Bible Studies

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In the fifteenth chapter of Matthew the scribes and Pharisees take Jesus to task over the disciples' failure to wash their hands before they eat, thus transgressing the tradition of the elders. Jesus tells them that they do much worse than that because THEY TRANSGRESS THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD BY THEIR TRADITION OF NOT HONORING THEIR PARENTS. Jesus points out a sharp and defined contrast here between man-made tradition and commandment from God. Tradition is not binding. Commandment is. From the beginning the church has had difficulty keeping the two separate. We bind where the Lord never bound, and then divide over it, compounding the sin. In fact, over the years they are so tightly merged, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. The only way to tear them apart is with a dedicated study of the Scriptures, and a willingness to put into practice what is found there, no matter the tradition.

Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites in this scathing rebuke: "You draw nigh unto me with your mouth, and honor me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me. In vain do you worship Me TEACHING FOR DOCTRINE THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN." Matt. 15:8,9

It is sad to see congregations of the Lord's people divided over keeping or not keeping certain traditions just because they have been in place for generations. We need to go back to God's Word and honor what is written there whether it agrees with traditions or not. Only commandments are binding. We will probably always have differing opinions, but we must not bind them on others and join in the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. We need to KNOW and to OBEY the "thus sayeth the Lord" commands.j

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