Jesus Exposes the Danger of Man-Made Traditions

After some of His followers were offended and left Him (John 6:66), Jesus remained in Galilee for an extended period. He avoided Jerusalem and the surrounding areas because He knew the Jewish leaders were seeking to kill Him (John 7:1).

However, avoiding Jerusalem didn’t mean He could fully avoid the Pharisees. A group of Pharisees closely trailed Him—meticulously watching for any issue they could use against Him. They had already failed to paint Him as a Sabbath-breaker, so they tried to find another way to discredit Him.

The best they could do was the issue of ceremonial handwashing.

The issue of unwashed hands

At a group meal, these Pharisees “found fault” when they noticed Jesus’ disciples eating with “unwashed hands” (Mark 7:2). Their issue wasn’t about hygiene. They weren’t concerned about the disciples’ health and wellness.

Their issue was with the disciples’ failure to wash their hands “in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders” (verse 3). The Pharisees viewed these rituals as mandatory for becoming ceremonially pure.

However, there was no law in the Bible that required people to ritually wash their hands in a specific manner before eating. It sprang entirely from the “traditions of the elders”—the body of oral traditions that developed during the roughly 400 years between the Old and New Testaments.

The Old Testament did contain certain washing requirements, but they applied only to the priests in the context of temple service (Exodus 30:17-21). These regulations didn’t apply to the general population, and certainly not to Jesus’ disciples.

One of the characteristics of the Pharisees’ teachings was elevating the oral traditions of Judaism to be equal in status to the laws of God.

Jesus’ response to the accusation

Instead of addressing the specific accusation, Jesus used their accusation to address the bigger issue.

Quoting from Isaiah, He said: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7).

He went on to point out that their error was not only teaching man-made doctrines, but also “laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men . . .

“All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (verses 8-9).

Their form of religion had a deeper spiritual problem:

1. They elevated their traditions to the same level of authority as God’s law.
2. They used their traditions to finagle their way out of obeying the laws of God they didn’t want to keep.

God’s law very clearly instructed His people not to “add to it” or “take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32). The Pharisees were guilty of simultaneously doing both. 

Jesus gave an example. He noted how they would use tradition to sidestep their duty to honor and care for their parents. Through practice of the Corban tradition—declaring money “dedicated to God”—they created a loophole to avoid fulfilling their Fifth Commandment obligations to care for their parents (Mark 7:10-13).

These practices rendered the Word of God “of no effect” in their lives (verse 13). 

The danger of misusing influence

The fact that they believed this way was problematic enough, but Jesus’ reason for rebuking them so sharply was the fact that they were influencing others to follow their misguided approach. 

Instead of leading people to genuinely obey God, they deemphasized His law and concealed its true intent under layer upon layer of invented tradition. 

Jesus later exposed how they would travel great distances to make converts, only to turn them into the same spiritually distorted people they were (Matthew 23:15).

This highlights the bigger principle of leadership accountability. 

God has always required leaders and teachers to be extremely careful to exercise influence responsibly and faithfully.

In the Old Testament, God expected leaders—priests, prophets, judges or kings—to teach His law precisely, without additions, subtractions or substitutions, and to govern their own lives by it (Deuteronomy 17:18-20; Ezekiel 34:2-4).

Jesus modeled leadership excellence in both teaching and example—and expected His disciples to do the same. He epitomized total fidelity to the Father, without even the tiniest deviation or embellishment (John 5:30; 6:38; 7:16; 8:28; 12:49-50). 

Doctrinal and personal integrity later became a recurring theme the apostles stressed to other leaders (James 3:1; Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 5:2-3). 

The Pharisees serve as a cautionary example for modern leaders to maintain strict fidelity to Scripture and display integrity in both teaching and example.

Back to the handwashing issue

After rebuking them for their elevation of man-made tradition over Scripture, Jesus addressed the specific issue of handwashing: “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man” (Mark 7:15).

He then elaborated further: “Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” (verses 18-19).

Jesus taught that this hyperfixation on ritual and physical cleanliness as a spiritual issue was unscriptural. He also showed what is truly important. A small amount of dirt accidentally entering the digestive system does not spiritually defile a person. As Jesus noted, the digestive system was designed to naturally process and eliminate small impurities, which we all inevitably encounter.

This was not a teaching against good hygiene. The Bible teaches the importance of good hygiene and sanitation (see “Health Science and the Bible”).

It’s also not about unclean meats. Some attempt to twist Jesus’ statement in verse 19 to claim that biblically unclean meats are now “purified” and fine to eat. However, this interpretation completely ignores the context: ceremonial handwashing, not clean and unclean meats. For a deeper explanation of this false interpretation, read “Did Jesus Cleanse All Meats?”

Jesus highlights the bigger issue

Jesus then pointed out that the far more serious issue, for the Pharisees and those they taught, was not the defilement of hands, but the defilement of character.

Take Jesus’ warnings seriously. Don’t assume everything you’ve been taught in your church is grounded in Scripture. Diligently examine God’s Word to learn His mind and will—and cling tightly to it. Jesus described this in detail: “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (verses 20-23).

The Pharisees were hyperfocused on minuscule traces of dirt, while Jesus was focused on the gigantic issues of character. Instead of obsessing over a specific handwashing ritual, they should have been teaching people to cleanse their lives of deeply rooted sins.

Their invented traditions did not draw them closer to God. Believing that righteousness comes from washing one’s hands in a specific manner blinded them to recognizing and addressing the real sinful characteristics deep within them.

Beware of modern man-made traditions

Although we may not face the Pharisees today, the tendency to elevate human tradition over Scripture remains a significant challenge. Much of modern Christianity continues to hold to beliefs and practices that are foreign to the Bible and, in many cases, contradict it.

For instance, the observance of Sunday, the celebration of holidays like Christmas and Easter, the belief in the immortality of the soul, infant baptism, and images of God and Jesus are all examples of traditions developed by men.

These false ideas obscure deeply rooted biblical truths. Jesus’ strong rebuke—“in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”—is just as relevant to modern Christianity as it was to the Pharisees 2,000 years ago.

Take Jesus’ warnings seriously. Don’t assume everything you’ve been taught in your church is grounded in Scripture. Diligently examine God’s Word to learn His mind and will—and cling tightly to it.

To truly follow Christ, we must be willing to abandon unbiblical traditions and instead . . .

Walk as He walked.

 

Sidebar: Are All Traditions Wrong?

Although this article may seem opposed to traditions, it is important to understand that Jesus’ words in Mark 7:7-8 were not a condemnation of all traditions. Rather, He was addressing toxic traditions—those elevated above Scripture or in direct contradiction to it.

By contrast, traditions that do not conflict with Scripture can be healthy and beneficial for individuals, families and the Church. Healthy traditions promote unity, stability and order.

The apostles established traditions within the Church and urged believers not to dismiss them (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6).

Traditions are often established for situations where the Bible does not provide a specific command. In such cases, such as the order of songs, prayers and messages for Sabbath services, Church leadership strives to develop practices that closely reflect biblical principles and that, over time, prove to be healthy and unifying.

As long as such traditions do not contradict biblical truth or become elevated above Scripture, Christians can honor them.