Friday, January 23

Matthew 15:1 - 20

Tradition!  If there is one thing folks like, it is "doing things the way we've always done them", although the current cultural climate may be the exact opposite.  One of my friends loves to put it this way "I'm all for change, as long as I don't have to!"
Jesus confronts those who want to pick the nits of tradition.  He points out that through tradition, many of the religious practices actually violate the laws God laid out to protect His people.  Their traditions allowed them to profess a relationship with God that was not borne out by their attitudes or actions.  A religion that only affects one's words without producing any substantive change in behavior and attitude is a poor religion.  Jesus illustrates it this way:  the things your life feeds upon (desires, thoughts, urges) is what makes you unclean before God, not the words that come out of your mouth.

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