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Traditions
Matthew 15:2-6 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” .. “Thus you have made the commandments/laws of YHWH of no effect by your tradition.”
It is interesting to think, how traditions start, and how they end up. In the beginning it might be just a fun ritual.. but later is become the norm, even the rule.. and then people who grow up with traditions only know that is what, when and how they do it, with no idea why. And the things that were important are not taught, but forgotten and all that is left is empty traditions. The greek word for tradition is Paradosis G3862 – paradosis, meaning to conform and give in to what others are doing around you. It has to do with surrendering to teachings. Often Yeshua and the Gospels would speak about YHWH’s Laws and also about others Law’s. It can be confusing for us today, as we think there is only YHWH’s Laws and most people are taught not to keep those Laws, or they are not important. But when you read Yeshua’s words and the gospels, it can be confusing as sometimes they condemn the laws, and other times they say the laws still stand! That is why it is important to know, there are two laws.. the Law of YHWH and the Laws of Traditions and Rules of Men.
Clean by Mouth (food vs words)
Matthew 15:18 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man“
In a couple of chapters earlier, Yeshua made it clear – we will be judged by our words. Matthew 12:36-37 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Is it not ironic, that people use these exact words of Yeshua from Matthew 15, and add to them to say that Yeshua thus declared all food in clean, so we are allowed to eat pork. One should be very careful to remember, we are judged by our words, and it is our words that can defile or save us! Do we change Yeshua’s words to fit our preferences, and then speak Truth or Lies?
Yeast - Unleavened Bread
Matthew 16:11-12 ““How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Today most of the world knows Passover as “Easter”, however the word Passover carries signifant meaning, where Easter is a mix of other religious celebrations. And those who celebreaate Easter, do not know about the week of Unleavened Bread that is suppose to go with the Passover meal. Just this fact of confusing the words and religious celebrations, is a great example of the “Yeast” or “Leaven”, that Yeshua was referring to. The Leaven is symbolic to false teachings, anything that does not fit with the original ingredients. Leaven (Yeast) then grows over time, making the dish rise – symbolic of pride, and then after a while there is nothing left of the original teaching/ingredients, except very spoiled leaven. This is the meaning also of do a yearly week commitment to have no leaven with your food. This is a reminder to start again clean, from scratch and basics. Then you try to compare everything you know with what is from YHWH and what is Leaven (other or added teachings). When we don’t do this yearly “cleanout” of leaven, we don’t realize how much “other things” we add to YHWH’s teachings, and before we know it, we make those “other things” more important, our own laws and rules, just like the Pharisees and Sadducees.
In Exodus 12 we read that YHWH institutes the week of unleavened bread : “And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever“. Click here to read more on the days YHWH called to be kept yearly, which we have created an explanation of, as well as a calendar that you can download (under YHWH’s Calendar).
Did you know, that Manna means unleavened, and David wrote it is “Angels’ food”? Psalm 78:24-25 says that YHWH fed the Israelites with Manna (for 40 years), “Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.” Click here to learn more about Manna from our post in Exodus 16.
