Mt 5:23-24: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
“Sacrifices offered up in wrath, and whilst unreconciled to others, are unacceptable to God, and of no avail.” Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Yoma C.8, Section 9.
Oral Tradition was very strong during the time of Jesus. Oral Tradition was a commentary on the Torah. For instance the Torah commanded that the Sabbath day be kept holy, but just what did that mean? How do you keep it holy? Well you are not to work on the Sabbath, but the problem is that the Torah did not specifically define, work. Was walking work? If so how much walking do you do before it becomes work? So through the centuries the sages and rabbis offered opinions as to what constituted work. This became Oral Tradition, later recorded in the Talmud and was held by the Pharisees to be almost as authoritative as the Torah.
We do the same today in Christianity. The Bible commands that we be not conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). But what does that mean to not be conformed to this world? Well, we Christians have our rabbis and sages as well and their Oral Tradition has taught us that dancing, drinking, smoking, going to movies are acts of conforming to this world. Like the sages, rabbis and Pharisees of old our Christian leaders have argued whether dancing or attending movies was really a sin or not. Our Pharisees stood in judgment of anyone who attended a movie while our rabbis argued that some movies are ok. This thing is the Bible never says it is wrong to dance, smoke, drink or attend movies, we have just allowed Oral Tradition to define this as conforming to the world and thus it is sin. Many books have been written on the subject, but these books are not inspired, yet some Christians actually reach the point of holding up the teachings of their leaders as authoritative as the Word of God itself.
The Bible command that wives submit themselves to their husbands (Colossians 3:18). The command stops right there and does not tell a woman what to do if not married. I have attended churches where the Pastor adds Oral Tradition by saying that if a woman is not married then she must submit herself to the authority of her pastor. Nothing in the Bible teaches this, it was just inferred through tradition and soon began dogma and to many a sin of a woman does not submit herself to her pastor.
Jesus did not condemn all oral tradition, only the abuse of the oral tradition. For instance, healing was defined by Oral Tradition as work; therefore you could not heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus did indeed heal and the Pharisees could not accept that this healing came from God for Jesus sinned by healing or working on the Sabbath and breaking the Sabbath, according to Oral Tradition.
Yet there is some Oral Tradition that Jesus embraced and confirmed which then became Scripture in the New Testament. Matthew 5:23-24 is one such example. I have met Christians who love to embrace all things Jewish and will celebrate all the Jewish feasts. I for one do not feel a Gentile should celebrate the feast as they were for Jews and Jews alone but that is just me. There is one festival, although, that we do have in common with the Jews and that is Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). We do believe in the Atonement and we do celebrate our atonement through Jesus Christ. Yet, few Christians realize that there is something called Erev Yom Kippur, the day before the Day of Atonement. Erev Yom Kippur is Oral Tradition and not found in Scripture until the New Testament. Yet the Jews were practicing this New Testament command long before Jesus confirmed it. Maimonides clarified in the middle Ages that “the day of atonement does not expiate any transgressions, but those that are between a man and God.” On the Erev Yom Kippur or the Day before the Day of Atonement the Jews seek to reconcile with anyone who has done them wrong or anyone that has offended them or they have themselves offended. It is believed that you cannot seek the Atonement of God until they themselves have reconciled with their brother.
Jesus taught that very thing, if any brother has ought against thee. The word ought against you in Greek is ti kata which has the idea of a certain thing to bring you down. The Aramaic is clearer it uses the words el echad. This comes from the same root as the Hebrew word echod which is a joining together to become one. Preceded by the word el which means to divide or be against it has the idea that if there is anything that is keeping you from being one with your brother, united as one, Jesus is commanding that you must correct this, reconcile and be joined and united with your brother as one whether it is something he has done against you or you have done against him you must work it out and be united before you seek any atonement from God.
We Christians get so hung up on the grace of God that we forget that God has commanded us to show the same amount of grace to others. For example if someone cuts you off while driving or makes an unreasonable demand against you and happens to be a member of a minority group and you shake your fist and mutter to yourselves that @#% minority. Jesus is saying that if you cannot be reconciled with that minority group and be as one with them, recognize that you are on the same level with them and bring yourself down to them, don’t come to God seeking atonement for yourself.
Even though the Torah did not command it the Jews still set aside one day to reconcile with anyone who they did not feel a oneness with for they knew they could not be reconciled with God if they were not first reconciled with their fellow man.
Hey, we Christians have been very good establishing our Oral Traditions just as the Jews did. Not all Oral Tradition is bad, as Jesus pointed out. Perhaps it is time we establish an Oral Tradition of Erev Yom Kippur ourselves and set aside one day a year to reconcile with our fellow man. Unlike the Jews before Jesus walked this earth, we now have a command from the Son of God Himself to reconcile with our fellow man before we seek forgiveness from God for ourselves, yes, even if it means becoming one with the minority who cut you off on the road.
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