Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.” Mark 7:9
“Who made that rule?” Sometimes the most revealing answer is, “Nobody remembers.”
What were the rules in the family you grew up in? Maybe everyone knows you don’t call Aunt Sherry before 10 a.m. or good children finish the food on their plates. Nobody remembers who decided it. Eventually, “this is how we do things” becomes “that’s how things must be done.”
Religion can work like that too. Jesus repeatedly challenged religious leaders over rules they had added to God’s commands. On one occasion, they criticized Jesus’s disciples for eating without performing a traditional hand-washing ceremony. Their concern sounded spiritual. But Jesus saw a deeper problem. He told them, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). They treated their own traditions as more important than God’s commands.
We still do this. Maybe you’ve heard things like: real Christians look a certain way, vote a certain way, and educate their children a certain way. They choose certain Bible studies and worship with certain music. Some choices may be wise. Some traditions may be beautiful. But they aren’t the measure of someone else’s spiritual maturity. Wisdom, preference, and God’s command aren’t the same thing. Jesus looked beyond outward rule-keeping to the condition of our hearts. But He refused to burden people with rules God hadn’t given them.
So when following Jesus feels like an exhausting list of expectations, it’s time to search the Scriptures, asking: Did God actually say that? Following Jesus requires surrendering our lives to Him. It doesn’t require surrendering them to every human expectation carrying His name.
