The Habit of Tradition

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.”

Matthew 15:1-6 ESV

Traditions play an integral part in human culture. Through them, we retain connection to our past and those who have gone before us. Remembering our heritage is important and helps us to have a starting point from which to move into the future. Effective and healthy traditions help to maintain community through a common bond. But what happens when a community changes and the tradition remains the same? People can become disconnected and even divided if adjustments cannot be agreed upon. The tradition itself isn’t to blame, rather the new environment now requires that it be assessed.

Jesus evaluated the tradition of hand washing in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. The tradition was not in obedience to the law as given by Moses, rather it was a habit established by the Jewish elders. Jesus had nothing against clean hands or the law of Moses. His problem, as He explains, was with the application of traditions that were not in alignment with the word of God. For the sake of tradition, God was not being honored and His word was being made null. Not only that, the Pharisees lacked the understanding of what true defilement was, which was a greater issue. Jesus sought to change to this by correcting their ignorance, which was detrimental to them and their community.

The arrival of Jesus caused a shift in the Jewish community and ultimately the whole world. The revelations He provided forced people to examine their traditions, beliefs, and their hearts more closely. Because of the truth He taught, people were able to have a better understanding of why they did what they did and things that were being done strictly out of habit and tradition were exposed. It is okay to have routines and customs, but if they impede our ability to honor God and His word, they need to be reevaluated.