The Old Things

One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to confront Jesus. They noticed that some of Jesus' disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they eat nothing bought from the market unless they have immersed their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to – such as their ceremony of washing cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony." Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' For you ignore God's specific laws and substitute your own traditions." (Mark 7:1-8 NLV).

The first week of May, in 1985, the first cans of “New Coke” rolled out of bottling and canning plants marking the 99th anniversary of Coca-Cola. In 1886, John S. Pemberton, an Atlanta druggist seeking a headache and hangover remedy, added kola nut extract to cocoa extract and produced Coca-Cola. Today, heavily sweetened carbonated drinks, or soda pops, are among the most popular beverages in the world. In the last two decades, the introduction of diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners has increased sales of carbonated beverages. Annual Coca-Cola sales alone total more than a billion dollars, and soda pops account for one-fourth of the annual sugar consumption in the United States. However, even with the intense marketing campaign that preceded the introduction of “New Coke.” The public would not accept the latest formula. “Classic Coke” was revived and soon eclipsed completely the new product. It was ultimately done away with completely. I was one of those who would not accept the new coke. Perhaps you were also. I just didn’t like the way it tasted! I wish now I had bought a case and saved it. I’m sure it would be a collector’s item now.

In our text this morning, Jesus teaches about the validity of traditions. They are not of themselves bad or good. Just like the new coke was neither bad nor good in concept. Most people preferred the taste of the old one. It failed in the market place because it didn’t taste as good. So it is with religious traditions. No matter how they may be “marketed,” when they don’t reflect an earnest desire to honor God, they are worthless.

In today’s modern church, there are many examples of such traditions. There is a wonderful true story of a small plot of ground in Russia. If you were to visit the Kremlin grounds today you would see a small enclosed area of about 100 square feet (10’ x 10’) with a guard posted twenty-four hours a day. You might assume this is a very important historical spot, perhaps even the burial plot for some important historical figure. However, upon inquiry you would discover no such importance. In fact, you would see that in 1776, Catherine the Great was walking along the path and saw the first flowers of spring at this spot and wanted it preserved until the flower died. So, she posted a guard to protect it from the trampling feet of others. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. The flower faded and died, but the guard was never released from that spot! Traditions may be good or bad. Judge them only on the motive of your heart in following them. How are you honoring God today in your traditions?