Psalm 27:2-4 English Standard Version (ESV)

² When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. ³ Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. ⁴ One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Have you had the opportunity to watch a child take their first steps? They are unsteady but determined to get batter. There is a glow about them as they begin to gain confidence in their ability to walk. Are we any different when we discover how to walk in the Way? Do we glow with confidence?

Ecclesiastes 8:1 English Standard Version (ESV) Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

We are changed from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18) We grow in Christ and as we do so His glory shines forth ever more so than before. The only thing that will block His appearance is our pride. If our confidence is in Christ, then it will show. If it is in ourselves, it will show.

Do we do things to be seen or to show Christ? It is something I have had to struggle with over the years and it is easy to slip from showing Christ to being seen as a Christian. When gathering becomes an event rather than fellowship, it shows. When singing becomes a performance rather than worship, it shows. When prayers are measured rather than heart felt, it shows.

When love of man replaces love of Christ, it shows.

Matthew 15:5-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” ⁶ he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

⁸ “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

It is tradition time once again. Each year it stirs up good memories lifting up the heart to repeat those things from our past that are fondly remembered. With this is a mixture of family traditions where a man and wife come from different traditions. They agree to form new traditions for themselves and their children. Over time traditions look and feel different than when they first began.

Jesus spoke rather harshly of traditions that drew our hearts away from God. Given that traditions are meant to make us feel good there are opportunities to “give over” to fleshly appetites. The Greek word for tradition means to “give over or give in”. In one situation it included the surrender of a city. All we have to do is drive around at night close to Christmas time to see the light shows to understand how that might be true.

Hidden within these verses in Matthew 15 is an uncharitable tradition that occurred in those days. It was saying “Corban” to a suffering parent, i.e. “My property is devoted to God, and therefore I cannot use it to help you,” My source on this comes from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. It is apparent from this example exactly why Jesus spoke harshly against it.

What would Jesus say about our current tradition time?