“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ (Matthew 15:1–4 (ESV)
The Pharisees and scribes, two people groups who were adamant about outward obedience to the Law of God and their oral tradition, questioned Jesus as to why His disciples did not wash their hands when the ate. It is apparent that these Jewish religious leaders were watching the disciples for an opportunity to accuse them or render a moral judgment upon them.
This is what is known as Tacit Norms, or unspoken expectations. This occurs when people observe what you do, or don’t do, and without speaking to you render a favorable, or unfavorable, judgment about you. It can happen anywhere, but often in a church environment. It may concern where you sit during a worship service, how expressive you are in singing, or if you use a Bible app on your phone instead of a print Bible. Judgments concerning outward behavior, good or bad, occur all the time.
On one occasion, a pastor was officiating a graveside memorial service. As the people began to leave after the service was over, a member of the deceased family approached the pastor and specifically praised the pastor for his freshly washed car. The pastor’s funeral message seemed to pale in comparison to the cleanliness of his car. One wonders what the man in question would have thought of the pastor if he had arrived in an unwashed vehicle.
What was Jesus’ response to the religious leaders question and observation? He said, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.”
Traditions may not necessarily be bad. However, obedience to man’s traditions must never supplant obedience to the Word of God. Breaking God’s commandments in order to remain committed to human tradition is sin. Why did Jesus specifically mention the fourth commandment?
“Hand-washing was intended to protect the dietary laws (Lev. 11); eating without washed hands was not evil in itself. The problem was that such traditions were put above the weightier matters of the Law (Matt. 23:23). It is no surprise, then, that Jesus correctly condemns the scribes and Pharisees for insisting upon the observance of oral traditions (Matt. 15:3–9),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“They have been content to keep their money and property for themselves according to an oral law that allows them to will these things to the Creator after their death even if an impoverished parent needs support before then. Yet in exalting this tradition, these scholars actually violate Exodus 20:12, which orders them to honor their fathers and mothers. They hypocritically accuse Jesus’ disciples of sin for not obeying a tradition with no divine authorization while they themselves break the very Word of God for the sake of their man-made commandments.”
Disobedience to this particular commandment resulted in the death penalty for ancient Jews. See Exodus 21:15-17; Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 21:18-21 and Proverbs 30:17.
While we may unwittingly break human traditions, may we resolve to seek to always obey the commandments of God because we are children of God. Have a God honoring day.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 