Religious traditions usually start out with good intentions. People enact practices, routines, even disciplines, as outward actions that are intended to bring about a deep spiritually internal affect.
Unfortunately, people lose the deep reason, the “why” behind the tradition. The result is that traditions often become laws—and laws yearn for loopholes.
Let’s consider a modern-day example: the church season of Lent. Lent is a season that is observed by some Christian traditions before Easter. Immediately before the season of Lent kicks off on Ash Wednesday, many communities across the world celebrate a raucous party called Carnival.
Why? Because during the season of Lent, people will practice spiritual disciplines where they deny themselves certain pleasures. They call this “fasting”. The original reason for fasting was that these disciplines would draw one closer to God through a variety of methods. Today however, many people are not very happy about this season.
I remember one day telling a person who, for decades, had begrudgingly observed Lent, that on Sunday’s, they could take a break. “No!” was their response. So, I asked, “How many days is Lent?” They answered correctly, “40!”. I then got out a calendar and we counted the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter, omitting Sundays. Sunday is never a day of fasting. Sunday is always a day of celebration. On Sunday, you can take a day-off from your fast.
They were livid. Why? Because for years they had missed what they now understood was a loophole.
The point? Religion had bound them to a law which was long separated from its underlying reason.
Today we read about how Jesus “calls out” the religious of his day for finding a loophole that, when enacted, breaks one of the Ten Commandments. Crazy, right!
In Jesus’ day, if you took some of your possessions, even money, and labeled it as set apart for God, then you did not have to share it. Where did this come from? Not the Bible. It was a religious tradition. And, I could see how this might make sense. But it turned into a sort of tax shelter from other religious obligations—like supporting your aged mom and/or dad.
So, when the religious start pulling out their rule book against Jesus’ disciples, he pulls no punches. He lets them know that their rules have turned back upon themselves, and in the end, resulted in violating God’s Word.
Jesus always gets to the point. It is about what is inside of us.
Consider his words
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Jesus drives deeply to the heart of the matter—our hearts. He deals with the condition of our hearts completely in Matthew 5-7. In Matthew 5:21-30 you can hear him making the same points as today’s reading.
When we deeply are connected to Jesus, his words challenge us. Where in our hearts does he need to cleanse and purify us? It is never about legalism, it is always about our relationship with him.