Text vs. Tradition

This week, I have the privilege of start a 3-week preaching series on Noah and the flood. I began a series from the book of Genesis back in September and have now come to Genesis 6 and the story of the flood. I am going to take 3-weeks to get through this story, which will work well in pointing to some important themes around the coming of Christ as a baby (Christmas celebration).

I loved the story of Noah and the flood. I can still remember the flannel-graph and picture book the Sunday school teacher would use in telling the story. The images of the animals all walking towards the gigantic ark or the pictures of Noah going from pen to pen in the ark feeding the animals. I can still see the image in my mind of Noah opening the window and releasing the dove that comes back later with an olive branch. The exciting and epic story of Noah building a boat over 120 years all while preaching to his society that was angry and persecuting him. The story of Noah was impactful on me as a child becasue of the whole boat with animals adventure that Noah went on to escape the flood.

The problem is, as a child, I missed the point of the story and loved what tradition taught, not what the Bible made clear. The story of the flood is not about Noah and his boat of animals. The story of the flood is about a just, perfect God dealing judgement on corrupt humans. The story of the flood is about God making a way in His grace to save a man (and his family by extension) from the perfect judgement they all deserved. The story of the flood is about the character, power, and actions of God. It is not really about Noah and the boat of animals.

I also, as a child, focused on all of the extra, traditional stuff, that is not in the Biblical text. No where in the Bible does it say it took Noah 120 years to make the ark. No where in the Bible does it say Noah preached the judgment of God and warned all the people to get on the boat. No where in the text does it even say that Noah was persecuted by the society he lived in. The only thing the Biblical text makes clear, is that Noah obeyed what God told him to make. That is it. Yet as a child, I held on to all the tradition that was added to the story over the years.

And this tradition verses the actual Bible is what I want to think about for a moment. This is the Christmas season. This is the time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Do you know what tradition has added to the Christmas story? Here is a list of the things tradition has added to the Biblical story of Jesus birth...

-Jesus was born in a stable
-Jesus was placed in a wood box manger
-There were animals present around Jesus birth
-Mary and Joseph were alone at the birth of Jesus
-The shepherds brought sheep with them
-There were 3 wise men
-The birth of Jesus was at night
-The star was visible to the world the night Jesus was born
-And I could go on...

I list all of these traditions added to Christmas, just liked I listed the traditions we have added to the story of Noah to make a clear point. First, there is nothing wrong with any of these traditions. We must not fight over them, create battles and heartache over them, and be legalistic in how we approach any story in the Bible that has had tradition added to it. Church tradition added to the Biblical stories is not as series of an issue, in most cases, that people make it out to be. And most likely if fighting over the tradition verses the Bible is a problem, it is becasue very few people actually know what the tradition is that has been added to the story of the Bible.

Secondly, the point in this tradition verses Biblical text discussion is pointing to, a right knowledge and understanding of the Bible. We must know our Bibles better so we can distinguish between tradition and actual Biblical fact. That is the point. Do not fight over the tradition. Know the Bible. Do not be legalistic over what is added to the church Christmas play, know what the Bible actually says. Do not pick fights and hold people to the standard that we think the story is, rather get into the Word, dig deep, and know exactly what God is speaking in the story.

So this Christmas, keep your barn animals, 3 wise-men, and baby in a box. But more importantly, know exactly what God wants you to know from the Bible around the story of Jesus actual physical birth in the spring of 3 B.C. Do you know your Bible well enough to spot tradition that has been added???