ESOCS Devotional 7 October 2026 – Beware of the Religious Traditions of Men
MEMORY VERSE: “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” Matthew15:2 KJV
TEXT: MATTHEW 15: 1-20
Then 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.”
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 honor his father [a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 ‘These people [c]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
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The Scribes and Pharisees came from Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish authority, to scrutinise Jesus’ activities. Over the centuries since the Jews’ return from Babylonian captivity, hundreds of religious traditions had been added to God’s laws. The Scribes and Pharisees considered them equally important.
The disciples were violating a religious tradition that had been handed down from the Jewish fathers. This and many other religious traditions were not part of the Sinai law. They had simply become a part of the religious behaviour of the Jews, which they taught and enforced by the religious leadership.
Why is the above a concern to us as Christians? By adding human religious traditions to the law of God, the religious leaders were actually transgressing God’s law. Again, not only does the adding of such traditions assume that the law is insufficient, but men start honouring the traditions above the law (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Furthermore, this will progress to the point of ignoring and rejecting the law of God to keep the traditions (Mark 7:9). Finally, the religious traditions of the world we live in will bring thousands into bondage (Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1).
Today, we see such additions, especially among new generation churches. We see wrong interpretations of the Bible to suit their desires, as well as heretical teachings. Let us beware.
Reflections
- The religious tradition of men has crept into the church of God.
Prayer
- Father, purge your Church of the religious tradition of men.
Further Reading: Proverbs 16:25; Mark 7:1-23
ESOCS Devotional 7 October 2026
