Jesus confronted meaningless religion:
- The power of tradition:
Jesus was accused of allowing his disciples, and even himself, to eat without washing their hands according to the tradition of the elders
(Mat 15:1–2, Mark 7:5, Luk 11:38). This accusation had nothing to do with dirty hands or poor hygiene, it was about following the rules of tradition.
Traditions become problematic when they are given equal or higher authority than the Bible (Mark 7:9), see The Roman Catholic Church. - Empty religion:
Jesus answered the Pharisees and scribes that they were the ones who broke God's commandments for the sake of their tradition (Mat 15:3–9,
Mark 7:7–13). Their tradition was man-made rules which after a time became traditions and laws, which the people had to follow, but which weren't even part of the Mosaic Laws of the Old Testament (Mark 7:3–4). They violated the essence of God's word in the Bible for the sake of their tradition. See also Man-Made Religion.
When we begin to follow traditions that aren't grounded in the Bible, we find ourselves engaged in empty religious practices (Col 2:8, 20–23 (NIV)). Empty religion doesn't change the heart (Luk 11:39, 42, 52).
Jesus called these religious leaders hypocrites and referred to Isaiah's prophecy: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Mat 15:7–9, Mark 7:6–8, Isaiah 29:13).
When we do something for God, we shouldn't do it because we think it's expected of others or of God that we do it. Then it becomes an empty ritual that we just perform automatically. We should do it out of love for God, because he sees our heart and our motives behind it.
(Psalm 50:7–15). Communion should make us to reflect and remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's not done to be saved (see Salvation) or to be done as an empty ritual. It's a reminder of God's grace and mercy. Another example is water baptism, see
Christian Water Baptism in The Book of Romans.
See also Jesus Denouncement of the Jewish Religious Leaders. - Matters of the heart:
Jesus explained that it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth (Mat 15:11, Mark 7:15).
Whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled. But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and it defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. It is these that defile a person.
But eating with unwashed hands defiles no one. (Mat 15:17–20,
Mark 7:18–23). See also Disputable Matters in The Book of Romans.
The teachings of the Pharisees and scribes at the time of Jesus are examples of Legalism, see the last part of The Book of Colossians. It was all about the exterior. They loaded people with burdens that were hard to bear and didn't help the people to get rid of the burdens (Luk 11:46).
God cares about what happens in our hearts. We can pray for a clean heart, as king David did (Psalm 51:10 (12 in some translations)), see Psalm 51: Coming to God when we fail.
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23), see also Salvation.
God wants a relationship with us and that we are led by the Holy Spirit, see Sanctification.
In our societies, personal opinion or personal belief is also very common, something that for many people is more important than both tradition and God's word in the Bible. A tradition has many times started with a personal opinion or a personal
faith that has developed over time (Mark 7:9). It may also have been initiated by a single verse in the Bible that has received a twisted interpretation.
That may have been done to better suit my own opinion or my own tradition, see
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven.
We shouldn't do things for religious reasons, we should do it for God
(1 Sam 16:6–7, Psalm 51:16–17 (18–19 in some translations), Isaiah 1:11–13a).
(1 Sam 16:6–7, Psalm 51:16–17 (18–19 in some translations), Isaiah 1:11–13a).
We should relate to God on a personal, individual level, as if he is real and alive,
and someone we can talk to, see The Parable of the Two Sons.
Then we get a real relationship with God.
and someone we can talk to, see The Parable of the Two Sons.
Then we get a real relationship with God.
When we teach, we should teach from the whole Bible, and especially from
the whole New Testament, and not just from our favorite verses of the Bible.
the whole New Testament, and not just from our favorite verses of the Bible.
See also Some stories in the gospels at the bottom of The Four Gospels.
