WHEN TRADITION BECOMES LAW

August 12, 2007 PM

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Sermon Outline

MK 7:1-13

INTRO: The verses comprising our text for tonight's study are important verses ... indeed, crucial verses. "Tradition" is certainly not an ugly word. Customs and traditions, from a religious perspective, may be helpful and useful. But tradition must always be tested by scripture. If tradition violates God's word, it must be put aside. One of the interesting things which happens in the religious world, however, is that scripture is often tested by tradition. And it is a reasonable thing to ask, "What is tradition, and what is Biblical?" Our text for tonight's study presents us with a situation of tradition versus the word of God. One of the interesting things about this encounter of Jesus with the Pharisees and scribes is that almost always such encounters focused on tradition!

1. THE COMPLAINT OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
   1. We notice that these scribes & Pharisees were from Jerusalem - 7:1
      1. remember that in 3:22 a delegation of them came with accusations
      2. apparently, the "opposition" centered in Jerusalem
   2. We notice that they were "fault finders" - 7:2
      1. this issue here was not hygiene - it was ritual
      2. these "hand washings" were prescribed in the rabbinic traditions
   3. Mark gives his readers an explanation - 7:3,4
      1. notice that it was a "holding to the tradition of the elders"
      2. the belief was that things bought or touched in the markets might have come in contact with "unclean" people ... Gentiles, for example - and there were many regulations concerning ritual "washings" of various sorts of things
   4. So, the Pharisees & scribes make their complaint to Jesus
      1. interestingly, they did not complain about Him ... but about His disciples
      2. their complaint had nothing to do with a violation of the law of Moses
      3. it had everything to do, however, with "the tradition of the elders" - these oral/written traditions had been passed down for centuries - the Talmud

2. HOW JESUS RESPONDED
   1. First, Jesus quoted Isa 29:13
      1. notice the last part of that verse - what was the cause of their problem?
      2. they were religious, but it was a religion of ritual, of human origin
      3. this was clearly the problem of the scribes/Pharisees
   2. Religion that is vain, empty, meaningless? - 7:7
      1. here is Jesus' "interpretation" of what Isaiah's words meant
      2. when tradition is elevated to the position of law, when precepts of human origin become the basis for religion, the religion is vain
      3. one can be honest, sincere in the pursuit of such ritual and religion ... and be as wrong as were the scribes and Pharisees
   3. Such religion is "laying aside the commandment of God" - 7:8,9
      1. these people may have the language of religion - the look of religion
      2. probably, most would deny having done so - the Pharisees would!
      3. denial, however, cannot change the facts - to leave, to alter, to minimize in any way God's revealed word is laying it aside
   4. Then, Jesus gave them a contemporary illustration of their error - 7:10-13
      1. He first cites the law of Moses - Ex 20:12& Lev 20:9
      2. and the very people to whom He cited it would say, "Amen"
      3. but their tradition had provided a "loophole" for them

4. "Corban" was a designation of a gift devoted to God ... but still in ones possession ... still under ones control and use
5. if parents had need, under the tradition, such an obligation could be avoided by declaring what might have been used to assist parents to be a gift to God (but remember I. Tim 5:8)
6. and this is what they were doing to be free of parental obligations
7. this well known practice among the religious Jewish leaders (and others?) made the "word of God of none effect"
8. and this delivered tradition was only one of "many such like things"

5. Clearly, there is a warning here for all time
   1. certainly, today's religious world is filled with such religious sincerity in the presence of abandonment of the word of God
   2. written documents "governing" groups authorize practices which are obviously unauthorized by scripture ... yet, scripture may be cited
   3. my concern, though, is with you and me - that we honor the word of God from our hearts in careful, loving obedience
   4. but that we do not develop traditions which become laws perhaps superceding the revealed word of God
   5. in honesty, I try carefully to not to let my opinions get in the way of truth

CLOSE: May I suggest that this is one of the critically important lessons of Jesus for our time and place. The drift away from what scripture authorizes in favor of feelings and opinions, no matter how well meaning, is a very present reality.

Cecil A. Hutson

12 August 2007