A Vain Worship

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Mar 4, 1913

WHEN the Master was here in person, He was confronted on a certain occasion by the “scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem.” They made the charge, “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” Matt. 15:1, 2.

The custom of certain washings before they ate had become so fixed in the minds of these scribes and Pharisees that they regarded them as of divine import. These customs of such long standing had become a part of ecclesiastical law, and those religious devotees were more zealous of their man-made observances than they were of finding just what the teaching of the Bible was upon the great theme of salvation and life. It is interesting to note the answer made by the Saviour to those bigoted ecclesiastics. His words were:

“And He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God; he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. And He called to Him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came the disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up.” Matt. 15:3-13.

The Master sought to show those people how they placed their tradition above the commandments of God Himself. It is an easy matter to get custom and tradition between us and a plain “Thus saith the Lord.” The tendency for the human race is to become established in habits and customs, and to follow them regardless of consequences, or of how much they may conflict with the plain teaching of the Word of God.

It will be observed that the scribes and Pharisees that the Master had to meet on that particular occasion were “from Jerusalem,” and therefore they were the most highly cultured, and, consequently, the most influential, and passed for the most devout. But the Lord taught them that the paramount thing was to understand and know

God’s Word and to observe its teaching, regardless of the customs of men, even tho their customs had been enacted into ecclesiastical law, and were maintained by the highest culture, influence, and devotion.

The Master also makes it plain that any worship that places the “commandments of men” in the stead of the Word of God is a “vain” worship. And He furthermore tells them that “every plant which My heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up.” In view of this clear statement, we should be certain that our faith, and all that we teach and observe, is founded in the plain words of Jehovah. All else will be “rooted up,” and the puny arm of the mightiest man or the mightiest set of men can not prevent it.