Tradition
What tradition do you keep. A tradition is handed down from generation to generation. Church attendance can be a tradition, but does it change your life?
This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.
If you do not have a Bible, I invite you to go to BibleGateway.com or another online Bible.
1. “This was the first time Matthew specifically recorded a confrontation between Jesus and any of the religious leaders from Jerusalem—the spiritual capital of Israel and the authoritative center of Judaism.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
2. “Their question refers specifically to the oral laws (‘the tradition of the elders,’—I.e., of their forefathers which had been developed to help explain and apply the Scriptures.” Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew. [Nashville: Broadman Press], 237)
“Their accusation about ‘washing hands’ had nothing to do with cleanliness. They were referring to the ceremonial washings of the rigidly orthodox Jews (see Mark 7:1-4).” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 53)
3. “Jesus accuses them of breaking the commandment of God with their tradition.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 86)
Father and Mother
4. “If a Jew wanted to escape some financial responsibilities, he would declare his goods to be ‘Corban—a gift to God.’ This meant he was free from other obligations, such as caring for his parents.” (Wiersbe, 53)
5. “The Corban practice in view was that of pledging money or other material resources to the temple to be paid upon one’s death. These funds could therefore not be transferred to anyone else but could still be used for one’s own benefit while one was still alive.” (Blomberg, 238)
6. Jesus told them “that their laws require persons to violate Mosaic commandments.” (Blomberg, 238)
“People obey tradition to please men and gain status (Galatians 1:14), but we obey the Word to please God. Tradition brings empty words to the lips, but truth penetrates the heart and changes the life.” (Wiersbe, 53)
7-9. “Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of playing at religion.” (McGee, 87)
“The situation Isaiah spoke of regarding his contemporaries is thus being reenacted (Isaiah 29:13).” (Blomberg, 238)
“As Jesus had demonstrated in 15:3-6, the religious leaders were putting on a show of spirituality and devotion to God and his Word. In reality, they were in rebellion against God and his Word.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
Defile
10-11. “The great principle that Jesus was teaching is that moral defilement is spiritual, not physical.” (McGee, 87)
“Jesus declared boldly to the multitudes that sin comes from the heart, not from the diet. It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles us, not what goes in.” (Wiersbe, 53)
12. The disciples were astounded by what Jesus taught about foods. After all, they had been raised good Jews (see Acts 10:14 for Peter’s testimony). They knew the difference between the ‘clean’ and ‘unclean foods (Leviticus 11).” (Wiersbe, 53)
13. “The word plant here means ‘system’. It is not too broad to interpret Jesus as saying, ‘Every religious system which My heavenly Father had not planted shall be rooted up.’” (McGee, 87)
14. Jesus “pointed out that the Pharisees were blind and could only lead their converts into the ditch. Why be afraid of rootless plants that are dying, or blind guides who cannot see where they are going?” (Wiersbe, 54)
Heart
15. “Peter, acting as the spokesman for the disciples, asked Jesus to explain the parable. The disciples needed the explanations, but their “ears to hear” allowed them to accept the truth of the parable.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
16. “Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack of understanding (‘so dull’).” (Blomberg, 241)
17. “If a person eats food with hands that are not ceremonially washed, the food is, in reality, no more or less clean (spiritually) than if that person had ceremonially washed. The body treats it the same either way.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
18. “Jesus then revealed that it is not the mouth of a person that is the source of defilement, but the heart. The heart represents the invisible, ‘inner person.’ The inner person includes the mind and will those components that determine moral character.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
19-20. “What comes out of the mouth begins in the heart, and these things defile a person.” (Wiersbe, 54)
“Christ detailed here the principle that a person is as he thinks in his heart. Entry into the heart is through the eye and the ear, not the mouth.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
“Jesus listed seven defiling sins that begin in a person’s heart. Some of these manifest themselves through avenues other than one’s mouth (e.g., murder, theft), but Jesus was not inconsistent here.” [Max Anders and Stuart K. Weber (2012). HNTC Vol. 01: Matthew. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
References
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.
Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew. Nashville: Broadman Press
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
Robertson, A. T., A Harmony of the Gospels. New York, HarperCollins Publishers
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004
