(The following is my sermon manuscript from 4/8/12 PM Service)
I'm thinking that not many of you have seen it, either, so let me tell you about the opening scene of the movie. It begins with a monologue from the main character, Tevye. Tevye is a dairy farmer in a small Jewish village named Anatevka in czarist Russia, somewhere around 1905. The opening scene shows Tevye starting his day. The topic of discussion - TRADITION! There's a loud, raucous opening number by that very title - TRADITION. Tevye and the song goes on to explain how tradition is what holds his people (Jews) together.
At one point, Tevye says, "Because of our traditions, we've kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything... How to sleep, how to eat... how to work... how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered, and always wear a little prayer shawl that shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, "How did this tradition get started?" I'll tell you! [Pause for effect, D.H.] I don't know. But it's a tradition... and because of our traditions... Every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do!"
Now obviously it's meant to be a little humorous - but isn't it also so true?
OUR TRADITIONS
We all have certain traditions that we follow in our lives.
For instance, you may have some family traditions that are near and dear to you. They may revolve around birthdays, anniversaries, or any other special day. It could be something as simple as a Saturday morning breakfast, or a Sunday afternoon lunch at a restaurant. I remember one person telling me before that their family ALWAYS went to the Golden Corral on Sunday afternoons after church. In Martha's family, the Friday after Thanksgiving is always "omelet breakfast" day. Now not all family traditions have to center around food, but I think you get the idea.
Then we have social traditions. Take the Fourth of July as an example. Traditionally, we grill out, have barbecue, and then try not to blow ourselves up with fireworks when the Sun goes down. Towns will have parades, or other special days (like Tater Day in Benton). These are all traditions.
Whether you like it or not, we even have some traditions in the church. For example, we have certain "get-togethers" that happen ever year, don't we? Whether it's the Fish Fry, or a hayride at someone's house in the Fall, all those things are traditions. We even have traditions when it comes to how we handle funerals and weddings. The order in which we conduct our service is a tradition. The idea of meeting for only one hour is a facet of tradition (which I tend to break).
Traditions can be big or small, are (usually) man-made, tend to have some binding quality about them, and are generally harmless. Or at least they are harmless as long as they don't become doctrinal. But we'll talk more about that in just a few moments.
We want to spend the remainder of our time thinking about three ideas:
- 1) What is a tradition?
- 2) What makes a tradition bad?
- 3) What makes a tradition good?
Let's begin by answering the first question.
WHAT IS A TRADITION?
The most simple definition of a tradition is, "that which is handed down" (Wood & Marshall, 1996). Webster's dictionary defines a tradition as "an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)" (Webster, 2003).
The basic idea is this: Someone starts a particular practice. We'll call this person the "originator." Other people observe the practice, or the originator teaches the practice, and it is passed on to that generation. The next generation sees the previous generation (not necessarily the "originator" of the practice) observing the tradition, and then copies it themselves. Subsequent generations do the same. Before long, the originator of said tradition may even be forgotten, along with the reasons for the particular practice (i.e., Tevye's traditions). After a few years, you may have a group of people following a tradition, while having no idea where it came from, or what it really means (or meant). But it's tradition, and tradition can be just as binding as law!
A modern example of this is today's celebration of Easter. The origins of Easter are a bit confusing, and I had a lot of trouble trying to find out exactly when it started. What I did find is that the name "Easter" is likely from the name of the pagan spring goddess named "Eastre" (Jackson, 2012). Could we consider it a strike against a "Christian" holiday if it's named after a pagan goddess? I think so.
Continuing through history, the oldest mentions I could find were from the writings of Eusebius (who lived in the 4th century), which was a quote from Irenaeus (who lived in the late 2nd, early 3rd century), who was claiming to quote Polycarp (who lived in the late 1st, early 2nd century), the disciple of the Apostle John. Polycarp (according to this record) claimed that he had eaten the "paschal feast" with John and other Apostles (TDNT entry on "pascha," see footnote 44). Can you keep that all straight. It sounds like hearsay. It also sounds like heresy.
When we turn to the Bible, we have the unfortunate translation of Acts 12:4, where "pascha" is translated as "Easter" in the KJV. It should have been translated as "Passover," as it was in every other place. But when we take a look at that word, we find that after the Gospel accounts, the word "pascha," (i.e., "Easter") is only found in two other passages. Hebrews 11:28 describes Moses' faith in keeping the first Passover, and 1 Corinthians 5:7 describes how Jesus death was our Passover. Isn't it profound that the only other mentions of the Passover outside historical books deal with the type and antitype of Christ sacrifice?
It also ought to make us think long and hard when it comes to traditions. In Acts 12:4, we have Herod imprisoning Peter to please the Jews. The text tells us that it was "in the days of unleavened bread" that this happened (Acts 12:3). The Jews were nearing the Passover. It seems that fact (along with God's care) is what kept Peter alive, as Herod was waiting until after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
But what was the church doing then, on the Passover? On Easter? NOT celebrating the holiday that the religious world is celebrating today! They were in prayer for Peter's safe return to them (Acts 12:5). Here we have the very day when "Easter" would have been celebrated by the saints, and we have no mention of such a celebration. Even Catholic teaching admits that the "Apostolic Fathers do not mention it, and that we first hear of it principally through the controversy of the Quartodecimans" (An argument about which day Easter should be celebrated on, which by the way was nearly 200 years later, see Catholic Encyclopedia, 2012).
