Parable of Tradition

Tradition - The Invisible Inner Enemy.

Matt. 15:1-20 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 10  And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11  Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12  Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13  But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16  And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Mark 7:1-23 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2  And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3  For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4  And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. 5  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 14  And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17  And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18  And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19  Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20  And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

The parable is found in Matt. 15:13-14.  That verse 13-14 is a parable comes from verse 15 where Peter asked Christ to explain the meaning of the parable to him.  Christ stated in verse 13-14, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

The passage in Matt. 15:1-20 can be broken down into four divisions.

1.      Verse 1,2 - The question asked by the Pharisees.

2.      Verse 3-9 - Christ’s answer to the Pharisees.

3.      Verse 10-11 - Christ’s explanation to the multitude.

4.      Verse 12-20 - Christ’s explanation to His disciples.

The breakdown of Matt. 15:1-20

I.       Verse 1,2 - The question asked by the Pharisees.

A.    These Pharisees show by their question that they are more interested in the physical characteristics of religion than the spiritual characteristics.

1.      They are more careful with the outward show than the inward reality.

2.      They are more likely to see what a person is doing, rather than why they are doing it.

3.      The works of a person are very important, but it is more important to see why they do a particular thing, than to see that they do a certain thing.

B.    These Pharisees have taken a health issue and turned it into a religious issue.

1.      There is nothing wrong with washing your hands before you eat, but it is not necessary for salvation, or proper service.

2.      Sometimes it is not feasible.

a.      I have worked in the fields and there would be no water handy.

b.      There would be food, and I would eat it, being careful not to eat too much dirt!

C.    These Pharisees are more interested in keeping their own traditions than they are in obeying the commands of God.

1.      They plainly state that the tradition of washing of hands is of the elders, not of God.

2.      They have developed these traditions over several years, and they believe they are very important to follow.

3.      They have forgotten that the commands of God have been since the beginning, and they are more important to follow.

4.      The following scriptures speaks about washing certain parts of the body in running water, but these scripture were not used by the Jews to come to their doctrine.

a.      Leviticus 14:5,6 - The ceremonial cleansing of a leper.

b.      Leviticus 14:50,51, & 52 - The ceremonial cleansing of a leprous house.

c.      Leviticus 15:13 - More on the ceremonial cleansing of a leper.

d.      Leviticus 19:17 - The ceremonial cleansing of a person, or object, that has touch a dead body.

D.    What did the Pharisees mean when they referred to unwashen hands?

1.      This was a most terrible offense to the Pharisees.

2.      It was equal to whoredom. [1]

3.      R. Eleazer[2] states that “whoever eats bread without washing of hands, shall be rooted out of the world.

4.      Some of the Pharisees also said, that he who eats with unwashen hands is fit only for death. [3]

5.      In order to convince people to wash their hands before they eat, the Pharisees invented an evil spirit named “Shibta”, who sits on the hands and food of those that haven’t washed their hands and leave behind that which is very dangerous to eat. [4]

6.      R. Akiba (a Pharisee) was in prison, and had to choose between drinking water and washing his hands.  He chose to wash his hands, and died of thirst, but was commended for his greatness by the Jews. [5]

7.      Eleazar ben Chanac (a Pharisee) was excommunicated for despising this tradition.  When he died, the Sanhedrim sent and put a great stone upon his coffin, to show that he died in his excommunication.  After this, they stoned his coffin to show their great contempt. [6]

D.    It is very easy to forget that we live in a very small world.

1.      We often judge everything and everybody by the way we look at things, instead of how God looks at it.

2.      We must remember that we only see the “little picture”, while God sees the entire picture, even planning everything from before the foundation of the world.

II.         Verse 3-9 - Christ’s answer to the Pharisees.

A.    Christ does not speak to the Pharisees in a parable.

1.      They won’t understand it anyway.

2.      Matt. 13:10-17 - Christ explains to His disciples that he speaks in parables so those that listen will think they understand when they really don’t.

B.    Christ asks them plainly why they transgress the commands of God.

1.      Christ makes a clear distinction between the traditions of the elders and the commands of God.

2.      It is interesting to note that Christ used the word “also” in verse 3.

a.      He knew he was breaking the tradition of the elders, but that didn’t bother Him.

b.      He was more interested in obeying the commands of God than the traditions of men.

c.      This is exactly where we ought to stand.

3.      Two Jews named Hillell and Shammai stood up and declared that the tradition of washing the hands before eating was known to the Jews “before”, but they forget it.  These two gentlemen stood up to reinstate it, and the other Jews followed them.

C.    Christ uses the example of honoring of parents, which the Jews have left in favor of honoring children.

1.      Mark 7:11 speaks of “Corban”: Rather, "Let it be a {corban,}" a formula common among the Jews on such occasions; by which the Pharisees released a child from supporting his parents; and even deemed it sacrilege if he afterwards gave anything for their use.[7]

2.      Strong’s Concordance (G2878) defines “Corban” as a votive offering and the offering; a consecrated present (to the Temple fund); by extension (the latter term) the Treasury itself, i.e. the room where the contribution boxes stood:--Corban, treasury.

