GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 7:5
No Levis, please.
Many decades ago, when I started my college education, every male professor wore a tie and jacket. Whether there was an official dress code, I don’t know, but every professor dressed as if he were a corporate executive. Then came the Cultural Revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The college hired some young professors, who showed up wearing Levis and denim shirts. There were some editorials in the college newspaper about the new faculty dress style—some writers in favor and some opposed. The Levi’s won.
While Jesus taught and ministered in the region of Gennesaret, some Pharisees and scribes came up from Jerusalem, probably an official delegation sent to check on this upstart they’d heard so much about. These visitors were punctilious about observing every detail of their cultic requirements, the tradition of the elders. They had a ritual for washing their hands, their utensils, and their furniture. They saw Jesus’ harried disciples grab a quick meal. “And the Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with unclean hands?’” (Mark 7:5)
Jesus did not criticize tradition; in fact, the writers often describe him as participating in traditional events—observing the Sabbath, celebrating festivals like the Passover, referring to the Hebrew Scriptures, and attending the synagogue. These Jerusalem visitors, however, zeroed in on one activity—eating food without ceremonially washing their hands, and since Jesus was their teacher, permitting this breach of tradition discredited him, at least in their sight. It was a violation of tradition, such as young professors wearing Levis in the classroom.
Traditions enrich life, but when a tradition becomes bigger than life, then it presents a danger.
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