Tradition and Commandment

1 aThen some Pharisees and scribes * came to Jesus bfrom Jerusalem and said,

2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they ado not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4 “For God said, ‘aHonor your father and mother,’ and, ‘bHe who speaks evil of father or mother is to 1be put to death.’

5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been 1given to God,”

6 he is not to honor his father or his mother1.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

8 ‘aThis people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me.

9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as adoctrines the precepts of men.’ ”

10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand.

11 “aIt is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

12 Then the disciples * came and * said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were 1offended when they heard this statement?”

13 But He answered and said, “aEvery plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.

14 “Let them alone; athey are blind guides 1of the blind. And bif a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

The Heart of Man

15 Peter 1said to Him, “aExplain the parable to us.”

16 1Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also?

17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is 1eliminated?

18 “But athe things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

19 “aFor out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 1fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

20 “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”