Matthew 15:1–14

Traditions and Commandments

15^eThen Pharisees and ^fscribes came to Jesus ^ffrom Jerusalem and said, ^2g“Why do your disciples break ^hthe tradition of the elders? ^jFor they do not wash their hands when they eat.” ³He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God commanded, ^k‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^l‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”^{1 6}he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have ^mmade void the word² of God. ⁷ⁿYou hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

^8o“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

⁹in vain do they worship me,

teaching as ^pdoctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

What Defiles a Person

¹⁰And he called the people to him and said to them, ^q“Hear and understand: ^11rit is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” ¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were ^soffended when they heard this saying?” ¹³He answered, ^t“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^uwill be rooted up. ¹⁴Let them alone; ^vthey are blind guides.³ And ^wif the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”