Closer To the Heart

Mark 7:14 - 23

Traditions of man verses the will of God.  This has always been a hot button issue in the days of Jesus and it remains one today. I have found this to be true; if you really want to get a congregation (or Christians in general) upset with you then start messing with the traditions.  Try moving the sacred cows in the sanctuary and try questioning why a church does what it does... Believe me the claws will come out.  Unfortunately I have learned this lesson the hard way but the “trouble” I have gotten myself into has not stopped me from continuing to issuing the challenge of asking people why we do what we do in regards to man made traditions within the church body. 

Jesus was always good at challenging the the traditions of the day.  Contrary to what many people think or teach I do not believe his goal was to anger people or cause unnecessary dissension among the people.  Every time Jesus challenged tradition was for a reason.  Often times a became more sacred than the true act of worship that comes from the heart and Jesus' goal was to set the people straight.  

So Are traditions bad?  What does Jesus say concerning traditions and the heart of worship?  Why is worship from the heart more important than actually keeping tradition?  Hopefully I can answer some of these questions.

 In the passage above Jesus makes a profound statement that really changed the face of what people thought worship was.  He tells a short parable about defilement and purity.  I believe Jesus is not saying the tradition of eating kosher foods and washing hands is wrong; however he was saying that people who only concern themselves with the outer observance of the law are missing the point of what God has designed to be worship.  He says that traditions are bad when they become more important than heart worship.  According to N.T. Wright, “ By focusing on outward purity, they are avoiding the much deeper challenge of the gospel, the challenge to the human heart.”  Basically what Jesus is implying is external purity does not matter as much as the internal heart.  Eventually he clarifies that the two actually end up going hand in hand.  The Pharisees have devoted their lives to keeping and enforcing physical laws such as washing hands, ceremonial cleanliness, and clean foods, yet they were missing the point.  God is more concerned with their internal heart rather than keeping and enforcing empty traditions.  True cleansing from God comes from the inside (changed heart) and not just external observances of the law.

 This brings us to the topic of the heart.  When referring to the heart the Bible generally is not referring to the physical heart it is symbolic.  Dallas Willard writes in his book RENOVATION OF THE HEART, “The human heart, will or spirit is the executive center of the human life.  The heart is where decisions and choices are made for the whole person.  That is its function.” Our hearts are who we are at the core of our being and Jesus informs us that our core being is not very good.  At the core our hearts are evil and black and decrepit and we need to focus on our spiritual heart condition over the external observances of traditions and laws.  Jesus said, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  What comes out of us is a reflection of who we are at the core.  It’s a picture of our hearts.   J.C. Ryle writes, “We need no bad company to teach us (to sin), and no devil to tempt us, in order to run to sin.  We have within us the beginning of every sin under heaven (in our hearts).”  He goes on to say, “(The Lord) is not only speaking of the notorious profligate, or the prisoner in jail.  He is speaking of all mankind.”  This is a hard pill for some to swallow.  The depravity of humanity is something that is not well received among humans.  We don’t like to think of ourselves as bad individuals and generally speaking we are not bad people (from the outside).  However our Lord tells us that our hearts are wicked.  Everything that is bad within us and all of humanity is in the heart.  We wonder how humans are capable of committing some of the most heinous crimes, yet when we take to heart these words spoken by Jesus we see that all humanity has the root of sin in them and we thus can understand how humanity can be so evil.  Jesus’ statements were so radical during his days because he was telling a bunch of outwardly religious rule followers and moralizers that pretty much everything they are doing and believing is  wrong.  Jesus often rebuked the religious leaders by calling them whitewashed tombs… They were nice and pretty on the outside but their hearts were desperately wicked.  

What is great about the Gospel though is there is good news.  The heart can be cleansed.  The heart can be changed.  The heart can be made pure.  Through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the Holy Spirit in our lives and our hearts can be made anew.  King David writes, “Create in me a clean heart O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.”  A new, clean and pure hearts is what Jesus is talking about in His Kingdom message.  This is huge in many ways.  Jesus is tells us that keeping the laws and traditions will not make you right with God only a life and heart completely submitted to Him is what he desires of us. 

So what is the point of this blog?  What life lesson can be applied?  How can the words of Jesus help you to understand God’s ultimate plan for you?

         

1. Question tradition.  Why do you do what you do (in church, home, personally etc.)?  Keep in mind all tradition is not bad nor is all tradition good.  Pray about whether your tradition is contrary to God’s command or even hindering you from hearing from Him.  
2. Look at your heart.  Who are you at the core?  Have you had that inner change that is only available through Jesus Christ?  Do a heart inventory.  Look at your life, your relationships, and your being and see if you are living a God honoring and Spirit-filled life.  Are there things in your life that are still lingering in your heart that may be hindering you from being the man or woman God is calling you to be?  
3. Have you allowed yourself to be a person who does the right things, says the right things and puts on the outward appearance of someone who has it all together but you are dead inside?  Do you think you are in a right relationship with God because you try to keep all the rules, you don’t lie, cheat, steal, murder, commit adultery etc.  I tell you it is easy for religious people to obey all the rules, keep all the commandments, believe (what they think) all the right doctrines in a dutiful manner and still have a heart that is empty, dark, evil, vile and decrepit.  I encourage you to take some time today and search your heart and ask God to search your heart and create a clean and fresh new heart that is devoted and submitted to Him in all aspects of your life.