When religion goes bad

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” ³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?...”

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”…

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:1-20

Among many Christians there are two words which – well, I won’t call them “dirty” words, but words which we are suspicious of: “religion” and “tradition”.

“Religion” conjures up all sorts of ritual, an emphasis on pomp and ceremony, which seems far beyond anything Jesus either practiced, or wanted from, his followers; and “tradition” suggests fustiness or what we might just call “old-fashionedness”. We don’t like either, and do our best to avoid them! (I include myself in that category: “religion”, especially, is something I sometimes think I have an almost religious dislike of.)

For other Christians, though, religion and tradition are important to their faith: for example, buildings specially designed for worship, special robes worn by those who lead the church, and historic patterns of services (technically known as “liturgies”).

Sadly, the two groupings can come to view each other with suspicion, even enmity, and there can be a solemn shaking of heads and heaving of sorrowful sighs at the mistaken practices of the other grouping. (Oh, what hypocrites we can be!)

One of the main aspects of Jesus’ earthly ministry focused on precisely this kind of divide, only to an even greater extent. Here in Matthew 15 we read of a head-on clash between Jesus and “some Pharisees and teachers of the Law” who were offended at the disciples’ failure to observe certain traditional practices (verses1-2): “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” And Jesus was in no mood to be conciliatory: “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” he shot back at them. There follows a quite detailed confrontation about different aspects of Jewish customs and practices at that time. No “gentle Jesus meek and mild” here!

Setting aside the details involved, Jesus gets to the nub of the issue by talking about the human heart: “…the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them”. He then lists some sins straight out of the ten commandments – “murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” – all of which find their origin in the dark depths of the human heart, which is akin to a spiritual cess-pit. The implication is clear: when you face up to such harsh, destructive realities, who cares about trivial cleansing rituals! What we all need is a new heart.

It's important to  remember that the traditional practices in question were never commanded in the Old Testament, and they weren’t primarily to do with physical hygiene; they were not part of the Jewish “law”, which Jesus, in Matthew 5:17-20, declared his respect for and allegiance to. No, they were part of a massive, elaborate build-up of subsidiary rules and regulations (the “Mishnah”) by which devout Jews could demonstrate their loyalty to their ancestral faith. No problem there - not necessarily, anyway.

The problem arose when, instead of being regarded as a very secondary part of that devout faith, they became its very essence, which was obviously what had happened with many of the “Pharisees and teachers of the law”.

I say “many”, because we should never “tar everyone with the same brush” in anything, should we? Think of the Pharisee Nicodemus who came visiting Jesus under cover of darkness (John 3). Very likely he was just such a man – a devout Jew who faithfully upheld all that accumulation of added traditions – yet who in a humble spirit comes to this wandering Galilean preacher who is making such waves in his community, addressing him with the respected title “Rabbi”. His heart is teachable and open.

And how does Jesus receive him? By questioning his obedience to the Mishnah? No: by leading him to the central truth of his message: that a divinely given rebirth, a total renewal of the heart, is possible to everyone “who believes in him”.

We can see and hear what people do with their bodies; but their hearts…? God only knows, we sometimes say, and it’s not just an idle saying. God is the only one who knows! When did we last honestly examine our own hearts?

A personal experience…

My wife and I were on holiday a few years ago in one of those warm sunny countries which are Roman Catholic through and through. I have to confess that I have a hearty dislike of Catholicism; but we went, as tourists, into a magnificent cathedral. I sat taking it all in when an elderly woman came and sat down near me. Everything about her appearance and manner said “I am a Roman Catholic” – her prayer shawl, her rosary, her holy books, everything. So I sat there inwardly looking down on her in my self-righteousness – oh, the poor benighted soul!

And then I found myself scolding myself, “Stop it! Do I know the state of that woman’s heart? Am I in a position to judge? These rituals are probably all she has ever known, and nobody has ever taught her otherwise. For all I know she has a deeper love of Jesus than me, even in spite of her obvious devotion to Mary. Doesn’t an ounce of truth outweigh a ton of error…?”

When Jesus clashed with the Pharisees and teachers of the law he was locking horns with the leaders of the people, men who had not themselves grasped the truth of God’s sacrificial love for sinful men and women, and who were therefore unqualified to lead others in the truth. His attitude to ordinary, uneducated people was completely different,  one of pity and compassion.

When we get to heaven I suspect we will find ourselves in the company of some people who are a surprise to us: people we had, in our arrogance, looked down on. What do you think?

Father, thank you that Jesus was so ferocious in his condemnation of religious leaders who upheld rules and regulations which denied the good news of simple trusting faith in you. Forgive me when I find it in my heart to despise others who have received less light than me. Save me from hypocrisy! Amen.