Transformer - 09/20/2020

Traditions of Men or Commandments of God

The Pharisees were Jews who wanted to make sure they followed the Law of Moses. As the old saying goes, they wanted to make sure they had their “i’s” doted and their “t’s” crossed. So, they made up all kinds of rules and procedures to help the Jews follow the Law of Moses. Over a period of time, these “rules and procedures” became so important in the lives of the Jews that they were considered at least on par with the Law of Moses and in some cases more important than the Law of Moses.

One such example was the washing of hands before they ate any food. One day the Pharisees and some of the scribes saw some of the disciples of Jesus “eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed” (Mark 7:2). So, they asked Jesus, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the traditions of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” (Mark 7:5). The answer Jesus gives is very intriguing.

The problem with these Pharisees and scribes was that they had begun to place more emphasis upon their traditions than they did upon the commandment of God. Let’s meditate for a few minutes upon the response Jesus gives to their question.

Jesus begins by calling them “hypocrites” (Mark 7:6). He quotes a passage from Isaiah, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me, but in vain do they worship Me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:6, 7). What was coming out of their mouth was the precepts of men even though they wanted the people to believe it was the commandments of God. What they were saying with their “lips” was not the same thing as what was in their heart. Isaiah was saying to his generation that their worship was vain and Jesus applies Isaiah’s message to these Pharisees and scribes.

By holding on to their traditions, Jesus said they were “neglecting the commandment of God” (Mark 7:8). Jesus said that they would “nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep [their] traditions” (Mark 7:9). He also said that they would invalidate “the word of God by [their] traditions which [they] have handed down” (Mark 7:10).

Applying this to our times, none of us would want our worship to be “in vain.” None of us would intentionally “set aside the commandment of God.” None of us would want to “invalidate the word of God.” But are we just as guilty as the people in the days of Isaiah or Jesus? Are we doing things which have been done for years, decades, or even centuries which are thought of as being the “commandment of God” but in reality, are only “the traditions of men”?

The message of Jesus that we need to apply to our generation is: Are our actions based upon the traditions of men or the commandment of God? Do we have some religious practices, which we do every week, that are really the traditions of men and not the commandment of God? Have we been doing things so long that we have assumed they must be a commandment of God but in reality, they are the traditions of men?

In answer to these questions, apply this test. When I look at what I do, both in church and in my daily life, will the “commandment of God” authorize my actions? Are my actions based upon the “commandment of God” or are they based upon the “traditions of men”? To say it another way, where did my practice begin, with “the commandment of God” or with the “tradition of men”? - cgm

Thinking on the Word…

Paul’s Love for the Thessalonian Brethren

The apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is full of compassion and love for these brethren. Paul expresses some very heart-felt feelings for them. He was afraid that they would be tempted to go back to their former religious life. He had not had the time to “ground them in the faith” like he wanted to, so he thought that maybe his “labor [would] be in vain” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Reaching his stressing point, Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to check on them.

Paul had preached to this group of people “amid much opposition” (1 Thessalonians 2:2). He had told them things which were not pleasing to men but God (2:4). Paul did not use “flattering speech” nor “a pretext for greed” nor did he “seek glory from men” (2:5, 6). Apparently, Paul liked these people from the first moment that he met them for he says, “Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us” (2:8). He even reminds them that he worked “night and day so as not to be a burden to any of [them]” (2:9). Paul also states, “how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly [he] behaved toward you believers” and how he and those with him were “exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you” (2:11) to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (2:12).

Paul’s ultimate goal was for them to come to the understanding that what he and those with him had preached was not “the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God” (2:13). He also wanted them to become believers (which they did) just like those in Judea (2:14).

Do we have as much love for the unbeliever as Paul? Would we sacrifice as much as he did so that people could become believers? When we sacrifice, love follows easily. Oh, to have Paul’s love for the unbeliever! - cgm

Words of Wisdom

“Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.” - Proverbs 10:14

The wise know how to treasure or “store up” knowledge. In contrast the fool has to tell everything that he knows. The wise will use his knowledge to his advantage, whereas the fool will say things at the wrong time and thus causing himself harm.

Knowing when to say something is always a difficult thing. Some seem to always say things when it is not appropriate, blurting out things and ending up getting themselves or others in trouble. They make embarrassing comments, talking when they know nothing else to do. They are just talking to be talking.

It would seem that the wise person gathers his information and then thinks about what to say. They say things which will build themselves or others up. They know when to say a kind word and what those “kind words” should be. They know the tone in which those “kind words” should be spoken. Their facial appearance emphasizes what they have said. They say words to encourage people. They say instructive words or corrective words in such a way that people receive them and are better people for it.

The wise possess a confidence concerning the things they speak. The foolish lacks this confidence but tries to hide his it by constantly controlling the conversation, trying to convince his audience that he really knows what he is talking about. He thinks that if he talks long enough (and loud enough) people will come to the conclusion he really knows what he is talking about. He is the only one not willing to admit he does not know what he is talking about. A long time ago, his audience had decided, “This man has no clue.”

The wise man speaks because he knows his subject. His audience knows he knows. He speaks with confidence because he wants to benefit others and not control them. At the right time, he shares his knowledge with people so it produces the most good. - cgm