3.      In other words, if a child gave money to the Jewish offerings, the Jews would relieve him from taking care of his parents.  (God wouldn’t relieve him, however.)

a.      There is no scripture for this in all the Bible - the Jews have made up this law so they can get more money from the people.

b.      Matt. 23:14 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

c.      It is easy to see where Christ gets His thoughts.

III.       Verse 10-11 - Christ’s explanation to the multitude.

A.    Christ doesn’t speak to the multitude in a parable.

1.      They won’t understand it anyway.

2.      Matt. 13:10-17 - Christ explains to His disciples that he speaks in parables so those that listen will think they understand when they really don’t.

B.    Christ wants the multitude to understand that the tradition of the elders, which mean so much to them, means absolutely nothing at all.

1.      Christ explains that there is a difference between what goes into the mouth and that which comes out of the heart.

2.      That which goes into the mouth is physical and affects the body, while that which comes out of the heart is spiritual and reveals the condition of the heart (spirit).

IV.       Verse 12-20 - Christ’s explanation to His disciples.

A.    Verse 12-14 - The embarrassment of the disciples and Christ’s answer by giving the parable.

1.      The disciples fear of offending the Pharisees.

2.      Christ declares they will soon fall into the ditch along with everyone who follows them.

B.    Verse 15-20 - The explanation of the parable.

1.            See parts V., VI., and VII. below.

V.  Definition of Tradition

A.    Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:

1.      Transmission of a precept,

2.      Specifically Jewish traditional law;

3.      An ordinance.

B.    Webster's unabridged Dictionary:

1.      A legal term meaning the act of delivering into the hands of another.

2.      Originally, a surrender; a betrayal.

3.      The delivery of opinions, doctrines, practices, rites, and customs from generation to generation by oral communication.

VI. Which Tradition Do We Obey?

A.  The Bible describes two ways of following tradition.  (These two words come from the identical Greek word.)

1.   The first following of tradition is described in our text and is an evil which is denounced by Christ.

2.   The second following of tradition is described in II Thess.  2:15, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."

3.   The difference in these two traditions is that the first is a command of man and the second is a command of God.

a.   How can we tell the difference?

b.   Very easily.

c.   Is your tradition taught in the Bible?

d.   What is the Bible verse that teaches the tradition you are following?

e.   If you don't have a Bible verse for your tradition, then you are probably following a tradition of man.

B.   The Scribes and Pharisees truly believed they were worshipping God by keeping the oral commands handed down from generation to generation.

1.      They had placed the oral commands above the written word while continuing to believe they were faithful to God.

2.      Many Pentecostals and Apostolics today have place their “word of visions, and revelations” above the clear command of God.

C.   Many Christians fall into the same trap.

1.      They believe they are really worshipping God because they are doing things like they have always done them.

2.      Even a lost person can find comfort in repetitive worship.

3.      How many Baptist people find comfort in ritualistic "worship" which isn't true worship at all?

4.      An example is the mass celebration of Christmas, Easter, Halloween and many other religious “holidays” which are not commanded or even suggested in the Bible.

5.   II Tim. 3:5, "Having a form of worship, but denying the power thereof..."

6.      This is the type of worship that will be carried on at the close of the church age.

7.      Jesus said,

a.   Mark 7:9, "...ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

b.   Mark 7:13, "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition..."

D.            Therefore, the invisible inner enemy is "tradition", the habit of doing things a particular way because things have always been done that way. 

VII.      The Peril of Following Erroneous Tradition

A.  Living by the wrong tradition shows a lack of faith.

1.      Faith is looking into the future and seeing things that have never been and knowing they will come true because God will make them come true.

2.      Following tradition is looking into the past instead of looking to God.

3.      Luke 9:62, "...No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."

B.            Remember, it is not necessarily bad to be "traditional".

1.   But it is bad to look back to the way God blessed in the past and expect Him to bless that way in the future.

2.   It just may be that God will bless in a different way than we have ever seen.

3.   The Pharisees, who were very "traditional" people, didn't believe Jesus was the Christ because He didn't come like they expected Him to.

4.   We can miss many blessings because we are looking for things to happen one way, and God causes them to happen another way.

5.      May God help us to keep an open mind to see all the blessings of God. 

C.   When Israel needed water, God told Moses to strike the rock.

1.      When God told him to get water the second time, he struck the rock a second time because (1) of anger (2) and that is how he did it the first time.

2.      This was disobedience on his part and caused him not to enter into the promised land.

3.      This same thing can happen to us.

a.   We might be longing for the blessings of God, but cannot receive those blessings because we are not really listening to what He is telling us to do to receive those blessings.

b.   We are continually doing things like we have always done them.

c.   We are working very hard at it, but aren't getting anywhere.

d.   When we keep working hard and aren't getting anywhere, something is wrong.

e.      We need to take a critical look at ourselves and our works to see what is wrong and change the error and do right.

f.    We may have to do things we have never done before.

g.   But this is what God expects us to do.