Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
A Walk with the Master Series
Tradition or Doctrine
Mark 7:5-11
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Mar 7:10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curses father or mother, let him die the death: Mar 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou might be profited by me; he shall be free.
Jesus again has a confrontation with the religious leaders and scribes because the disciples were eating without washing their hands. Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they found fault.
The question came down to a matter of Jewish tradition and what is true Bible doctrine. Jesus exposed these leaders as legalists who took the teachings of men as more important than biblical truths. The following is an examination of this thought.
Tradition is not necessarily a bad thing, but when it has more authority than the Word of God, then it is wrong. Col_2:8 warns us against man-made traditions, but we should heed the traditions given by God and handed down to His people (1Co_11:2; 2Th_2:15; 2Ti_2:2). Jesus pointed out that the great danger was hypocrisy: we obey the traditions with words and deeds, but we fail to serve God from the heart (Isa_29:13). Note the steps downward: first we lay aside God’s Word (Mar_7:8), then we reject the Word (Mar_7:9), and finally we rob the Word of any power in our lives (Mar_7:13). Man’s tradition, not God’s truth, controls our lives. The Pharisees were able to rob their own parents of help by hiding behind their traditions! (“Corban” in Mar_7:11 means “a gift [to God]” and has to do with the laws in Num_20:1-29.)
But Jesus did not stop with exposing the Jews’ hypocrisy; He also exposed their hearts (Mar_7:14-23). The Jews were not defiled from without by coming in contact with Gentiles, but from within because of their own sinful hearts. And no amount of washing on the outside can remove defilement on the inside (Psa_51:6-10). The disciples were as much in the dark about this as were the common people, and Jesus had to explain the truth to them privately. How difficult it is for people to disengage themselves from religious traditions that have been so much a part of their lives! (Copied)
How are we living this out in our daily lives? Are we, unconsciously, living legalistically, or are we seeking the biblical truth for why we do what we do? Sometimes it seems easier if we follow a system of “dos or don’ts.” I believe God would have us to live in the liberty that He has provided for us in His Word rather than what some man has dictated! This is what Jesus had to say about the matter. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
Bible Reading for the Year
March 26th, Joshua 19-20; Luke 5:17-39
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She has her next treatment of Keytruda on Thursday the 26th. Pray that there will not be bad side effects like last time.
Please pray for Lauren Leggett. She is Sarah Crandall’s niece who has a viral form of hepatitis. She will be going for more tests to find the full problem.
Also pray for Sarah Crandall. She has an abscess that was causing her a lot of pain. She is now on strong antibiotics and is starting to improve.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, Barbara Teboe’s nephew, who has MAC lung disease. He fell last Tuesday and broke several ribs. He is now home from the hospital.
Pray for Dr. Joe Jordan who had an angioplasty on Thursday, March 12th. They found one artery was 70% blocked. The date for his coronary artery bypass surgery is April 9th.
Please pray for Phil Corey in his continual dialysis treatments. He had several procedures done at the hospital but is home now. Please pray for Michelle and for Doris too. Doris is having problems with her blood pressure.
Please pray for Madison Bowers Millwee. She is now at 30 weeks and is doing well. Everything is relatively stable at this point. She will continue modified bedrest until she delivers
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta that her hip will completely heal. She saw the doctor the other day, and found she was overusing her hip. Her recovery can take up to a year.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia