Very often we hide behind church tradition. In many of our religious activities there is emptiness, meaninglessness. For example, to greet each other several times per meeting. Where is holiness here? What’s the point?
We hide behind crazy traditions. If there is no love, tradition will not help, and if there is love, you don’t need tradition. The tradition remained before the coming of the Liberator, the Redeemer. And when He came and revealed God as He is, the tradition was no longer needed.
I’m talking about the things we hide behind. For example, liturgy. One can conceal absence of God experience behind it.
Today, many people talk about things they don’t know or don’t have. This is how the religious “talk” begins. People understand that this is emptiness, but they pretend that everything is in order. I consider such services to be harmful and a waste of time. Many pastors do this – they teach what they themselves don’t practice and what they don’t know. Whoever speaks things he knows, he speaks the truth. I suggest – always speak the truth, and then it will be easy for you, there will be no need to break through, no need for anointing, because the truth in itself is strong.
This is playing hide and seek. We hide behind tradition – behind liturgistics: behind worship, preaching, prayer “Our Father”, behind greetings. Imagine if we take it all away and leave only reality. It has nothing to do with God.
That’s what Jesus was talking about.
“Now it happened that He went through the grain fields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” And He said to them: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:23-28).
In fact, Jesus made the Sabbath. The Son in the Father, They are from eternity. This is the day established by the Lord. We spoke that people who don’t keep the Sabbath behave like this because of greed and covetousness – they need more money and more objects. This is an impure heart.
Make a pause on the day of the Lord, do not curse yourself, but be blessed, give God the Lord’s day, separate yourself for the Lord!
And so the disciples were walking with Jesus and decided to have a snack. Then the Pharisees driven by their evil reproached them for not observing the Sabbath. Jesus destroyed their dead tradition and revealed the true Sabbath commandment – not man for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man so that man could be refreshed.
In these days I prophesied how the Sabbath would serve man. The Sabbath is a being. I said that what was lost would return, and if something falls, it will not break. I wondered what I was saying. And we did experience these things happen. This is the Angel of Shabbat, he will return the lost, because we kept Shabbat.
These are real things, because the Sabbath was made for man. And when you enter the Sabbath, let not a eunuch say: “I am a dry tree,” but whoever observes the Sabbath will be raised to the high places of the earth, he will not be a “dry tree”, he will be juicy and fruitful, and the Lord shall even raise him higher than Jacob, above the Jewish people.
If you are not yet moving in the art of Shabbat, then hurry up.
So, Jesus destroyed all these “lies” and revealed to them the true commandment. Therefore, eating on Saturday is good. Consider what restrictions you have placed in your church “for the sake of the Lord” that keep people from life.
I don’t pray for covering and protection, I praise for it. Remove all these traditions, this is “white Christian magic”. It doesn’t work.
“The the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled? that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they don’t eat unless they wash. There are many other things? which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” He answered and said to them: “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “These people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them: “All too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition?” (Mark 7:1-9)
Jesus told them it was all tradition. What traditions do we have about holiness or about our seats in the church, neighbors next to you.
Imagine: you came, you want to eat, but first you need to wash. What is there of the same kind that keeps us from moving freely in worship, expressing our faith and love? Look how much religious “nonsense” is in your church. Take away this huge tradition, and there will be a little man. Tradition “lay us up”, making us more than we really are. I urge all of us to get cleansed
There won’t be less of God. Jesus disagrees with what they came up with. He came to His people and now He is puzzled by things they made up to observe – “many other things”: they kept the washing of pitchers, cups and even couches!
Look how insane this is. We talk cheerfully about serious things – there is no difference. If we talk about serious things seriously, they don’t become holier because of this.
Jesus called them “hypocrites” and said that in vain they worship Him with their lips – this is when God “lives in the mouth.”
If God were to visit our churches, what would He say? We need to get into the Gospel. So that we discern these cardboard walls, decorations, stucco – and not hide behind the false. Tradition is meant t glorify God and serve people.