S4-40 DANGERS OF A PHARISAIC SPIRIT

The Scribes and Pharisees demanded to know why the disciples of Jesus broke the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating.’ This simple incident reveals a lot about the religion we practice. TRADITIONS are essentially man-made rules concerning how to dress and act in church. Traditions focus on outward appearances, whereas TRUTH focuses on heart matters. To some, this may seem trivial, but to God, it is a grave issue.  It caused Jesus to condemn the worship of the Jews. “Hypocrites! Isaiah did well to prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain, they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9) God forbid that we go blind following traditions in the Body of Christ so that God rejects our worship as vain.