Lesson: “CUSTOM” AND “TRADITION” USED INTERCHANGEABLY IN SCRIPTURE
TEXT: Matt. 15:1-9
MEMORYVERSE: Matt. 15:8-9
These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”(NIV)
INTRODUCTION
The semantics of the words “tradition” and “custom” is similar and can give the same result in application. This calls for no need to attempt to distinguish between them. Instead, efforts should be tailored towards how they are applied among various people groups who are entitled to live their lives in such a way that maximizes their God-given potentials without friction with other individuals or groups whose traditions or customs may be dissimilar.
OBJECTIVE: In our lesson today, may we see some synonyms to the words “tradition” and “custom” separately and how the application of their meanings among a people group would result to no friction.
PRESENTATION:
Step 1: SYNONYMS (0THER WORDS) FOR “TRADITION”
(a) According to United States’ Thesaurus Dictionary, the synonyms for “tradition” are cụstom, ritual, habit, convention, belief, folklore, practice and institution.
i. Its opposite is “innovation” or ‘contemporary’.
(b) Jesus answering the Pharisees about the Jewish tradition, referred earlier to it in verse nine of our text as “commandments of men” (KJV) and as “rules taught by men” (NIV).
i. The words, “commandments” and “rules’ herein used are similar to “beliefs”, “customs”. “conventions” and “practice”
Step II: SYNONYMS (OTHER WORDS) FOR “CUSTOM”
(a) The United States’ Thesaurus Dictionary posits that tradition, convention, routine, practice, habit, ritual, institution, norm and pattern are some words similar in meaning to “custom”.
(b) The conventional manner a people are known for doing a particular thing is such people’s tradition and/or custom.
i. In John 2:6″, “the manner of the purifying of the Jews” (KJV) and “the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing” (NIV) can also be understood as “according to their custom and tradition”
ii. Here, we see that the marriage in the clan of Cana in the Province of Galilee above which Jesus, His mother and disciples attended was traditional but God-ordained and sufficed for legalizing the union of those concerned.
– We should similarly allow marriages conducted under our various traditions and/or customs stand independently to
count for accepting our intending couples.
Step 111: TRADITION OR CUSTOM AS DOCTRINE
(a) In beliefs, traditions and customs of a people may differ but not in practice.
i. They are indoctrinations of unification of
adherents for everyday life (cf. John 9:27-29).
(b) They are words (documented or not) which, when practiced, identify origin and heritage of a people (cf. Luke 2:1-4).
CONCLUSION:
Traditions and/or customs of people are indoctrinations which benefits can primarily be best explained by
adherents and have to be maintained and propagated among them for posterity. A people’s traditions (customs) are always all-inclusive in the affairs of those with whom they (the traditions) are bound.
EVALUATION:
1. Why should the words, “tradition” and “custom” be used interchangeably?
2. What are three words which meanings are synonymous with “custom” and “tradition”?
3. Why should tradition and/or custom of a people be jealously observed?
PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for sincere faith in Christ among all those who Confess Jesus as Lord and Christ.