Relationship Over Ritual

Mark 7:3-8: "The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, 'Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with unclean hands?' He replied, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.'"

During the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, many of the Pharisees and other devout Jews in the Palestine community were very good at keeping the ceremonial rituals of their religious tradition; tragically however, their hearts were completely devoid of any desire for intimacy with God Himself. In effect, these people fell into the trap that ritual participation was equivalent to spiritual maturity and Divine acceptance. Thus going through the motions of worship was the ultimate goal in the people's spiritual lives.



Joachin Jeremias in his book, Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus, suggests that many of the Pharisees were commoners, who did not have the societal recognition that the Sadducees (i.e. the nobility) had. In order that they might be venerated to places of high honor in the community, many of these Pharisees developed strict ascetic practices which few people could complete, unless they fully committed themselves to the Pharisaic ideals. And once the Pharisees began to receive the praise of men for their "godliness," they began a public campaign of promoting their "spirituality" so that all men would recognize their esteemed religious position within the community.



Jesus actually pronounced a woe or lament against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:5-7 by saying, 'Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them, rabbi.'

There is a certain irony to the Pharisees wearing their phylacteries and robes with long tassels in public for self-propagation. In the phylactery boxes worn on the forehead and hand were pieces of vellum with inscriptions of Exodus 13 and Deuteronomy 6. In these passages, God communicates to His people that deliverance only comes through God Himself, not man's accomplishments . . . therefore all praise is due to the Lord, not man. Tragically, the very scriptures cited by God to warn mankind of the sin of personal pride were placed upon the heads and hands of these newly religious elite to draw attention to themselves.



In addition, the tassels on a person's garments were commanded by the Lord in Numbers 15 to remind the people that the Lord alone was to be worshipped and obeyed . . . and that people were not to pursue the "lusts of their own hearts and eyes." The Pharisees turned wonderful reminders of the Lord into opportunities to elevate themselves by making their garment tassels extra long. Somehow they believed that the longer the tassel, the more impressive the presentation to others in the community.



Even though the Pharisees made a rather impressive presentation to the Jewish community, Jesus called them hypocrites. The systemic problem with the Pharisees was pride; they had found a niche through religious asceticism that brought public commendation, and they feasted on the attention. Jesus challenged them to see that rituals do nothing to gain God's favor, for God is more interested in a heart devoted to Him as Lord. Of course, these Pharisees would target Jesus to destroy Him, for He challenged their positions of esteem that they had passionately pursued and obtained . . . they were not going to give up their personal glory. Eventually, these Pharisees would be instrumental in sending Jesus to the cross.



We in the Christian community must remember that ceremonial rituals are fine as long as they do not become a source of pride that would be used to elevate ourselves above the One True God. Our identity is not found in the religious practices that we observe; rather, our identity is found in our surrender to the Lord of Hosts as our Savior and Master. This is the worship that God desires.



D.A. Carson has said it well when he said, "Christ is as displeased with those in His Church, who demand unquestioning submission to themselves and their opinions and confuse a reputation of showy piety with godly surrender, as He ever was with any Pharisee." Let's not be modern-day Pharisees; let's serve the Lord humbly and purposefully . . . allowing our religious practices to be instruments through which we can direct our praise and thanksgiving to the One who rightfully deserves such attention: the Lord Jesus Christ!