1 Corinthians 11 English Standard Version

1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Head Coverings

2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.

Jewish tradition (e.g., in the Talmud) later interpreted Numbers 5:18 as evidence that the Torah implies women should cover their heads in public, viewing uncovering as immodest. However, this is a rabbinic interpretation developed centuries after the Old Testament texts, not a direct Mosaic law. While head covering for women was a widespread cultural practice in ancient Jewish and surrounding societies (often tied to modesty, marriage, or status), the Old Testament contains no explicit divine command requiring it, unlike laws on topics such as dietary rules or Sabbath observance. Source Grok AI

Let me be clear on this issue, Paul begins with pleading with Corinthians, a mixture of Jewish converts and pagan converts, to imitate Christ just as Paul himself is following Christ’s example. Everything Paul is addressing is in honoring traditions that were long accepted as practiced primarily by respected authorities. Jesus honored traditions but did not teach them.

Honor your parents is one of the ten commandments. One aspect of that is not to speak out against one’s parents’ traditions as if they were sinning. If the law is not specific in content but through understanding traditions become observations, then do not disrespect those who deserve honor, even if we do not hold to those traditions ourselves.

Romans 13:7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

It is no accident that Paul includes honor among worldly practices. It is based on the traditions of the society in which those citizens lived in the world. It is not a moral code, it is a civic code.

John 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

Traditions change over time for many reasons just as cultural norms differ from region to region. When we enter another man’s home we are not to show disrespect to their traditions just because we do not practice them ourselves. Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” They disrespected the home owner’s tradition. Jesus did not. That is His example.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

I get it, but I dare say this is not clear to everyone.

What was given up? Speech, thoughts, and reasoning. That does not say that we stopped acting like a child. In the human sense when we play with our children, we are being one with them, acting like a child.

Now we are one with God, a child of God, but God the Father is not a child and does not play with his children. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to experience what it feels like to play like a child.

We know very little about the childhood of our savior. We do not know his speech, thoughts and reasoning when he was a child.

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.

We have no documentation that says how old Jesus was when He was granted permission to read the Torah before men. We have to look to Jewish tradition to understand when that might have occurred. Much of his life up and until He began his ministry can only be viewed by understanding Jewish tradition.

Luke 2:40-47 English Standard Version

40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

We know nothing of Jewish traditions if we are not Jewish. Searching the New Testament does not answer all our questions. What purification rites were administered to Jesus?

Luke 2:22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord