When Tradition takes Over Matt

When Tradition takes Over    Matt. 15:1-11

EBC   10/26/08

  Many times in these passages Jesus made mention of Tradition. Now, for the most part there is nothing wrong with tradition (we have family traditions- Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July etc). There are good traditions – 2 Thess. 2:15.

  But, the problem is when tradition takes precedent over the word of God. This is the problem Jesus was confronting.

  Jerry Vines- the Jews had worked themselves into a system in which many things had become ceremonial and ritual. In this process it was easy to miss personal contact with God.

I.        The Accusation of the Jews (1-2)

A.      These scribes and Pharisees

  Were very familiar with Jesus and his ministry and were here for one specific purpose- proving him to be against their tradition.

B.      John MacArthur- The religion of

the Scribes and Pharisees was an external religion and could be practices with great zeal not matter of the condition of the heart.  It was a religion of ceremony and ritual that even the most hardened heart could follow.

C.      The point of contention was

eating without washing their hands. They didn’t try to hide the fact that what Jesus disciples were doing wasn’t in violation of the Bible but was in violation of “tradition of men”.

1.       In the Jews mind

traditions of men was superior to scripture. As the Roman Catholics look to church dogma to discover what “scripture really means”, in Jesus day most Jews looked to tradition.

2.       The Talmud – the repost

of tradition- states that God gave the Oral Law to Moses and Moses was to pass it down to great men who would pass it on to the next generation. Because the rabbis hear were not right with God – they interpreted these commands as they wanted. They also added regulation after regulation and ceremony after ceremony.  God’s word became hidden by tradition.  During their exile, Scribes began coping scripture written up to that time. They also began to add their comments.  The distance between scripture and  tradition became less and less. Before long tradition became more revered than scripture.

D.      Wash- had nothing to do with

Hygiene but had to do with ceremonial rinsing. The purpose was to remove ritual defilement.

1.       Some of the Rabbis believed

that  a certain demon attached himself to the Jews hands while they slept. If they didn’t wash he could enter their body thru their unwashed hands.

                          2.One Rabbi insisted ““whosoever has his abode in the land of Israel and eats his common food with rinsed hands may rest assured that he shall obtain eternal life.”

                     3. A certain rabbi who was imprisoned and given a small ration of water used it to wash his hands before eating rather than to drink, claiming he would rather die than transgress the tradition.

II.  The Answer of Jesus (3-11

A.    Before Jesus answered their charge He

gave them a charge of His own. They could see that to keep tradition some of God’s laws were violated.

B.     Tradition was not for the purpose of

serving God or family but for the purpose of selfish ambitions.

C.     Jesus then nails them V.7-9. The same

could be said of hypocrites today.  Hypocrites have no greater ally today than tradition.

1.   John MacArthur- because tradition

requires no integrity it can be substituted for true worship and obedience. Because they are invented by man they can be accomplished by man. They required no faith, no trust in and no dependence upon God.

a.       Luke 3:7-8- John speaking

2.   The only heart that can worship

Him in spirit and truth is the hearts that belongs to Him. The Heart that has been cleansed by Him and made righteous by Him.

III. The Amending of Jesus (10-11)

A. Jesus now sets about to correct their

thinking. The Bible has much to say about defilement. This type has plagued mankind since the beginning of time.

B. God’s goal for mankind:

1.      Eph. 5:27- holy and

Without blemish

2.      2 Peter 3:14- without

spot and blameless.

C. Jesus’ statement- spiritual

defilement  is a matter of the heart. No spiritual contamination can result from what we eat.

1.      What proceeds from the mouth is

a result of the heart.

2.      1 Sam. 16:6-7-

3.      Prov. 4:23-

  When human tradition replaces biblical truth every area of our life is affected. We gradually replace truth then we reject truth. We get wrapped up in our own agendas and traditions.

  We don’t need to get so wrapped up in tradition that we lost our heart for God.