The fact of the matter is, that Christ is our Passover (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7), and we celebrate that "paschal feast" (if you will) every single week, in the God ordained, Messiah instituted Lord's Supper (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 16:2). I don't celebrate "Easter" in the Spring as a religious observance. I remember Jesus death, burial, and resurrection every Sunday!
Now keep in mind I'm not talking about bunnies, eggs, and pastel colors; I'm talking about the very real religious false doctrine of Easter. But here's the funny thing about tradition: By saying that, I've probably made myself seem "less Christian" to some people. They may say, "What's his problem? Doesn't he love Jesus? Doesn't he care about the resurrection?" And so, they have eyes blinded by their traditions, and ears and hearts which refuse to hear and understand the truth (cf. 2 Cor. 3:15). I put my faith in and built it from the Word of God (Rom. 10:17); Theirs is in hearsay and tradition. What is your faith built on?
That brings us to our second thought.
WHAT MAKES A TRADITION BAD?
Let me clarify my use of the word "bad." By bad, I'm not referring only to traditions that "look" bad and evil. I'm referring to traditions that may have an appearance of godliness, but in truth, they are fruitless and vain.
In Matthew 15, we See that Jesus runs into a group of people caught up in a bad tradition. In Matthew 15:1-2, Jesus and his disciples are accosted because they failed to follow "the tradition of the elders." The tradition was one of "hand-washing" before eating. This was a purely ceremonial washing. It wasn't about cleanliness or hygiene; It was all about tradition. But this tradition had become doctrine, and someone who didn't hold to it was perceived as being guilty of sin. Doesn't this happen today? It may have even happened a few minutes ago when I said that I don't celebrate Easter the way the rest of "Christianity" does (and by the way, neither should you). I suddenly became guilty of transgressing "the tradition of the elders."
Jesus' response in Matthew 15:3 is in the form of a very serious question: "Why do you transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?" Whoa! Had they thought about that? He goes on to convict them of very real sin in the way they treated their parents as they grew older, in not taking care of them the way God commands, but instead being selfish and greedy (Matt. 15:4-6).
To those who deem me "less Christian" because of my (Biblical) stance about Easter, I ask the following: Why are you sure to visit the services of a church on Easter Sunday, yet be intermittent in your attendance the rest of the year (cf. Heb. 10:25)? Why will you give something up for Lent, but refuse to practice self control the rest of the year (Gal. 5:22-23)? Why will you observe a Holy Week, yet fail to practice holiness in the rest of your life (1 Pet. 1:15)?
Jesus concluded his discourse with the words we read in Matthew 15:7-9; "And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Those were traditions, being taught as commands. Jesus says they are vain. Jesus says they are hypocritical. Jesus says they are sin. They are BAD traditions, because they originate with man, and in the process, cause people ignore God's clear commands.
We read other admonitions to beware of the traditions of men (Col. 2:8; 1 Pet. 1:18). But I want you to realize that not all traditions are bad. In fact, some are good, and we have to adhere to them to be saved.
WHAT MAKES A TRADITION GOOD?
Let me clarify what I mean by "good." By good, I mean sound (cf. Titus 2:1) or "healthy." These are things that are right, and proper. What makes a tradition "good?" Well, the same thing that can make it bad; the originator.
In the case of a bad tradition, the originator is mankind, yet the tradition masquerades as a command from God. But with a good tradition, the originator, the one who passes it down, is God. Also, keep in mind as we look at the following passages that we are talking about "doctrinal" traditions - things taught as commands, not familial or social traditions.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, we read about where Paul's example originates from - Jesus. He follows that up in 1 Cor. 11:2 by commanding the church to "keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. Obviously, these traditions were ones founded in truth. It's at this point that we need to clarify something: Just because a tradition is "about" Jesus, doesn't mean it's "from" Jesus. Easter is certainly "about" Jesus. Many things can be said "about" the Bible. But that doesn't mean they are "from" either one.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to "stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or epistle." Inferred in that is the fact that Paul's letters (epistles) held traditions. The difference between these traditions and the traditions of the Pharisees was that these traditions originated with God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17) and not man.
When God is the originator of the tradition itself, it is good. When some man teaches a tradition as doctrine, it's bad (and sinful, cf. 2 Jn. 9). It's as simple as that.
CONCLUSION
What traditions do you hold important to you? What traditions have you followed concerning your salvation? What traditions do you hold to when it comes to righteous living? Where did you get them? Friend, are you more like Paul or Tevye? Will you take the time to examine your traditions for yourself?
-Daniel Howell
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References:
Catholic Encyclopedia (Online Edition) - Entry on "Easter" - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm
Eusebius. Historia Ecclesiastica. V, 24, 16 [GCS, 9, 496, 10-13] - found through TDNT (Logos Version) entry on "pascha," footnote 44.
Jackson, Wayne. "The Significance of Christ's Resurrection". Accessed 4/5/12, from http://www.christiancourier.com/artilces/64-the-significance-of-christs-resurrection
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003). Entry on "tradition"
Wood, D.R.W., & Marshall, .H. (1996). New Bible Dictionary (3rd edition) (p 1199)
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