ROCKVILLE

A group of Pharisees came from Jersuaelm and saw Jesus’ disciples eating bread with unclean hands. This became a question about being unclean and they asked why the disciples didn’t follow the traditions of the elders not the commandments of God? This was about tradition in their eyes.

 

Jesus answered with a prophecy from Isaiah that stated why were they just honoring God by what they said and not with their hearts and why were they turning traditions of men into commandments. Jesus addressed them regarding why they rejected the commandments of God but instead kept the traditions of men. He addressed via the commandment of obeying your parents that they were giving a loophole to get out of this commandment via tradition. Tradition in other words became more important than the commandments of God.

 

Jesus then addressed the multitude saying that it wasn’t about what entered a person that made him unclean but it is what is in a person’s heart. He then goes onto explain to His disciples that it isn’t about what we eat that makes us unclean but again it is what is in the heart that comes out of a person that makes them unrighteous.

 

When sin is in the heart it will come out in the actions of the person. The sense nowadays is not about uncleanness but it was what Jesus is addressing which is a matter of the heart. Don’t misunderstand, hygenie is important, we must keep cleaning our hands in the era of Covid. But Jesus is addressing the traditions of man, as they were asking why the disciples were not washing their hands as the thought was that unclean hands would make the heart unclean.

 

How often has the tradition of the church hurt people?

 

Tradition has its place but when it costs a person his salvation is that right?

 

As followers of Christ, we must follow the word of God and not the traditions of man. We must follow the word of God and not dilute it by following the traditions. Some traditions are good and have their place but they should never be above the word of God.

 

Let us examine what we choose to follow, may the word of God be what is in our hearts.