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Scripture for the day: Mark 7:3,6-7 The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders … He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
Thought for the day: When I was in the Navy we lived by tradition. Many of those given to us as part of our training were founded on good reasoning; reasoning which, for the most part, had long since ceased to be relevant. Some still made sense but most were holdovers from ancient practices no longer having any good purpose. There is a rule in the Navy that enlisted men cannot fraternize with officers. That rule has been in effect for as long as the Navy has existed. Believe it or not, there is still good reason for such a prohibition. Officers would find it very difficult to treat impartially those with whom they spend time outside of work. So there are some traditions that, even though they go back a long, long way, are still meaningful.
On the other hand, there are some that have long since outlived their usefulness. Let met give you a couple of examples. When the United States Navy was very young, they adopted a uniform style that made a lot of sense ( I still like it by the way, simply because it’s so unique). There was a flap in the front of the trousers that buttoned from each side and across the middle. There are 13 buttons on that flap, one for each of the 13 original colonies. Now when it was first introduced it made good sense in that the sailors could get the trousers off quickly if need be (before you go getting the wrong idea, read on). The trousers were also bell-bottomed, flared greatly below the knees. This too was so they could shed them quickly when necessary. You see, the uniforms were also made of wool for warmth. Unfortunately, wool, when it’s wet – say from being soaked with sea water when the sailor fell or was thrown overboard – tends to become very heavy. To help avoid drowning, the sailor had to be able to get his trousers off quickly while in the water, hence the loose fit. The Navy uniform also has a flap that hangs halfway down the back. It’s a very distinctive part of the uniform which serves no logical purpose whatsoever in today’s world. But when it was introduced it was detachable and served two very useful purposes. First, if the sailor were in the water, the flap would invariably float away from his back, giving those who would rescue him something to grasp so they could pull him out of the briny deep. Second, in the Colonial Navy, the sailors almost always had long hair which they tied in a pony tail and soaked with tar to keep it from blowing in the wind and getting caught in the rigging of the ship. The flap helped keep the tar from the rest of his uniform. Once dirtied from the tar it could be taken off and washed, negating the need to continuously wash the entire uniform. There now, aren’t you glad you’ve learned such valuable information? But what does it have to do with today’s scripture?
The Jews had books full of traditions that had begun in much the same way as those I’ve mentioned having to do with the Navy. Their traditions had some good reasoning behind them – for the time in which they’d been established. The problem for the people in Jesus’ time was that so many of the traditions handed down from generation to generation had been elevated to the place of scripture. These good ideas had been given a place of honor next to the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses and adhered to so strictly, even after the reasons behind them had long since been forgotten, that a person could now go to hell, or at least be expelled from the Jewish community, for failing to adhere to them. Now there’s nothing wrong with washing your hands before you eat, but that’s not what Jesus was talking about. His point was that, though washing one’s hands may be a good idea to prevent disease, whether or not you do that before you eat anything isn’t a spiritual life or death situation as the Pharisees taught. We tend to think those Pharisees were so silly don’t we?
The fact is, many of the things we do, and don’t do, in our churches today are based on the same misunderstood ideas that have been passed down to us from well-meaning saints who’ve gone on before. Is there anything wrong with tradition? Of course not, it helps us remember who we are and where we’ve come from; tradition often gives us a foundation upon which to build. But we have the same tendency to elevate traditions of the past to the place of holy writ and condemn those who do not adhere to them as strictly as we might, often not even knowing why we do the things we do. For instance, there are many places where the morning worship service takes place between the hours of 11:00 AM and Noon. Do you know why? Have you discovered the scriptural basis for such times? Of course you haven’t because we’ve traditionally participated in Sunday morning worship services at that hour because of cows. That’s right, cows. You see, when churches were being established in America, most families had cows, which had to be milked and tended before church on Sunday. 11:00 AM was the most convenient time to go to church. Now there are many congregations who would tar and feather the preacher who would dare suggest moving the time to 10:00 for convenience sake. Think about these things in relation to the traditions of your own church. How many are founded on God’s Word and how many are actually there because of the traditions of man?
Now go take on your world. - Bill