Pharisees' Use of Tradition to Nullify Parental Obligations
The Pharisees' Tradition and Parental Obligations
The Pharisees, a prominent Jewish sect during Jesus' time, were known for their strict adherence to the law and their traditions [1]. One of the criticisms Jesus leveled against them was that they used their traditions to nullify parental obligations, as recorded in Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13.
In Matthew 15:6, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of nullifying God's word for the sake of their tradition, specifically in relation to honoring one's parents. The Pharisees had a tradition that allowed individuals to dedicate their resources to God, thereby avoiding their responsibility to support their parents [2]. This tradition, known as "Corban," enabled individuals to declare their wealth or goods "devoted to God," making it unavailable for other purposes, including supporting their parents.
The Pharisees' emphasis on tradition was rooted in their belief that these oral traditions were given to Moses as part of God's divine revelation [10]. They saw themselves as the official interpreters of the law of Moses, transmitting these oral traditions and judging religious and social matters based on them [5]. However, Jesus argued that their traditions often contradicted God's law, allowing them to sidestep its requirements [7].
The Pharisees' practice of washing hands before eating is another example of their adherence to tradition. According to Mark 7:3, the Pharisees and all the Jews would not eat unless they washed their hands "oft," holding to the tradition of the elders [3]. This tradition was not a requirement of the law but rather an addition to it, highlighting the Pharisees' tendency to prioritize their own traditions over God's commands.
The conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees over tradition and parental obligations reflects a deeper issue. The Pharisees' emphasis on tradition led them to prioritize their own interpretations over the original intent of God's law. In contrast, Jesus emphasized the importance of honoring one's parents, as commanded in the law [2].
The Protestant academic tradition interprets Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees as a condemnation of their hypocrisy and their tendency to use tradition to circumvent God's law. According to Tyndale House, Jesus' statement in Matthew 15:6 indicates that the Pharisees' commitment to their traditions rendered God's law nonbinding, turning their piety into sinful disregard for the word of God [4].
The Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, represented by Matthew Henry, views Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees as an opportunity to set aside the ceremonial law and emphasize the importance of genuine faith over external rituals [9]. This perspective highlights the tension between the Pharisees' external observance of the law and the internal reality of their hearts.
The Pharisees' use of tradition to nullify parental obligations serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of elevating human traditions above God's commands. As Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees demonstrates, true faithfulness to God's law requires a nuanced understanding of its original intent and a willingness to prioritize its commands over human traditions.
In the context of Ezekiel 18, the concept of individual responsibility is emphasized, contrasting with the proverbial saying that "the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" [8]. This proverb, which was commonly used to express the idea that children suffer for their parents' sins, is challenged by Ezekiel's message of individual accountability. Similarly, Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees highlights the importance of individual responsibility and the need to prioritize God's law over human traditions.
The Pharisees' emphasis on tradition ultimately led to their downfall, as it created a culture of external observance rather than genuine faith. As the Protestant academic tradition notes, the Pharisees' actions were motivated by a desire to maintain their authority and control over the people [6]. In contrast, Jesus' teachings emphasized the importance of internal faith and a personal relationship with God.
The tension between the Pharisees' traditions and Jesus' teachings continues to resonate in Christian theology today, serving as a reminder of the importance of balancing tradition with a deep understanding of God's law and its original intent.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Pharisees — a religious party or school among the Jews at the time of Christ, so called from perishin, the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word perushim, "separated." The chief sects among the Jews were the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, who may be described respectively as the Formalists, the Freethinkers and the Puritans. A knowledge of the opinions and practices of the Pharisees at the time of Christ is of great importance for entering deeply into the genius of the Christian religion. A cursory perusal of the Gospels is sufficient to show that Christ's teachi”
- Matthew “Matthew 15:6 (BSB) — he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
- King James Version “[KJV] Mark 7:3 — For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 15:6: 15:6 cancel: Because of a greater commitment to their traditions, the Pharisees in effect rendered God’s law nonbinding, turning their piety into sinful disregard for the word of God.”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 23:2: 23:2 the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses: They transmitted the oral traditions that were associated with the law and thought to be from Moses, and they judged religious and social matters on the basis of these traditions (see 15:2).”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 9:18: 9:18 The Pharisees wanted to discount the miracle and hoped the man’s parents would deny the healing.”
- Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 7:9: 7:9-13 Next, Jesus provides an instance where the Pharisees’ traditions contradicted God’s law and allowed them to sidestep its requirements.”
- Ezekiel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ezekiel 18 (introduction): THE PARABLE OF THE SOUR GRAPES REPROVED. (Eze. 18:1-32) fathers . . . eaten sour grapes, . . . children's teeth . . . set on edge--Their unbelieving calumnies on God's justice had become so common as to have assumed a proverbial form. The sin of Adam in eating the forbidden fruit, visited on his posterity, seems to have suggested the peculiar form; noticed also by Jeremiah (Jer 31:29); and explained in Lam 5:7, "Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities." They mean by "the children," themselves, as though t”
- Mark (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Mark 7:1: One great design of Christ's coming, was, to set aside the ceremonial law which God made, and to put an end to it; to make way for which he begins with the ceremonial law which men had made, and added to the law of God's making, and discharges his disciples from the obligation of that; which here he doth fully, upon occasion of the offence which the Pharisees took at them for the violation of it. These Pharisees and scribes with whom he had this argument, are said to come from Jerusalem down to Galilee - fourscore or a hundred miles, to pick quarrels with our Saviour”
- Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 7:5: 7:5 Since the Pharisees believed that their oral traditions were given to Moses as part of God’s divine revelation, they asked Jesus why his disciples did not keep them. After all, teachers were responsible for the behavior of their disciples (see 2:24).”