Washing Hands

"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
Matthew 15:2

The pharisees added many laws onto the Law of God.

I find that so easy to identify with.

People tend to hold the pharisees at arm's length and say, "They were too insistent on their little Jewish traditions and their own made up rules that did not come from God."

Have you ever locked yourself into your own traditions and made-up rules?

How fervent are you about washing your hands?

Consider the young mothers who work tirelessly to sanitize their homes. Many of these mothers end up changing a diaper or two during the night ... and in the dark. In some cases the parent who wishes to keep his or her house clean comes to the troubling conclusion that human waste may have been spread around into unknown places.

What would a guest or outsider say if he or she noticed it?

Some parents respond to this realization by checking out of life. They continue to live in such a house and tend to their children, but they are simply robots caring out their tasks with expectation for little more than watching some comedy show at the end of their day.

They have ceased to live their own life.

How rarely we ask ourselves who has set these heavy conditions on us. Did God require us to sterilze and santize everything, or is that something we have decided to do on our own?

Technically speaking, sterization is a process of killing life. Most human beings in the modern world live sterile lives ... sure other people might be convinced they will not be infected, but -truth be told- the modern world is dead.

The most neurotic aspects of a man's life revolve around the laws and traditions he holds himself to.

Some teenagers refuse to leave the house until they have researched and found the exact clothes their friends will approve of. Some husbands spend their entire marriages doing nothing but finding ways to advance their careers and achieve greater salaries. Some women refuse to allow guests over until they have vacuumed and dusted their entire house.

I am rarely able to tear myself away from my car or house unless I have locked it (at least once).

The laws we hold ourselves to are far more complex and exhaustive than the laws of any government. Is it so hard to see how we are confined to a prison of our own making?

What I find to be even more disturbing is the way we justify our psychotic behavior (for that is exactly what it is) in the name of Jesus. We tell ourselves that chasing our tails and panicking while teaching Sunday school is worrying and despairing for God.

In other words, we are doing in God's name the very thing He has commanded us not to do! Is there any wonder how people make disciples who are twice as much sons of hell as they are?

Jesus responded to the pharisees by contrasting the suffocating complexity of their laws with the simple and liberating Law of God. Jesus emphasized the simple command the pharisees had forgotten: honor your father and mother.

When Martha told Jesus to rebuke Mary because she was not cleaning the house (and instead spending time at the feet of Jesus), the Lord told Martha that God only requires one thing of us.

Only one thing!

Think of all the rules and laws we set aside for ourselves ... saving money for our children's college, staying fit and healthy, doing our taxes, keeping a budget, staying paid up on five kinds of insurance ... and to say only one thing is required? How strange and yet how wonderful.

Jesus did not teach people to stop washing their hands and cleaning their houses, but he did want people to be righteous in the righteousness of God ... and not in the superficial certification of following human rules.

As we go about our day, may we rely on Christ to teach us about the true obedience he desires. May we become disciples of God's Way, and not the prisoners of human misdoings and empty striving.

The Divided Priests Before The Crowd

When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"

Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
"The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, `From heaven,' He will say to us, `Then why did you not believe him?'

"But if we say, `From men,' we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet."

And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus often spoke to his listeners indirectly, and he rebuked them indirectly.

As readers of this passage we may be tempted to set the passage aside and say, "Ah! What a clever way to respond ..." Or to dwell on the comic aspect of the passage -the way the priests were exposed as buffoons.

The true followers of Christ on the other hand must be watchful so they are not mislead by the shallow interests of the crowd. Jesus showed himself to be wise, but in the very wisdom the wise overlook.

His questions compelled the teachers of Israel to admit they did not know, but not because Jesus made a drawn out display of how many things he knew.

The standing of the priests were brought into question, yes, but it was not Jesus tearing them down -he merely exposed the way the priests had defeated themselves.

As Kierkegaard noted, many people claim to "admire" the lives of great men, but Christ has called his followers to imitate him. In what regard does the serious follower of Christ learn how to imitate Christ from reading this passage?

Jesus asked one question from his audience. He was not trying to make a historical assertion about John the Baptist ... he was bringing into question why the priests did not have the seriousness to believe the message of John the Baptist.

This was a question the priests were not able to answer precisely because of their disobedience.

The man or woman who follows Christ must always be able to bring into question how serious people are in their claims ... even if they appear to be very pious people. A truly committed person will be able to answer such questions simply and in earnest.

The unrighteous are divided by such questions.

I sometimes hear people make assertions about how loose living and dark deeds will give them something in life. Every believer will also struggle with their own thoughts and feelings saying exactly the same thing.

Such a person should be called into question about how closely they will hold these views in the hour of hardship when these pursuits have brought them suffering and bitterness. How deeply can they hold such views in one moment if they wish to discard them the next moment?

