But first, if what I just said is true, then perhaps we can see that tradition is not necessarily evil in itself. In fact, if tradition in is sin, then we might all be in trouble with our God, because many of us have our own special traditions. For example, we have one family which has a tradition of going out for a Chinese dinner, on the 24th of December, if I am getting the day correct. Another family, on Super Bowl Sunday, goes to the cousins’ house to watch the first part of the big game. Several of us have a family night, or date night every week, and it has become a tradition for us. On Thanksgiving Day, the Oldfield’s usually invite one or two church members to our home. Some might deny that such things are traditions – “These are just things that we do regularly.” But isn’t that one of the definitions of “tradition”? Five times a week, I roll out of bed just before 6 am, and I go to the gym for an hour of work. When for one reason or other, I don’t go, I feel guilty – or at least I feel something. Is my going to the gym an habit or tradition? Or is it something else? I’m not really sure.
I said that there may not be much of a difference between tradition, habit and doctrine. Let’s think about these three things in regard to attending the House of God on Wednesday nights. Didn’t it feel just a bit unusual not to have come into this auditorium two Wednesday’s ago? Isn’t it a tradition of the Calvary Baptist Church to have prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings? What is wrong with having a middle of the week service on either Tuesdays or Thursday? Is there a scripture which demands or specifies that we meet on Wednesday? Is it a sin, not to have prayer and Bible study on Wednesday evening? Perhaps it is. The word “doctrine” means “something which is taught” – “teaching.” Doesn’t the Bible warn us – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Gathering together regularly and consistently for prayer and Bible study is a Christian doctrine. Does that make a mid-week service – whatever day we choose – one of the doctrines of our church? And isn’t attendance on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night acts of obedience to the exhortation of the Word of God. But isn’t it also true that most of us are in the habit of attending church on Wednesday? For most of us, we go – not out of tradition or doctrine, but it’s just something that we do – habit.
As I say tradition, habit and doctrine are all cousins of sorts. The Lord Jesus said that the washing of hands was one of the traditions of the Pharisees. But I am sure that many of those people had ritualistically washed their hands so often that it might have become just one of their quirky habits. They just did it without thinking. Notice here that Christ freely mixes the words “tradition, “commandments of men” and “doctrines” in these verses.
In the light of these things I would like consider verse 9 this morning – “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” – that is “the traditions of men.” And we will also touch once again on verse 6 – “Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your traditions” – that is by “your man-made commandments.”
First, let’s consider the Jewish tradition of hand washing.
It had nothing to do with getting germs or even dirt off their hands. It goes without saying that it is a good idea to wash the grime off our hands before we eat. And when we don’t have forks and spoons, clean hands are even more important. But this wasn’t about “clean hands;” – they were talking about “ceremonially clean hands.”
“Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread? The first thing to notice is that the Pharisees knew they were talking about tradition – not scripture. Nowhere in the Law of God is there a command about special washings before eating common meals. Nevertheless both major branches of the Pharisees agreed with some of the more ancient Jewish doctors of the law that it should be done. And as John Gill says, “the Scribes and Pharisees were more tenacious of these than of the Scriptures; and indeed they preferred them before them: most extravagant are their praises and commendations of these unwritten traditions.” And then he quoted some of their statements: “Know then, that ‘the words of the Scribes’ are more lovely than the words of the law: If a man transgresses the words of the school of Hillell (tradition), he is guilty of death, because he hath broke down a hedge, and a serpent shall bite him. The words of the law have in them both prohibition and permission; some of them are light, and some heavy, but “the words of the Scribes” are all of them heavy” – weightier are the words of the elders,” than the words of the prophets.” Gill says, ”and elsewhere this advice is given; “My son, attend to “the words of the Scribes”, more than to the words of the law; for in the words of the law, are affirmatives and negatives; but “everyone that transgresses the words of the Scribes,” is guilty of death.” And what did their tradition about washings entail? If someone didn’t actually have a servant to help them, they were to find a bowl which had been ceremonially cleansed. In it there was to be clean water. They were to get down on one knee with the bowl balanced on the other – this took practice. Then they were to dip their hands into the bowl – they were to “baptizo” their hands up to their elbows. They didn’t use soap, and they didn’t scrub, because this had nothing to do with germs or dirt. It was all about ceremony and tradition. It is interesting the Pharisees referred to “bread” which meant any sort of prepared food, but excluded fruit. In eating fruit, there was no need of this washing. In fact he that washed his hands before eating fruit was considered to be ostentatious. I am surprised that the Pharisees considered anything ostentatious.
How serious was it not to wash in this way? One rabbi wrote – “whoever eats bread without washing of hands, is as if he lay with a whore.” Another said that “he that blesseth (his food) with defiled hands, is guilty of death.” Someone else wrote, “Whoever does not wash his hands as is fitting, although he is punished above, he shall be punished below.” And in order to frighten people into an observance of this tradition, the Jews spoke of Shibta, a sort of an evil spirit, that hurt people who ate without washing their hands: They said that this thing sat upon their hands and their bread, and left something dangerous behind. Rabbi Akiba was highly praised because he chose rather to die, rather than to transgress this tradition.
It is important to the understanding of Matthew 15 that the Pharisees believed that the disciples were worthy of death for their crime of not washing their hands. This was not a matter of personal hygiene and cleanliness; it was all about sin and essentially salvation. You can see why the Saviour responded with a little more vehemence than usual.
To you and me, all of this may sound silly. In fact, some of you may have tuned me out, saying to yourself that this is nothing but unimportant trivia. But not only is it important to a proper understanding of this scripture, it has its religious parallels today.
