Message Notes

INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY SCHOOL 3 DECEMBER 2023
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Text: Matthew 15

Subject: Understanding Traditions

INTRODUCTION

1. Traditions are

a) A part of culture

b) A part of life

2. Positive Influence

a) Traditions can provide stability

b) It can be enriching and uplifting

3. Negative Influence

a) It can have negative impact

b) When it is used wrongly it can cause misunderstanding and misery

THE TRADITION OF RITUAL HAND-WASHING

1Then 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.”

Matthew 15:1-2

1. The scribes and Pharisees

a) They saw themselves as custodians of their religion

b) They had many traditions that were enforced

2. The tradition of the elders

a) These traditions did not originate from the Scriptures

b) They came from “the elders”

3. They had strict rules about hand-washing

a) This is not a reference of hand hygiene

b) This is a reference to a ritual of hand-washing before a meal

4. The charge of the scribes and Pharisees

a) They accused the Disciples of breaking traditional rules

b) They were fault-finding

c) It was tantamount to sinning against the LORD if hand-washing was not observed strictly

THE DEFEN`CE OF THE LORD JESUS

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 honour his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

Matthew 15:3-6

1. The matter of “Transgression”

a) The scribes and Pharisees had passed judgment

i) On the Disciples directly

ii) On the Lord Jesus indirectly

b) The accusation is that of “transgression”

i) Breaking of the commandments

ii) But whose commandments?

2. The guilt of the scribes and Pharisees

a) They were guilty of transgressing God’s commandments

b) Human traditions had supplanted God’s commandments

3. God’s laws

a) To honour father and mother

b) To never curse father and mother

4. Where the tradition of the elders contradicts the Law of God

a) To offer “a gift to God”

b) To bypass meeting the needs of parents

c) This is great transgression!

OUR CHALLENGE

1. To appreciate the worth of some traditions

2. But all traditions must be evaluated against the Law of God

3. To make sure that no tradition must be in conflict with the Law of God