The pharisees were ready to discard their own views before they had even given them to Jesus.

And their attention to the eyes of the crowd prevented them from giving a solid answer to Jesus.

Jesus would have fully presented the will of the Father with his question regardless of how many people were watching him. His question about the authority of John would have had exactly the same intent if he was alone with the chief priests.

The priests would never have asked the question if they were alone with Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells us that everything they did was to be seen by men.

Their attention to the crowd (and how to please the crowd) prevented them from speaking their mind. Their refusal to answer Christ's question reflected the division in their hearts. Christ's intent was of one thing, even when it meant dying on the cross.

In the same way we must ask ourselves if our devotion to Christ is one thing in the church building and another thing in the moment weakness and temptation.

The believers who would seek to imitate Christ must learn how to ask others (and more importantly, themselves) how seriously they hold to their views, and they must be able to overlook the eyes and ears of the crowd.

As surely as God clothes the lilies of the field to be more beautiful than the robes of Solomon, God displays the legitimacy of His children to the world as they become more like His Son.

May we seek first to become like God's Son and the other things will be given to us as well.

After The Plans

Every neurosis is a symptom of despair.

A little boy spent a week saving up money to buy his favorite comic book. As he was heading to the comic book store another boy stopped him and offered him a candy bar for the money he had with him to buy the comic book. "And I also have these," He said, pointing to some beans. "These are magic beans. If you throw them in a bath tub full of water they will turn into mice." The boy took his offer. When he got home he immediately tossed the beans into the bath, and waited for some time. After his mom explained to him that he had been duped, he examined the beans and said to himself, "I was ready to buy my favorite comic book, but all I have are these watery beans."

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

When you wake up wake up!
The Sound of Music

Who Told You?

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:9-11

Who told Adam he was naked?

Vain and ungodly commentators have suggested God really did not know how Adam learned this. They speculate that the Hebrews had not "evolved" their concept of God to the point where their idea of God knew everything.

This depiction of God is pragmatic for such commentators who do not wish for any story of God to be told where He knows the darkness going on inside their hearts.

Many devout commentators have suggested this question had a particular motive. They claim God graciously wanted to give Adam a chance to confess his sin. I can only imagine how that would have turned out, but the Bible tells us Adam only used this as an opportunity to address the wrongs of other people.

Perhaps there is another element in this question.

Who told you that you were naked?

God's question to Adam implies this was something Adam could only know if he was told. Are there some things people do not need to be told? Let me give an example.

I like milkshakes. How much do I like milkshakes? I like milkshakes SO MUCH that no one has to tell me I like milkshakes.

I like spending time with my wife. How much do I like spending time with my wife? I can at least say no one has to let me know about this favorite activity of mine.

Many things can be speculated about Adam's nakedness ... but most readers are already very clear that Adam was oblivious about his nakedness and then found out about it at some point because something external revealed it to him.

Which is another way of saying he was not very fond of knowing he was naked. This is why he was embarrassed.

If someone "had" to tell me I like watching science fiction movies, you could understand that as a way of speaking between the lines that my affection for science fiction movies was in question.

Adam was afraid because of his nakedness.

Just as Adam made a claim to God about nakedness, Jesus heard a number of claims from other people.

Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
John 18:34

There is a big difference between the information in phone books and our knowledge of the things we love.

When a person knows something through love, they take a leap into it. Their knowledge has an aspect of ownership to it, because they have chosen it.

When God asks people how they know things, it's not because He is too tired to go browsing an encyclopedia. He wants to find out what is really in us, and how serious we are in the things we claim to hold dear.

This is why Christ asked Peter if he loved him. This is why Christ asked the disciples who they said he was. This is why Jesus asked people what they wanted him to do for them.

These are all questions Christ asks of us. How seriously do we love him? Who do we say he is to us? What do we want Jesus to do for us? Do we want to make him our Messiah?

We might not get asked these questions in words or out loud. The challenges we face in life ask these things of us every day. Jesus does not answer for us, and no one else can tell us how to respond. How will you respond to these questions in your life today?

Written In Your Heart

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3

What is love? Or how does one love?

Solomon does not explain to us in this verse what love is -or at least he does not spell it out for us. There is no obvious boundary to show us what is love and what is not love.

Suppose there was a child who had questions about what love is or what faithfulness is. Suppose he was not able to find much of an education and was left without any clear understanding of love or faithfulness.

How could such a child be told to write these words on his heart? How could he be told to bind them around his neck? If he were writing about physics or biology he might have some difficulty. And if you identify with something you know nothing about, is it just an empty symbol?

Solomon's intent is to emphasize the way a person chooses to love and the extent to which they choose to be faithful.

