A Crucial Lesson From John
Read Colossians 2:8. What is it saying to you, in your own culture and tradition? What must you be careful about?
The Bible has much to say about tradition, and little of it is good. On one occasion the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus why His disciples broke the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before they ate (Matt. 15:2). This tradition was based on rules and regulations established by the rabbis, not by the Scriptures.
Read Matthew 15:3 and Mark 7:13. What specific points is Jesus making that gets at the heart of why tradition can be faith-destroying?
An essential part of John the Baptist's mission was to speak out against tradition and point people back to the revealed Word of God. Ellen G. White writes: "What was it that made John the Baptist great? He closed his mind to the mass of tradition presented by the teachers of the Jewish nation, and opened it to the wisdom which comes from above."—Conflict and Courage, p. 276.
John the Baptist was not bound by tradition or by accepted modes of speech. He spoke against sin in all its forms, from adultery to social injustice. Whenever God's message is given in a clear, unambiguous way, people react differently. Some people responded to John the Baptist by accusing him of being demon-possessed (Matt. 11:18). Of course, exactly the same thing happened with Jesus (John 7:20). Is tradition always bad? Why, or why not? How can we, in whatever culture we are in, retain aspects of that culture while still staying faithful to the Lord?
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