When Tradition Overrides the Truth (Mark 7:6-13)

Sermon on 26 April 2026 by Pastor Justin Chia

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Come back to the authority, clarity, and accuracy of God’s word.

2 Timothy 2:15 - “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

‭‭Acts 17:11 - “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”

‭‭Joshua 8:28 - “So Joshua burned the town of Ai, and it became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day.”

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Mark 7:6-13 - “Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.””

The Pharisees and scribes saw Jesus’ disciples who ate without washing their hands. This was considered ceremonially unclean. They confronted Jesus about His disciple’s actions as they rejected the tradition passed down from the elders.

Mark 7:5 - “So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.””

‭‭The Pharisees and scribes were hypocrites just for show. We have to reflect on when our actions don’t connect with the Word.

Mark 7:7 - “Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

‭‭Isaiah 29:13 - “And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.”

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Mark 7:11 - “But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’”

‭‭Jesus confronts religious people for replacing His word with tradition.

Mark 7:9 - “Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.”

‭We need to examine our hearts on top of our actions. There are some traditions that are not rooted in the Scriptures. There are some things we faithfully defend because that’s what we were taught or followed by the majority.

1. Tradition can replace the accuracy of the word

Tradition often produces routine, performance, and no transformation. Tradition is not grounded in the Word.

Mark 7:6 - “Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

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2 Timothy 3:5 - “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

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Titus 1:16 - “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”

‭‭These people deny the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit. Your public life is a reflection of your private prayer.

2. Tradition can replace authority of Scripture

Mark 7:8 - “For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.””

The danger is when tradition overrides Scripture. You need to live by the truth of Jesus Christ and not by intellectuals. Not all traditions are rooted in the Scriptures.

Colossians 2:8 - “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

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Galatians 1:6-9 - “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.”

Matthew 15:3 - “Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?”

Check your heart if you have any thought that is not in alignment with God. Let both your heart and mouth be close to God.

3. Tradition can replace the effectiveness of God’s Word

Mark 7:13 - “And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.””

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God’s Word is powerful, but tradition can neutralise its impact. If a church just does a practice due to tradition, there is no more relationship with God.

If it is just to impress, then the action is not in alignment with God.

Mark 7:11 - “But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’”

‭‭Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

‭‭Jesus is not against tradition. Jesus is opposed to anything that replaces truth. We need to align our activities with God’s will. Come back to the authority, clarity, and accuracy of God’s word.

Psalms 119:160 - “The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.”

‭‭Build a word-centred faith, not a tradition-centred faith.

Amen.