Don't pass off cultural norms for gospel truth

Jesus taught that teaching cultural rules of conduct as Jesus' teachings is wrong. This is really what this blog is all about... uncovering where we claim teachings to be from Jesus when they really aren't... and then opening our hearts and lives up to the real Jesus.  One Sunday in my brother's church, a young boy came in with a baseball cap on.  Apparently in coastal North Carolina, it is culturally wrong to wear a baseball cap in church.  A man came down from the choir to remove it from the boy's head.  I am certain the young boy did not hear a word of my brother's sermon that morning.  The only "sermon" he heard is that Christians are more worried about what is on your head than you. 

Matthew 15:1-9 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say that whoever tells father or mother, 'Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,' then that person need not honor the father. 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: 8 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.'"

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that our culture is not the same as the gospel?  Not wearing baseball caps in church seem like a harmless cultural rule.  But it isn't went it embarrasses a child who might have encountered love and acceptance that morning.  Not washing their hands before the disciples ate seems like a harmless cultural rule too.  It would have been easier to just wash them than cause a ruckus.  But Jesus wanted to make a point here. One he is still making today: "Are you following me or a set of rules?"  "Are you walking in relationship with me or are you in relationship with what seems like a good way to live?"  

What cultural rules do we follow in our churches, in our homes, in our places of business, in our neighborhoods that keep others from seeing the true Jesus? 

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Note: This passage contains more than just one teaching. They will be divided over the next few posts.

• Following the word of God is more important than following tradition
• Honoring God with our lips and not our heart is meaningless
• Worship is meaningless when hearts are far from God
• Teaching human precepts as doctrine is wrong
• Neglecting one's parents (giving to church treasuries support they need) is not honoring to God