Living in the Spirit
August 28, 2015
Scripture Reading: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.”
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ –Mark 7:1-8
Several years ago a good friend and I traveled to the Colorado Mountains for a few days of rest and recreation. We stayed in a nice little cabin, which appeared rustic, but really had all the amenities of home plus maid service. There was a sign in the bathroom that said something to the effect that water was a precious resource and they practiced conservation. The sign encouraged us to use the same towel and washcloth while we were there but if we wanted clean ones to leave the used ones on the floor. They would pick them up and replace them with clean ones. The morning of the first day we were there I noticed that my friend had dropped her wash cloth on the floor. So after my shower I picked it up and re-hung it on the rack. She, of course, did not drop it accidently on the floor as she used a fresh washcloth each day. She caught my improper correction before we left for our first adventure and rectified it. I am sure I looked at her like I could not believe she used a different washcloth each day and I am sure she was equally disgusted at the thought that I did not. It was how we were both raised. I doubt, if there have been many scientific studies on the impacts on people’s lives regarding the reuse or not of washcloths or how many reuses are an acceptable number. But conventions of culture can insert themselves into our spiritual practices causing conflict and diverting our attention away from what God has called us to be and do.
We need to scrutinize our own religious practices to determine if we are teaching human precepts as doctrine and if by so doing we are not only failing to worship God as God wishes to be worshiped but we may also be turning people away from God because of our conventions of culture.
Prayer: Lord, grant us clear understanding of your way, so that we may worship you in truth and welcome those of other cultures to share in worship with us because we all have common ground in your love. Amen.