In Mark 7:9-13 Jesus continues to rebuke the Pharisees for their man made traditions that steered people away from the true intent of the Scriptures. We see in these verses that the Pharisees wrongfully pitted the 5th commandment (to honor father and mother) against a command in Numbers 30:1-2 which prohibited people from breaking their vows made to the Lord. The Pharisaic tradition allowed for men who were either angry with their parents or were simply greedy to declare their possessions to be "corban" (dedicated to God). Those possessions would then be off limits to the man's parents. The corruption of the Pharisaic tradition is made evident by the fact that the declaration of "corban" did not mean that the possessions were to be given to the temple; nor did it mean that the man making the declaration could not use the possessions. This declaration was simply a way in which a man could keep his own possessions either out of personal greed or because of anger expressed towards his elderly parents.

This lesson teaches us how man made traditions can be damaging to people by stealing the authority of the Scriptures from their lives. Jesus made it clear in Mark 7:13 that the Pharisees were "invalidating" the word of God for the sake of their own tradition. In this sermon we explore how traditions in false religions, the church, and in our own personal lives can lead us astray from the sufficiency of Christ and His gospel.

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