MATTHEW CHAPTER 15
NEW KING JAMES
WHY OUR LORD ANSWERS WITH A QUESTION?
WHAT ARE THE REAL MOTIVATIONS OF THE TRADITIONS OF MEN?

1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'
5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" ��
6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
7 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:
11 "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
13 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
14 "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."
16 So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?
17 "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
20 "These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
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A delegation of Scribes and Pharisees went to Jesus and they asked Him the reason that His disciples transgress the tradition of the elders regarding the washing of their hands:(They don't wash their hands before they eat!)
Note: It was customary to cleanse oneself ritually before and after a meal by twice pouring cold water over the hands. Such a commandment cannot be found anywhere in the OT. But orthodox Jews considered the breaking of this tradition to be as serious as, for example sexual immorality.
Jesus asked them: "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders at that time in Israel. They were aware of the commandments of the Lord and they new His Law. Why then they brought up the question about a command that was not of God? The key phrase is �the tradition of the elders�.
Their real purpose was to touch the feelings of the crowds. It was to create a negative atmosphere and trap Jesus Christ. They knew that there was not a Biblical foundation of their argument. At the same time they knew the powerful influence of a tradition over the people.
Our Lord Jesus did not bother to answer such a question. Instead He asked them a very crucial question: "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
They were transgressing a very basic commandment of God. Exod 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
How?
NOTE: While the Scriptures consider despising one's parents so serious (v.4), the scribes and Pharisees do the opposite. A child who did not want to help his parents could take refuge in the tradition of vows for the temple, which says that the vow of giving gifts to the temple releases a person from his responsibilities to others. Behind this is to be found the principle developed by the rabbis, that actions relating to the temple cult (rituals and forms) are more important than works of love (disposition and behaviour), Matt 23:23-26. Jesus, on the contrary, teaches the opposite (Mark.12: 28-34). In practice this tradition proved to be worse than in theory. We are dealing here with children who not only neglected their parents but even enriched themselves under the guise of being religious. The temple vow in this case made it possible that every advantage the parents might expect from their son's possessions would be considered a sacrificial gift (korban) for them, so that they were denied any use of it, while the son retained it in this way as his own. The words 'a gift devoted to God' agrees literally with the formula for vows. Not uncommonly did such vows occur during quarrels between parents and children.

We know that we have to respect our ancestors, our forefathers, our history, our culture, and our traditions. However the top priority is to keep the commandments of God. He created us and He knows what is best for us. To honour and obey the Almighty God presupposes absolute submission to His will and living a holy life.
People like to please themselves first and then God. They explain the law according to their interests, and they try to live their own rules and regulations.
In Ephesus they had a Goddess (Diana) and a lot of people had a good profit.

Acts 19: 23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
26 "Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.
27 "So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship."
Demetrius was caring for his pocket only.

Today there are many traditions that contain things that most of them are against God. Halloween is one of them. Once I was talking with an American Pastor about this custom. He said that he has to keep it because this is the only way he can raise up his son with the tradition of his country.
With the help of the enemy of our soul people with certain purposes and evil thinking apply a system, a method, for their own benefit. As the years go by people repeat it and at the end it becomes part of the culture of a country.
There are feasts where people spend a lot of money and valuable time for preparations. Is this to honor the Lord? No. Christmas, Easter and many other religious celebrations do not honor the Almighty God.

If you want to have a real celebration then worship Him the only true God � Father, Son & Holy Spirit, in spirit and in truth. After that you will love your country and you will respect and honor every part of it with the right motivations.

Sunday June 18,2000