DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TRADITION!

DAD'S RAMBLING – TRADITION!

"Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders." (Mark 7:1-3)

Remember Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof yelling "Tradition!"? Traditions are good. They provide continuity from generation to generation. We all have our traditions, especially around holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm reminded of the story of a young bride who was fixing Thanksgiving dinner for the first time for her extended family, including her parents and grandparents. As she was fixing the turkey, she cut a portion off the top of the turkey. When someone asked her why she did it, she replied that it was always the way her mother did it. So they turned to the mother for an explanation. Her answer was, "That's the way my Mom always fixed turkey." So finally, they turned to the grandma for her reason. She answered, "Because that was the only way it would fit into the pan that I had."

The pharisees and scribes had customs that had been established through the years from Rabbinical teaching called the Mishnah that went beyond the mandates that God had established in the Torah and Tanakh. Perhaps the intent was good as a way to serve God, but they went beyond the Scriptural order. Jesus gave an example in this instance. The Mosaic law said, "Honor your father and mother." But another tradition had been added called Corban that said if they dedicated to God what they would have given to their parents, that they would not be required to support their parents. Jesus ended this exchange with the Pharisees by saying that by doing this and many other things, they were "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down" (vs. 13).

Even as Christians, we sometimes live by traditions. Traditions are not bad unless they supersede what God says. We need to beware that we don't let tradition become our authority instead of what God has spoken through His Word. We shouldn't be bound by traditions – "We've always done it that way." Just because our parents did it a certain way, or our church does it a certain way, we need to be careful that we do not let tradition take the place of God's Word.

Love, Dad