A.Throughout the world, many churches are more committed to following the traditions of men than they are to following the word of God in the Bible.
B.How can we answer men who preach and practice the traditions of men while they also disregard and transgress God’s word?How can we guard against this mistake ourselves?Are we guilty of overemphasizing and elevating the traditions of men?Let us look to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 15:1-20 for an example to follow.
II.MATTHEW 15:1-20 – THE TRADITIONS OF MEN VERSUS THE WORD OF GOD
A.Verses 1-2 – The Pharisees offered a challenge to Jesus based on their manmade tradition.
1.Christ’s disciples did not observe the tradition of hand washing before eating bread.The Pharisees described this action as a transgression of the tradition of the elders (not from Scripture), but they considered Christ’s disciples to be just as guilty as if they had broken the Law of God.
2.Traditions of men are not necessarily wrong, but when they are bound as if they are the law of God, they are mistakenly applied.Violating the traditions of men does not equate to sin.
B.Verses 3-6 – Jesus exposed the Pharisees for invalidating the word of God for the sake of their traditions.
1.In hypocrisy, the Pharisees looked for the specks in the eyes of others while they were unaware of the beams in their own eyes (Matt. 7:3-5).They were more concerned about others who violated the traditions of men than they were about their own transgressions of God’s commandment.
2.Jesus specifically condemned the Pharisees for violating the fifth commandment because they instead chose to observe a manmade tradition.
a.Honor for father and mother was one of the most fundamental tenets of the Law of Moses (the fifth of the Ten Commandments).It was the "first commandment with a promise” (Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-3).
b.On a technicality, the Pharisees exempted Jews from keeping the fifth commandment by allowing them to keep their money and possessions while supposedly dedicating it to God rather than using it to support their aged parents.They trumped God’s law with their tradition.
c.The commandment to honor father and mother is also an integral part of the Law of Christ (Eph. 6:1-3).Do we keep this commandment, or do we allow modern manmade traditions to invalidate God’s word?
3.In our time, men often invalidate the word of God for the sake of their traditions.One example of this is the errant practices and teachings concerning baptism.
a.The word of God plainly teaches the necessity of a believer’s immersion in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of sins and salvation (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27; 1Pet. 3:21).
b.This commandment of God is often transgressed for the traditions of men.
i.Some teach that baptism is wholly unnecessary.
ii.Some teach that baptism is only a symbol of the salvation that has already occurred.
iii.Some teach that baptism is only for entrance into a church.
iv.Some teach that the mode of baptism may also be sprinkling or pouring.In fact, it is this tradition that led English translators of the Bible to use the transliterated word "baptism” rather than the direct translation of "immersion” for the Greek word baptisma.
v.All of these traditions concerning baptism contradict the word of God and lead men to transgress God’s commandment.
C.Verses 7-9 – Jesus denounced the hypocritical Pharisees by applying the prophecy of Isaiah 29:13.
1.As Isaiah said, the Pharisees did lip service to God, but they did not give Him their hearts.
a.In other words, they said one thing while doing another.This is the essence of hypocrisy.
b.Remember that it is the heart that God sees in a man.For example, when God chose David over his brothers, He told Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1Sam. 16:7).
2.As a result of the Pharisee’s hypocrisy, their worship was vain and useless.Teaching manmade traditions in place of God’s doctrine is never acceptable to God as religious service.
D.Verses 10-11 and 15-20 – Jesus debunked the illegitimate tradition of the elders.
1.Notice that Jesus did not speak to the Pharisees about the specific tradition of washing hands.
a.He spoke to them about the most glaring errors of their hearts rather than arguing over an irrelevant tradition.
b.We should follow the Lord’s example when discussing error with unreasonable and ungodly men.
i.When men’s hearts are wrong, it is useless to debate with them about specific issues.
ii.We must first win their hearts for Christ, and then they will change their ways to follow God’s word.
2.However, Jesus did teach the multitudes and His disciples about this tradition.
a.To the multitudes who followed Him, Jesus made a simple statement that indicated the tradition of washing hands was unnecessary because it did not prevent defilement of a person.Jesus was more concerned about what came out of the mouth than what went into it.
b.When Peter questioned Jesus further, the Lord gave a more detailed explanation concerning this tradition.He taught that defilement of a person was a matter of the heart (mind) and not the stomach.
3.Thus, the tradition of the elders was shown to be religiously baseless and unnecessary.
E.Verses 12-14 – Jesus addressed His disciples concern for offending the Pharisees.
1.The disciples were surprised that Jesus answered the Pharisees as He did because He offended them.Perhaps they thought Jesus should have answered more delicately or without condemning them for their beliefs.
2.However, Jesus made no apologies for His answer.Of course, He knew the Pharisees were offended, but He was concerned with the glorification of God.
3.We desperately need this lesson today, for too often we remain silent while men speak error and transgress God’s word.For fear of offending such men, we will say nothing and offend our Lord.
a.How often do men curse God or profane His holy name in our presence and we say nothing?Are we afraid to offend blasphemers?
b.How often do men and women of the Watch Tower Society (so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses) come to our doors teaching false doctrines and robbing Christ of His glory?Do we smile silently at them for fear of offending them?
c.The Scriptures tell us plainly that Jesus is a stumbling block and a rock of offense to many (Rom. 9:33; 1Cor. 1:18-24; 1Pet. 2:8). Are we afraid to speak and admit who Jesus is for fear that we may offend others?
d.Let us be bold and plainly declare the truth of Christ regardless of who is offended.
III.CONCLUSION
A.This passage from Matthew 15 gives us a clear pattern for dealing with persons who elevate religious traditions that come from men rather than from God.
1.Expose them by contrasting them to the word of God, the Bible.
2.Denounce them for their hypocrisy.
3.Debunk them by teaching the truth.
4.Do not be concerned about offending those who offend God.
B.If we follow this pattern, then we will do service to the Lord and lead others away from traditions of men and into the way of God.
