I always like to find a namesake. Recently I came across in reading, another Mr. Howell. We have more in common than just our last name. We both spent alot of time in Texas, and both have a passion for the study of scripture. His ability as a student of scripture far surpassed mine however. He knew large chunks of the bible by heart, memorized much of it by the time he was 12. He was a walking concordance that would put most of our pastors to shame with his comprehensive knowledge of scripture. When he taught, He encouraged his students to check everything that he taught against scripture. He had a problem with his interpretation though, because it was based on a False Authority – his own. His practice then, was not grounded on God’s precepts. False traditions slowly developed over time, and were “based on scripture” so they felt right to those who listened to this learned bible teacher. We should do what feels right, right? Some still follow his teachings today, though they do not call him Vernon Wayne Howell, they prefer to call him David Koresh. They prefer to call him their messiah.
In several ways our contemporary evangelical Christian culture has infected our hearts and minds with the traditions of men. Yes, (shock) this is true even in “Bible” churches. When we focus on our exegesis to the point that it leads to private interpretation, we have set aside the tradition of God for the tradition of men. When we “buy” into the “prosperity ecclesiology” which over-emphasizes church growth and programs, likewise, when we accept and adopt a pastoral theology based more on business models than on soul care, we set aside the tradition of God for the traditions of men. This should not be. We need to listen to the tradition of the apostles and the prophets, to valid sources of tradition to ground our understanding of scripture and ground our practice on Gods precepts.
In the opening verses of Mark 7 we see that Israel had Accepted False Tradition from False Authority (7:1-7:4). Now these Scribes and Pharisees were false authorities in that they did not have the appointment by God as Prophet, that is to deliver God’s requirements to his people, nor the appointment by God as Priest, to lead the people before God in worship. Yet the understanding of these ‘interpreters of the Law” was passed on as if it was holy writ, slowly adding to and eventually setting aside the traditions of God for the traditions of men.
You see, they took the levitical requirements for the priests to perform certain ceremonial cleansing before eating food that was offered to God, or before entering his holy sanctuary, and they applied this to all the people. Now this was for a good reason as the initial thinking was that all Israel should be holy before God. This is a good intention. The problem is that when the practice itself becomes the mark of sanctification, above even the condition of the heart, then this false tradition (from false authority) challenges Gods precepts (7:5).
We see the development over time of the unhealthy focus on outward performance of religion, so that these “interpreters of the Law” actually use this ceremonial practice to challenge Jesus about his disciples sanctification in verse 5.
What is the response of Jesus? First he rebukes them by referring to Isaiah the PROPHET (God’s established authority for communicating his precepts.) Jesus shows them how false tradition (from false authority) infects the heart (7:6-7:13)
We my friends are the modern day “interpreters of the Law”. We, like the Scribes and Pharisees, have been given God’s precepts through traditions from his established authorities. Much of what the disciples and Apostles learned about Jesus in the 30s was taught faithfully, orally, and in creedal confessions which became inscripturated in the 60’s and 70’s in the text we are now reading. Unfortunately, many times, we also accept false traditions, or even make up our own which are carelessly separated from God’s precepts. Well, we do not keep to ceremonial cleansing practices like the Scribes and Pharisees, but what does this look like for us?
How about the false authority of “Bible Based?” That woke you up didn’t it? What does “Bible Based” even mean? Is it like that movie I saw the other night that was “based on a true story”, or like the drink my son was drinking while watching it that was “based on a fruit”, while it contained no actual fruit it had the flavor of fruit. That is what we accept many times when we accept some teaching or tradition that professes to be “based on the bible”, what we get is bible flavored, without the nutritional content. You see, unless scripture is correctly interpreted and applied, “bible based” has no meaning. David Koresh knew the bible. EVERYTHING he taught was “bible based.” The heretics know the bible.
That is why the early church did not just use the bible (the texts they had) to refute heresy, but the key was that they could say, here is the the understanding of this scripture that the church received from the Apostles (God’s appointed authority for establishing traditions which communicate his precepts.)
One of our struggles which is very contemporary, is the false authority of “headless spirituality.” The rule in much of our culture is still a post enlightenment anti-intellectualism which places spiritual experience at a premium and denigrates “head knowledge.” Understand that this is a false dichotomy. If you start from the preposition that Jesus rose from the dead, then your careful study scripture, and doctrine (in community with the church) guess what, it helps you come to know the God who IS. How many of you read The Shack? Wow, finally a book about the trinity right? People LOVED this book. They devoured it, talked about how it helped them, even changed their life. Now don’t try to tell these people that the God they are reading about in this work of fiction is not the God of the bible. Their sister had lost a child and this book really helped her and now you want to say something bad about it? “Headless Spirituality” This book is not a representation of the God who IS. Paul instructs Timothy to watch both his walk and his doctrine carefully. 2 Peter 2 says false teachers are counted among the worst transgressors and the destruction of their judgment will be awesome. God cares about what we think about him. It matters.
What we believe and confess matters, so does what we practice.
Like the False Authorities in this story we are susceptible to The false authority of “Contemporary Tradition.” The Scribes and Pharisees were practicing traditions which has become separated from the True Tradition received from the Prophets. When we today practice traditions which have become separate from apostolic teaching, we are setting aside the traditions of God for the traditions of men. When the Apostles teach the church leaders they picked and trained, that the central aspect of worship in the church is communion, and this understanding is unbroken for over 14 centuries, until a french theologian named Zwingly comes along and separates from the apostolic tradition, and announces that the Lords table is just a symbol that is not necessary for worship and we buy it? Luther looked at the apostolic tradition, Calvin looked at the Apostolic and we choose to go with Zwingly? Really? We have set aside the traditions of God for the traditions of men.
Jesus responds to the interpreters of the Law by rebuking them by the Prophet Isaiah, and then he commends the True Tradition of the Prophet Moses (7:10) Jesus gives two examples to address the challenge of sanctification. First, faith and practice should be established according to God’s precepts. The interpreters of the law should have corrected the understanding of Corban, (a Jewish practice of dedicating resources for God) to align with the requirement to honor their father and mother. The tradition is kept pure by grounding practice of Gods precepts as given by his appointed authority. The second illustration about food shows that sanctification is first and primarily about having a “broken and contrite heart.” This takes work of the Holy Spirit as we know that the heart of man is deceitfully evil, wicked above all things. God looks at the heart, this is the precept of God without which any practice is just empty ritual.
This is why the spiritual disciplines are so important, as is the church. Spiritual Formation is IMPOSSIBLE on your own.
Also, our exegesis of scripture and understanding of practice is not subject to our private interpretation, or the philosophical meanderings of post enlightenment, or post modernity. Do you own research to what the Church of God, whom the Holy Spirit is keeping and perfecting has always believed and practiced. We need to break away from our western, American individualism and remember that the Holy Spirit in Community is the place of discipleship and discipline which conforms his Church to the image of Christ, the bride ready for the bridegroom. We need to get back the idea of being accountable to our church elders. Consider for your own faith practice and that of any church you may be a part of the Nicene Creed. The basis for this confession came from the apostles, to the men they taught, was passed on, and has served the Church for centuries to resist heresies and cults and to remember and teach what the Church has always confessed about the God who IS.
