“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 
—Mark 7:8, NASB

Reflection 

I know of a man who loves to snorkel. He and his wife have gone on many vacations that included hours of exploring pristine waters. Their passion for snorkeling began early in their marriage, when they discovered on their Caribbean honeymoon that it was something they enjoyed doing together. They also encountered a sobering truth during those first swims. 

Toward the end of their honeymoon they decided to wake up early and beat the crowds to the beach. They had attended a snorkeling class at their resort and felt confident enough in their swimming abilities to go without a guide. So after putting on sunscreen, fins, snorkels, and masks, they set out to explore a spot their instructor had highlighted the previous day. 

What a sight it was. As they floated on the surface, faces down in the water with their backs to the sun, it was as if they had been transported to another world. Fish appeared in all colors, bright blues, purples, oranges, greens, and yellows, and swam only a few feet below them. Entire schools of fish would at times pass within arm’s reach. The more time passed, the more these eager snorkelers became one with this mesmerizing aquatic scene. 

After what seemed like minutes, but in reality was closer to forty-five minutes, they lifted their heads out of the water to reorient themselves and were shocked. The tide had pulled them so far out that they could no longer see their resort. They did their best to keep calm and came up with a plan to stay together. Two and a half hours later they collapsed in their hotel room, utterly exhausted but grateful to have avoided an ending far worse. 

This couple had no idea how far they had drifted. They had paid so much attention to the stunning details surrounding them that they literally lost sight of where they had started. In the same way, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had drifted so far from God’s original intentions for giving the Law and were completely lost in the details. 

To make matters worse, they added their own details, which entangled many of God’s people in religious activities and caused them to drift further and further from His truth. This is why Jesus was so blunt with the religious leaders throughout the Gospels. The Pharisees looked down on common folk for their inability to follow the Law, both written and oral, as closely as they believed it commanded. But they could not keep every law themselves. Jesus said they laid heavy burdens on people that they themselves did not keep. 

In their religious zeal, they had created a complex system of man-made traditions that were far from the shoreline of the Torah. Jesus exposed their hypocritical hearts because they had personally drifted far from God’s heart, and they were causing countless others to do the same. This was what stirred Jesus’ righteous anger. 

Application 

• Ask the Father to show you where religious details, habits, or traditions may be pulling your heart away from His original intention.  

• Stay close to the shoreline of God’s truth by returning to His Word with humility, obedience, and sincerity.  

Prayer 

Father, keep me from drifting from Your heart. Help me not to become so absorbed in religious details that I lose sight of where You began with me. Deliver me from man-made traditions that pull me away from Your truth. Give me humility to obey Your Word without laying heavy burdens on others. Keep me close to the shoreline of Your Torah, close to Jesus, and close to Your original intention. Amen.