The Holy Gospel for this past Sunday in the LSB three-year lectionary, St. Mark 7:1-13, dealt with tradition and its relative place and purpose in the life of the Church vis-à-vis the Word of God. On the surface it can come across as a critique and rejection of tradition, because our Lord does speak strongly against the prioritizing of human traditions over and above the doctrines of God. However, it is clear that tradition in itself is not the real issue or problem. The concern is rather with idolatry in the heart, which is misplaced fear, love, and trust in that which is not God.
Certainly, our Lord is not opposed to washing hands before meals, nor is He against the washing of dishes after meals. Indeed, in pointing to the Fourth Commandment, our Lord highlights the divine command to honor father and mother, which for most of us would include such washing before and after eating. Many other such traditions are quite fine and good in themselves, and serve a useful and beneficial purpose, as do many long-standing churchly traditions, whether in worship practice, congregational life, or personal Christian piety. But in no case is it ever meet, right, and salutary to cling to such traditions as a means of gaining righteousness and holiness with God.
“Tradition” is simply that which is received and handed over from one generation to the next, and in this respect it covers a lot of ground. Honor and respect for our elders – within the family and within the household and family of God – is appropriate and wise. And passing on what we have received from our fathers and mothers in Christ to those who come after us is simply the basic pattern and rhythm of the Christian faith and life. Education of all kinds is really a matter of tradition, in which one generation hands over a corporate deposit of knowledge to the next.
But no amount of human wisdom, no matter how brilliant and erudite – whether it be ancient tradition or novel innovations in place of past practices – is able to forgive sins, justify, sanctify, or give eternal life to the children of man. Forgiveness, life, and salvation are found only in the Word and works of God in Christ Jesus, our Savior. And these divine doctrines are revealed and given to us in the divine and holy Traditions of the Holy Gospel, which is simply to speak of the Ministry of preaching, teaching, confessing, and distributing the Gifts Christ freely gives.
St. Paul speaks of these divine and holy Traditions especially in his first Letter to the Church at Corinth, in chapters 11 and 15. In the first instance, he speaks not only of traditions concerning the order of Creation and head coverings in worship (1 Cor. 11:1-16), but of the administration of the Lord’s Supper, which he received from the Lord and then also delivered (or handed over) to the Church (1 Cor. 11:23-26). He uses the same sort of language of tradition in describing the basic creed or kerygma of the faith: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the Third Day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). As a side note, these same passages are indicative of the way that preaching and the Sacrament belong together.
In a happy coincidence, an interview I recorded with Pres. Brady Finnern (Minnesota North) for “Concord Matters” on KFUO, dealing with tradition on the basis of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XV, was broadcast this past weekend, tying in nicely with the Holy Gospel in the three-year lectionary. Those who are interested can listen to that recording at this link: https://www.kfuo.org/2024/08/24/concord-matters-082424-apology-of-the-augsburg-confession-article-15-human-traditions-part-1/