https://odb.org/MY/2023/02/20/whats-truly-needed
In Mark 7:8, Jesus admonished the Pharisees and Scribes for focusing on the traditions of the elders but neglecting the spirit of the law. So when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus why His disciples ate without washing their hands, Jesus turned around and asked them why is it that they had set a rule that allowed the Jews to neglect their parents if the Jews had committed to support them financially? Meaning to say that the financial support to the temple allows the people to disregard their responsibility to their parents. Is that right, Jesus asked? Jesus then continues with the teaching that whatever that is external does not defile a man and that what actually defiles a man is what comes from within. Thus, external traditions like washing of hands before eating is just a human tradition and is not as crucial as the Mosaic Commandments, for example, not to kill, not to steal or not to covet which all stemmed from evil intentions and thoughts from within. It is Jesus’s teaching here that led to believers today to be free to eat any animal (except blood and food offered to idols for other reasons) as compared to the Jews that have strict rules on kosher food.
I don’t think Jesus advocated the total discard and disregard of human traditions as these practices are passed down from generations. There would be good practical reasons for such traditions. But times have changed. For example, the size of ovens and thus there is no present need to cut the meat into two when the reason why that was done in the past was that the meat couldn’t fit into the oven. Thus, with the refrigerator, there is no need to preserve meat with salt and sun, and yet this tradition is continued as people like the taste of such meat.
Yesterday, I led worship in church but forgot that it was a communion service and thus did not prepare a communion song as was our church tradition. But as our service was hybrid (vis Zoom too) and there were slides involved, a last-minute song inclusion would have been too complex to manage a few minutes before the service started. Fortunately, the master of the ceremony (chairman) was understanding and used my last worship song as the communion song. The song was about our love for Christ but has no mention of His blood or Calvary. Our pastor elder was equally understanding when he sang the same song as the end of service/closing song.
Human traditions have their merits. Like the communion song, which provides order to the service and gives emphasis to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Nevertheless, the important thing is still that God is worshipped, and His goodness is celebrated during the worship service, and the other songs did just that. In our daily lives, be prepared to break our own human traditions or the way we do things as the Holy Spirit prompts and leads us or as the situation or circumstance may demand.
Ronnie's Thoughts 