The Pharisees referred to it as “the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7.3, 5).  But Jesus called it “the precepts of men” (v. 7), and “the tradition of men” (v. 8).

Now this immediately cut the ground from under the Pharisees’ feet.  They believed Scripture and tradition were equally ancient, equally Mosaic, equally divine.  Christ did not share their view.  On the contrary, He drew a sharp distinction between the two.  One the one hand there was what “Moses said” (v. 10), and on the other what “you say” (v. 11).  At first sight one might suppose that this was simply to set two Jewish teachers or schools of thought in opposition to each other, Moses and the elders.  But this is not at all how Jesus saw the disagreement.  To Him Moses and the elders were not comparable, for the elders were fallible men with human traditions, while Moses was the spokesman of God.  So what “you say” is equivalent to “your tradition” (vv. 9, 13) or “the tradition of men” (v. 8), whereas what “Moses said” is “the commandment of God” (vv. 8-9) and “the word of God” (v. 13).  To put this beyond question we may observe that the phrase “Moses said” in verse 10 is rendered in Matthew 15:4 “God said”, and this was the consistent custom of Jesus and His apostles.  For them, “Scripture says” and “God says” were synonymous.

Thus we have our Lord’s own authority for distinguishing between Scripture and tradition as between God’s Word written and all human interpretations and accretions.

Put another way, we may say that the only “tradition” which Scripture recognizes is Scripture.  For “tradition” (Greek – paradosis) is what is handed down, and God’s purpose has been that His Word, His unique revelation given to prophets and apostles, should be transmitted from generation to generation.  John R. W. Stott, “Authority: Tradition or Scripture?”, Christ the Controversialist, 70

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2.2

Mike Benson