His command is to never let love and faithfulness leave you. His command is that you bind them around your neck, and write them in the most concealed place of your heart.

Solomon's command draws attention to the fact that as human beings we tend to pursue love and faithfulness one day (or at least the appearance of it) and then we ignore or avoid love and faithfulness the next day.

How rare it is to find a person whose love is one thing. How rare it is to find a person whose faithfulness is always faithfulness.

In this way, Solomon refuses to define in words what love is and what faithfulness is. In refusing to define love and faithfulness, Solomon defines love and faithfulness exactly.

The love Solomon calls love is not something you wear at parties and put on the shelf when you get home. The faithfulness Solomon calls faithfulness is always with you.

And this explains perfectly what love and faithfulness are.

Let us return to our example of the child with little education who wonders how to follow the command, who wishes to write love and faithfulness in the tablet of his heart.

The truth is children are not at a disadvantage when it comes to love and faithfulness. The uneducated are at no disadvantage either. Jesus tells us very directly that God has hidden His good things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. This was always God's plan.

However long a person spends in school, his education is not powerful enough to write love in the tablet of his heart. However old a person grows, his understanding is not enough to give him faithfulness.

Love and faithfulness are two things people decide to write in the hidden places of their hearts. If a person does not make this choice (or the person chooses not to choose to make this choice), they will simply have no understanding of love or faithfulness.

If love and faithfulness are two things that must be chosen, if they are two things that do not depend on one's position, worldly events, fortune or history, then there is simply obstacle God has not removed. This is the moment for choosing something that needn't depend on any external condition.

So do not delay, dear reader, in binding yourself to the behavior God has directed you to practice. Write it in the inmost places of heart. Do not let it escape.

A Quieted Soul

Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents, of David.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.

David associates a proud heart and haughty eyes with getting involved in great matters or things "too difficult for me". Knowledge of "great matters" puffs up the brain -as the apostle warns- but love builds up. David addresses God saying, 'Lord, this is not the facade I carry around to show others, this is who I am inside.'

How often we are tempted as Christians to try and understand everything, particularly politics. David was himself the King of his nation, a head of state. It must have been highly tempting for him to try and find assurance in policy arrangements, alliances, and involving himself in great matters and things too difficult for him.

World conflict can seem so great that a person can overlook the conflict within his own heart. And this is not difficult to do.

The quieted and composed soul of David is like the quiet and composed child who rests against his mother. Such a child has learned to understand that although the food does not come from his or her mother directly, their mother has prepared it in her love and such a child can rest in peace with their mother.

How easy it is to foster an unweaned soul, to think that unless God intervenes in a dramatically obvious way that He has little care or concern for His children.

David closes his Psalm calling on Israel to trust in the Lord in the most immediate moment and to trust in the Lord eternally without interruption. The ways of those who think upon great matters or things too difficult arrive at conclusions once they have tried to take all things into account, but no human being understands all things ... and the requirement to understand "all things" comes with a terrible delay. When such a person pretends he has arrived at such a conclusion he always looks back with unsteady thoughts -asking if he thought it through correctly. At the first sign of trouble he abandons everything.

The trust of the weaned child is immediate, and it does not protest at the first sign of conflict. It is deep, it is continuous, and it is full of peace. How excellent to have the soul of a weaned child.

O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.

Antitaurina

If human beings have complete freedom in regard to the extent that they value their own lives, why is it so many people view their lives to be worthless?

A group of activists assembled to protest a bull fight. They chanted and booed and waved signs, but many thought to themselves, 'Ah! If only I were to lay my life down like the brave matador!' The matador saw the protestors, and even though he flourished his estoque and waved his cape vigorously, he thought, 'If only I had the principles to stand for something like these protestors.'
The lowest attenders, the crowd, praised the matador while at the same time feeling smugly superior to the cruel animal killer.

Greatness is the ability to dig beneath the many layers of superficiality and pull out treasures buried deep below.

The curse of every top-down system is the way little blessings get overlooked.


If you want to succeed in entertainment, you have to be ready to make a fool of yourself. If you want to succeed in Christianity, you have to be ready to be cursed, despised, and killed.

In the nation where people eat abstract food everyone starves to death.

The two young men found themselves suddenly in a dimly lit cookout, surrounded by young men and women in their early twenties. Everyone was laughing, some haughtily, some nervously, and others almost seemed to laugh like they were in a tremendous amount of suffering.
The two men saw a bright light in the distance and began walking toward it. As they approached it, they noticed the light was coming from a gate that appeared to be open. Their bodies almost appeared to change slowly: as if they were becoming younger. As they were just about to peer into the gate they looked at each other and noticed they looked as if they were about to turn six years old.
"I can't be seen this way." Said the one young man.
"Me neither. Let's go back to the party."