The world is filled with soul-damning tradition – commandments of men.
Before going on let me return to my original question about tradition, habit and doctrine. It seems to me that one of the important ingredients in many traditions is the word “command.” Many traditions are enforced by commands – and in this they are beyond habits. Jesus said, “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments (traditions) of men.” The Pharisees were saying that those who did not wash their hands properly were worthy of death – not only in this world but in the next. They commanded obedience to this long-held tradition. How much of this sort of thing still exists?
I thought about trying to make a list of common religious traditions, but it was getting too cumbersome. Let me just summarize a few. Millions of people have been told by their modern-day Pharisees that if they refuse to be baptized, they cannot be saved from their sins. Like these Jew’s hand washing, this tradition declares that the water somehow washes away their sin. So they are dipped – “baptized” – just like those Jewish hands and arms, in order to be ceremonially cleansed. Others are sprinkled with holy water, again somewhat like the Pharisees – only “holy water” will do. From where did this idea come? From the misinterpretation and misapplication of a few scriptures. In contrast to those few there are dozens Bible verses which forbid and condemn the idea that baptism washes away sin. Nevertheless the commandments of men in this area have made void the commandment of God, and in the process condemned millions of souls to the Lake of Fire.
A corollary is the tradition that if people don’t wash their babies in holy water those children cannot be saved. Or to rephrase the point, infant baptism washes away original sin. Is that a tradition, a habit or a command? It is certainly not a command which can be found in the Word of God – it is not there in word, hint, illustration or even in suggestion. The Protestant, Neander in his “History of the Christian Religion” said that infant baptism began about 150 years after the last word in the Book of Revelation was written. Despite the problems of historical chronology and Biblical contrarity, the commandments of men persist. Is it a doctrine, or a tradition, that within the bread served in some church’s communion there exists the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it a doctrine or a tradition that the wine in the Lord’s Supper is the actual blood of Christ? Isn’t there a blending of tradition and doctrine in these ideas? “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments (traditions) of men.” How many false religions teach that communion is essential to a person’s salvation? “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
The list of current traditions – said to be essential to a person’s salvation – is long and tedious. Have you ever heard that those who worship the Lord on Sunday are all condemned to Hell? It is the doctrine of some cults and religions that Sabbath Day worship is necessary to prevent the wrath of God on a person’s soul. That idea come from the misapplication of Old Testament laws which applied only to Israel, and which had nothing to do with their salvation in the first place. Are those cults which teach this doctrine passing down tradition or teaching false doctrine? Is there a difference? Or is our worship on Sunday merely a tradition? The Mormon religion is filled with as much tradition as Catholicism. Despite owning and reading a dozen books on Mormonism, I am not an expert in their heresies.How many of their traditions do they consider essential to their eternal bliss? Is their holy and holey underwear a part of their salvation? Undoubtedly their church membership is necessary. That is a traditional requirement in hundreds of religions. Is the traditional clothing of the Amish, the Hutterite, and the strict Mennonite essential to their salvation? Pacifism is a tradition in some religion – is it a part of their salvation? “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments (traditions) of men.” “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
Consider briefly the subject of the commandment of God.
I say briefly, because the commandment of God is a huge subject. Right here, the Lord Jesus refers to just one such commandment – “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” I plan to come back to this tonight, and to look at this from Matthew 15 and Exodus 20. But in this we are reminded that there are many other things which the Lord has commanded us. Some of those things are directly involved in our eternal position before the holy God. But others, like this one relate to our days upon the land which the Lord our God has given to us. Nevertheless, every command that the Lord has made, prove us all to be sinners and in need of salvation.
What are those commands which deal directly and specifically with salvation? Some churches with their multiplied traditions make salvation as complicated as flying to the moon. But when the traditions of men are stripped away, salvation – forgiveness of sin – is a very simple thing.
First, it must be understood that salvation begins and ends with the Lord Himself. Initially, He chose to save a few of us – a small percentage out of the world’s billions of people. God the Father sent His only begotten Son with the specific intention of dying in their place. Christ was the vicarious sacrifice of God for those whom He chose to redeem. Not a drop of His blood was wasted on those who will never be saved. Furthermore, not a single one of the Lord’s elect will be missed or somehow lost.
What is the commandment of God laid upon those whom He has chosen? Over and over again, Christ commanded us to repent. That is, He has ordered us to change our minds and hearts, bringing them into agreement with God. We must agree with the Lord about our sinfulness and our need of a Saviour. Repentance involves a humility and a surrender to the Lord. “God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent.” And another common command of Christ is faith – to believe Him, and to believe on Him. We must trust what Christ did on the cross – we must trust His sacrificial blood. “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He that believeth on Him, “though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
What is the commandment of God laid upon those whom He has chosen? All those whom the Lord saves must with humility and love, spiritually put their hands on the head of the Lord’s sacrifice. That is, they repent before God, acknowledging their unworthiness of the Lord and salvation. And they put their trust in what Christ has done on the cross, that is, they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be clearly understood that this is not done in order to force God to save us. Repentance and faith are both gifts of God, and they are acts of obedience by those whom the Lord has regenerated. But the fact remains, those who will not repent, and those whose faith is still tied up in mans’ traditions, and not in Christ, are not redeemed. Those whose faith is in one or more of the commandments of men, worship the Lord in vain. That is what the Saviour says in Matthew 15:9.
This is a very serious matter – Where is your faith? In Whom is your faith? Is it in hand-washing, or baby-washing, or is it in Christ Jesus, the sacrifice of God? The Lord’s commands to us are simple – Repent before God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.