Scripture or Tradition
Mark 7:8-9 NKJV
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
As always, to get the most out of this devotional, reading the whole chapter will give you a better feel for the context.
Jesus was at odds with the religious leaders of the day. These guys were very particular about how and when they washed their hands. They also had specific laws about how they washed plates, cups, and other household items. The Hebrew people had the best cleanliness practices of any ancient culture. Long before microscopes and germs, God established rules for the Jews that helped keep the spread of disease at bay. And the Jewish people had quarantine laws that were centuries before their time.
So, being outwardly clean was important and still is. The problem was when outward actions took precedence over the condition of the heart. There was no sense in being so outwardly fastidious if inwardly they were full of evil thoughts, murders, adultery, and lying.
Jesus also addressed the fact that by exalting tradition over Scripture, they were rejecting the commandment of God. That was a major error in the eyes of the Lord. He cared much more about the things of the heart as opposed to if a pot was washed correctly. Traditions may have existed for years, but if they hindered an individual's relationship with the Lord, they were of no value regardless of how long they had been passed down.
According to Jesus, God's Word and obeying His commandments took precedence over all of man's tradition. And He has not changed. Man's tradition is only of importance if it enhances an individual's walk.
APPLICATION
I was raised in church, and I am thankful for that. I can remember very early in my life being concerned for the people who did not attend a Baptist church like mine. Some of these people were going to hell because they drank beer. You wouldn't think this would bother a nine year old, but it bothered me. Later, I learned that it was not abstaining from alcohol that saved a person, but it was receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. Total abstinence was a tradition. Now, it does happen to be a tradition that I still keep. But not because I am trying to escape hell. My faith is in Christ alone.
When we at the church moved away from wearing coats and ties for the men and dresses for the women on Sunday morning, it caused problems. We had people leave the church because I no longer wore a tie. But that was a tradition. And when our dress became more casual, more people felt free to come to church. I never wanted someone to think they had to dress a certain way to attend. I would hate to think that a tie would keep people away from God.
Tradition is still with us. I am sure we have unconsciously established some over the years. So we'll keep weeding out what doesn't belong and make sure we keep one of our key church values. God's Word first!