Tradition vs. God's Word

Matthew 15:4 ~ “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.'”

Good morning and welcome to the Panhandle, where we are gearing up for a winter storm. I gotta tell you, I'm praying we get all kinds of snow dumped on us. We need the moister really bad, so if it will come and not all blow away that would be an answer to a lot of people's prayers.

It's warm in here, so come on in, pull up a chair, and let visit awhile about today's Scripture. This entire section is in the mode of a debate, there are questions and counter questions. The hierarchy in Jerusalem was acting through their scribes and Pharisees, who had come to Galilee with the express purpose of refuting Christ Jesus. As they accused the disciples of transgressing “the tradition of the elders,” Christ Jesus in turn accused them of transgressing the commandments of God! He exposed them for using the traditions of the elders to circumvent the commandments of God (vs. 4–6).¹

The Pharisees’ criticism had to do with ritual uncleanness, but Christ Jesus’ criticism had to do with moral uncleanness. The commandments of God required honoring one’s father and mother, meaning to look out for their well-being, and helping them financially. But the Pharisees had developed a program to amass economic wealth at the temple, and permitted a ungracious son to evade his duty to his parents by saying that his gift was dedicated, and so it belonged to the temple. In so doing they emptied God’s commandment of it's meaning.

To wash their hands before they eat was not simply a question of hygiene but of religious duty and religious duty only. The Old Testament law made no such rule, except for priests going about their priestly duties (Ex. 30:17–21). The Pharisaic tradition, however, had extended the principle to daily life, and Christ Jesus, as a religious teacher, was expected to enforce ritual purity among His disciples.

Christ Jesus’ response to the charge comes in vs 10–11. But before that He launched a counter-attack on their whole attitude to religious authority. By insisting on their tradition the Pharisees were in effect setting aside the command of God. Christ Jesus thus drew a sharp distinction between the Old Testament law (the word of God; v 6) and all human rules and regulations. Christ Jesus' quotation from Isaiah 29:13 in vs. 8-9 indicates that a religion based on human rules is empty and not pleasing to God.

To illustrate this point Christ Jesus referred to the way the Old Testament principle of respect for parents (Ex. 20:12; 21:17) was being undermined by the rabbinic legislation which allowed a man to keep his property out of his parents’ reach by nominally dedicating it to God (while in practice retaining the use of it for himself). By this pious fraud, the Old Testament provision for vows was cynically twisted to a purpose which infringed one of the most basic commandments of the law. The fifth commandment is introduced as what God said, not just as the law of Moses.

Christ Jesus teaches that there is a difference between physical and spiritual dirt. Every one of God’s laws is broken at the command of the human heart. No amount of hand washing (or any other ritual) can prevent it.²

Wow! The Pharisees were all hung up about things that while were good, were not eternally important. Do you ever do that? I know that I do some times. But you know what, ⁷the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Well, thanks for dropping by and hanging out today. I pray that our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus' blessing on you and yours.

Biblesurfer

1 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

2 Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., pp. 423–424). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.