them.

Always remember that God is more interested in your heart than your hands.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance.

He was just a way to validate their commandments.

Woe to the man that uses god to push his own ideas.

His worship is vain it means nothing to God It is a liability not an asset.

Doctrine the teachings of God.

But they were not the teachings of God.

God is not pleased when you try to help him out.

God is not pleased when you sign his name to your preference or system or the way you like things done.

If you push your own agenda in Jesus name your worship is vain.

Is is easy to be religious on the outside and rotten on the inside.

It is easy to worship him in vain when you have a list that you do not get from God.

Be Careful you are doing well in the eyes of God and not in your own eyes.

How would God estimate your worship today?

What would this church our worship be in the eyes of God ?

Would God say of us we put our commandments as his doctrine and what we do is noble in our eyes but worthless in his eyes ?

Do we narrow our reach and shut up heaven against men because of holding to the comandments of men?

Is it the pharasees and all the jews and not one else?

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

What saith the Scripture ?

That is not what matters it is what saith the elders and the scribes

What does tradition say?

Let us put that down and let us get the scribes to tell us what they think it means and we will hold to that regardless of what the bible says.

Tradition is valued above the bible.

Were the pier pressure of what my elders would think is more high in your mind than what God would think.

Pharisees are more willing to be at odds with the commandment than the tradition of men.

They would go against God before man

A pharisee lays the treasure aside for the trifle. Lay the commandment aside for tradition what is more valuable ?

Always possess what is most valuable is not what is least valuable.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

It is progressive you have to reject one or the other

The tradition of men for righteousness is incompatible with the commandment of God.

What makes you clean in the sight of God is not what makes you clean in the sight of men

A heartless worship teaches the traditions of men over the commandments of God

Than it holds to it digs in

Than it lays god's commands aside aside

Than you reject it so you can hold on to your heartless lie and life

What do we value more our tradition or our commandment?

For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

Honor them, Means listen respect reverence , care

In this context it involves the duty of care.

They changed your diapers when you were young they fed you when you were young you feed them when they are old.

They cherished you as a baby you cherish them when they turn back into a child.

And he is serious about this it leads to an early death.

If you do not want to do that than to just let him die

The death sounds bad

That is die twice, which is the second death

It is a commandment with promise.

Not only do you enact the penalty for disobedience you take away the promise.

To do this is to steal kill and destroy.

The promise of God is greater than the promise of tradition.

Tradition has temporal value while the commandment has eternal value.

But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

Corban is a gift devoted to God.

that is, I have devoted that to God which you ask of me, and it is no longer mine to give.

It is a technical term which Josephus explains as referring to advantages that accrue from the dedication of oneself to God

Vow to God always take precedence over anything else so vow you will give to God and then you will have to make sure you can maintain that so you do not need to give to poor mom and dad

It is a work around to get around the commandment of God

Give money to the temple to the pharisee care fund and then you will not have to worry about taking care of mom and dad.

Paying the religious workers at the temple absolves you of the responsibility god gave you than taking care of your family.

They free you from serving God so you can serve them