24.September.2026
There is a way to keep a rule perfectly and still miss what means obedience entirely. Jesus confronted this directly, not with the irreligious crowd, but with the most devoutly religious people of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Then he said, “You show great skill in avoiding the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! Moses said, ‘You must respect your father and mother.’ He also said, ‘Whoever says anything bad to their father or mother must be killed.’ But you teach that people can say to their father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ You are telling people that they do not have to do anything for their father or mother. So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:9-13 ERV
The word for this loophole was Corban, a declaration that money or resources were dedicated to God, off limits to anyone else, including one’s own aging parents who needed support. On paper, that sounded like someone committed to God. Who could argue with dedicating something to God? However, it let a person completely bypass God’s commandment to honor your father and mother, and call it spiritual. The tradition did not just miss the point, it made the Word of God of no effect, and canceled out entirely by a religious sounding technicality.
This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:8-9
Vain worship is a tough statement to consider. Not worship that is simply imperfect, but worship that accomplishes nothing, because it is built on commandments of men that looks like God’s own instruction. The tragedy of Corban was not that these men were careless about God. It was that they were meticulous about Him, in exactly the wrong direction, while the actual command sat ignored right in front of them.
I think about how easily this happens without any of us intending it. A rule gets added to protect something sacred, and over time the rule becomes the sacred thing, while the original heart behind it disappears. We can become experts at the technicality and still miss the actual heart obedience God asked for.
The way to discern this is not complicated, though it does require honesty. Does this tradition make it easier to obey God, or does it give me a religious sounding reason to avoid what He actually asked?
What tradition have you kept perfectly while missing the very obedience it was meant to protect?
If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, you can do that right now. Pray this with me:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have sinned, and I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again on the third day. I ask Jesus, come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Make today count and see you tomorrow.
Leave a comment