He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”
Traditions exist inside and outside of the church. We can find traditions in sporting events, holidays, binge-watching shows, and more! Traditions emerge as things of value become ritual and have spoken or unspoken meaning in our lives. Inside the church, holding the door open for people walking into the building is a tradition. Inside my home, walking guests out to their car when they leave and then waving goodbye is a tradition. In sports, eating pretzels, little pizzas, little hotdogs, and dip while watching the big game is a tradition. Tradition is everywhere. Some tradition is old. Some is ancient. Some is new.
Shaking hands when saying hello is a tradition that spans generations. Drinking a soda while watching a movie is a newer tradition of the past 60 years. These simple traditions do not violate Scripture, but Jesus lets us know in Matthew 15 that some traditions do. Jesus warns that traditions, even if they span generations must not violate commands of Scripture. New traditions are emerging in our society today in the name of the pursuit of happiness, in the name of freedom, and in the name of good. But how do these traditions weigh against Holy Scripture?
Dogma refers to those things that are non-negotiable (so they should be based solely on Scripture). For example, Jesus Christ as perfect Son of God crucified and risen again is dogma. To disbelieve this is to walk away from Scripture and the Christian faith. Doctrine refers to teachings that surround Scripture. For example, there is a doctrine of transubstantiation. In this doctrine, subscribers believe that the elements of communion (bread and wine) turn into the body and blood of Christ once swallowed. This doctrine can be argued for or against, but to believe it does not violate dogma; meaning, it does not qualify or disqualify you from the Christian faith. Tradition falls under doctrine. Where we get in trouble is when we treat tradition like dogma.
The late theologian Peter Hocken once said that ideology is the idolatry of the mind. When we set ideas (like traditions and doctrines) up beside or above Scripture, we commit the sin of idolatry, thus lifting up our own ideas higher than the ideals of God.
I have been guilty of this by thinking that my efforts to do the right thing qualify me for the love of God. This belief set my doctrine up against the unmerited grace of God that brings me to relationship with Him. In my belief that I can earn His favor, I erected an idol. And let me tell you… I worshiped it with great effort and dedication. Lord forgive me.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow Him to reexamine our beliefs. Why do you believe what you believe? Is it tradition? Is it an idea? Is it doctrine? Is it dogma? Is it Scripture? Perhaps God wants you to begin to ask questions of why you do what you do. Maybe God wants to write His Scripture on your heart so that you may not sin against Him. Maybe He would like you to reject some newer traditions of our society today. Perhaps God wants you to repent for idolatry of your mind.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 387–394, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 15:1-11) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).