Soul Nourishment

Ceremony and Tradition Cannot Nourish the Soul

Imagine a doctor examining an entire family brought to the hospital in critical condition.  Their health has been deteriorating and they have been losing strength as their bodies waste away.  He immediately suspects a gastro-intestinal virus since they are rapidly losing weight and appear malnourished.

The doctor begins with a question:  “Tell me your eating habits.”

“I make sure the family shares at least two mealtimes together daily,” the mother replies.  “We believe it is important to build healthy family habits, so we follow the same routine each day.”

“Yes,” affirms Dad, “we follow a strict schedule with breakfast at 6 each morning and supper at 7 every evening.  All the children must be in their place at the table for every meal.”

“That’s fine, I’m sure,” interjects the doctor, “but that doesn’t really tell me your eating habits.”

“Well,” Mom says, “we sit in the same place each meal.  We say a prayer together then we tuck our napkins into our collar before the meal begins.”

The doctor interrupts impatiently, “Let me reword my request.  I want to know what you eat, not how.  Tell me about your diet – the type of food you eat regularly.”

“Oh, I guess we haven’t really thought of that.  We’ve focused on the family tradition of mealtime, how the table is set, proper etiquette and procedure.  We’ve never considered actually serving food.  I have thought it strange that we must constantly correct the children for nibbling at the plastic fruit in the centerpiece.”

The scenario is ridiculous, of course.  We can’t imagine someone so deluded that they would substitute mealtime habits and traditions for actually eating.  We all know that meals are about food and that we must eat healthy to remain healthy.  It’s obvious that we cannot even live without eating.

Since that is so obvious, why isn’t it equally obvious that habit and tradition cannot be substituted for reality in terms of spiritual nourishment?  Why is it that so many religious people believe that their spiritual experience centers on going to a church building, sitting in their pew, going through the motions of religious ceremonies and rituals based upon church tradition – but perhaps never meeting God or hearing His Word to them?  Tradition, habits, ceremony and ritual may, or may not, be fine.  At best, though, these things simply set the table.  They do not nourish the soul.  Of themselves they cannot impart or sustain spiritual life and health!

The most highly religious people of Jesus day were the ones most distant from God.  The people who had made tradition a substitute for reality were not only spiritually malnourished they were spiritually dead!  They had high morals.  They fasted and prayed regularly.  They followed the ceremonial and ritual requirements of the law with careful precision.  The only problem was, they did not know God, listen to His Word or love His Son.   Jesus pronounced them spiritually dead and rebuked them for their blasphemous idolatry of meaningless religious ceremonialism.

Jesus burned the highly religious Pharisees and Scribes with a scorching rebuke in Matthew 15:3-4.  "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”  He continues a few sentences later: “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you. 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.  But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’” Jesus clearly stated that those who substitute tradition for the Word of God are under the condemnation of God.  Those who substitute the lip service of religious words for the inward response of heart are hypocrites.

Jesus added this condemnation in Mark 7:8-9 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.   He was also saying to them:  You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.”

I would challenge each of us to examine the reality of our personal spiritual experiences as well as that of our churches.  The Pharisees and Scribes didn’t die out in Jesus time.  They have multiplied to the point that many today are simply going through the motions, repeating religious sounding words, attending meaningless ceremonies, and are distant from God and have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Yet, they feel good about themselves because they follow their church family’s religious habits and traditions.  They are eating the plastic centerpiece, substituting symbol for reality, and are dying of spiritual malnutrition.  

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8