When Tradition Gets in the Way of Obedience

When Tradition Becomes the Problem

The Pharisees were upset because Jesus' disciples weren't following the traditional ceremonial washing practices of the elders. They were concerned about hands, cups, pitchers, and ceremonial purity.

But Jesus saw something much deeper.

He told them, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

Then He gave them an example.

God had commanded them to honor their father and mother. But they had a tradition called Corban, which meant that something could be declared devoted to God. Jesus explained that this tradition could allow a person to withhold resources that could have been used to care for their parents, essentially using their religious tradition to get around God's command.

And Jesus says something incredibly strong: “Thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.” (Mark 7:13)

Read that again.

They weren't ignoring God because they didn't care about Him.

They were using religion to justify disobedience.

That stopped me.

Because sometimes disobedience doesn't look rebellious.

Sometimes it looks religious.

Sometimes it sounds spiritual.

Sometimes it comes wrapped in tradition and familiarity and can even be defended with Scripture taken out of its proper place.

And that should make us stop and examine our own hearts.

Have I ever become so attached to the way something has always been done that I stopped asking whether it actually reflects the heart of God?

Have I ever defended a tradition more strongly than I defended obedience?

Have I ever used what I've been taught as a reason not to do what God is asking of me?

Those aren't easy questions.

But they are necessary ones.

Familiar Doesn't Always Mean Faithful

Tradition is not the same thing as truth simply because it has been around for a long time.

And something doesn't become God's will simply because it is familiar.

We have to be willing to search Scripture. We have to be willing to pray. We have to be willing to examine our motives. And most importantly, we have to be willing to surrender our own preferences when God's Word makes something clear.

Because there is a danger in becoming more committed to what we've always done than to the God we claim to follow.

And then I think about another story in Mark.

When Following the Rules Isn't the Same as Following Jesus

A rich man comes running to Jesus, kneels before Him, and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus points him toward the commandments, and the man tells Jesus that he has kept them since he was young.

He had done what he knew to do.

He had followed the commandments.

And yet Jesus looks at him, loves him, and says, “You lack one thing. Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor... Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)

The man walks away grieving because he has great possessions.

Jesus wasn't giving him a new religious rule to add to his checklist.

Jesus was revealing his heart.

The man was willing to do what he understood God had commanded, but when Jesus put His finger on something that stood between the man and complete surrender, he couldn't let it go.

He had followed the rules.

But would he follow Jesus?

That's a question worth sitting with.

Because we can become very good at Christianity without becoming very surrendered to Christ.

We can go to church.

We can read our Bible.

We can pray.

We can serve.

We can give.

We can follow traditions that have been passed down through generations.

We can know what Christians are supposed to do.

And yet there can still be an area of our lives where Jesus says, “Follow Me,” and we hesitate.

Maybe because it costs too much.

Maybe because it doesn't make sense.

Maybe because it challenges something we've always believed.

Maybe because it requires us to release something we've held onto for years.

Maybe because we're more comfortable with what we know than we are with trusting God.

Who Has the Final Authority?

This is where obedience becomes more than rule-following.

Obedience asks, “God, what are You saying?”

Tradition asks, “What have we always done?”

Those questions can have the same answer.

But they don't always.

And when they don't, we need to know which one has the final authority.

God does.

This doesn't mean we should throw out every tradition or assume that anything old is wrong. It doesn't mean we should disregard biblical teaching because we feel God is leading us in a different direction.

God will never contradict His Word.

That's why we need Scripture.

That's why we need discernment.

That's why we need prayer.

Because there is also a danger in using “God told me” as an excuse to do whatever we want.

True obedience isn't rebellion dressed up as spirituality.

It is submission to God.

Obedience Requires Discernment

Sometimes that means obeying something we've known for years.

Sometimes it means surrendering something we've held onto for years.

Sometimes it means realizing that something we have always called “the Christian way” is actually a tradition that needs to be examined in light of Scripture.

And sometimes it means obeying God even when nobody around us understands why.

Abraham understood something about this.

Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham obeyed when God called him to go, even though he didn't know where he was going.

God didn't hand Abraham the entire plan and ask him to approve it.

He called him to trust Him.

And Abraham went.

That's what obedience often looks like.

Not having every answer.

Not understanding every detail.

Not knowing how everything will work out.

Just trusting the One who called you.

What If God Is Asking You to Let Go?

Maybe that's where some of us are today.

Maybe God is asking you to do something, and you've been waiting for Him to make it easier.

Maybe you've been waiting until it makes sense.

Maybe you've been waiting for everyone else to agree.

Maybe you've been hiding behind what you've always done because it feels safer than obedience.

But what if the thing you're calling “wisdom” is actually fear?

What if the thing you're calling “tradition” has become an excuse?

What if the thing you're calling “doing the right thing” is keeping you from doing what God is actually asking of you?

We need to be willing to ask.

“Lord, am I following You, or am I simply following what I have always known?”

That question can expose a lot.

Because God isn't looking for people who simply know how to look obedient.

He wants hearts that are surrendered to Him.

It's About the Heart

The Pharisees knew the traditions.

The rich man knew the commandments.

But Jesus kept bringing the conversation back to something deeper: the heart.

And perhaps that's what God wants to do with us.

Not simply change what we do.

Change what has authority over us.

Because when tradition and God's Word agree, we can thank God for the wisdom we've inherited.

But when they come into conflict, we cannot allow familiarity to become our master.

We have to choose obedience.

And sometimes obedience will cost us something.

It may cost us comfort.

It may cost us pride.

It may cost us the approval of other people.

It may cost us something we have held tightly for a very long time.

But if Jesus is saying, “Follow Me,” what could possibly be more important than following Him?

When We Come to the Crossroads

The disciples eventually asked Jesus the question that comes after the rich man walks away: “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

That is where our hope is.

We aren't capable of producing perfect obedience through our own strength.

We need God.

We need His grace.

We need His Spirit.

We need His Word to correct us when we're wrong and His wisdom to help us recognize when something we've accepted as truth is actually tradition.

So today, I'm asking myself these questions, and maybe you need to ask them too:

Am I obeying God, or am I obeying tradition?

Am I following Jesus, or am I simply doing what I've always been taught?

Have I allowed something familiar to become more authoritative in my life than God's Word?

And when God asks me to surrender something, am I willing to say yes?

Because following God isn't always going to look like what we've always done.

Sometimes He will confirm what we've already been taught.

Sometimes He will correct us.

Sometimes He will challenge us.

And sometimes He will ask us to lay something down that we never imagined we would have to surrender.

When that happens, may we have the courage to choose obedience over familiarity.

May we never become so devoted to tradition that we miss God.

And may we never become so comfortable with checking the boxes that we forget what Jesus actually said:

“Follow me.”