Matthew 15:1-9 - Human Traditions And God's Commandments

¹ Then some Pharisees and experts in the law of Moses came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² "Why do your disciples violate the tradition of the [Jewish] elders? For they do not [ceremonially] wash their hands before eating [their meals]."

³ And He answered them, "Why do you also violate the commandments of God by [following] your traditions? ⁴ For God said, [Ex. 20:12], 'Give honor to your father and mother.' and [Ex. 21:17], 'Whoever says bad things about his father or mother should surely be put to death.'

⁵ But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, I have given to God the money I could have helped you with;' ⁶ this person does not honor his father [or mother]. You have made God's message useless by [thus enforcing] your traditions. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied accurately about you, saying [Isa. 29:13],

⁸ These people [claim to] honor me with their lips [i.e., by what they say], but their heart is far from [honoring] me. ⁹ They are worshiping me for nothing [because they are] teaching principles that are [merely] the requirements of men.'"

¹ The Pharisees and some experts in the law of Moses, who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around Jesus. ² They had observed some of His disciples eating their food with contaminated, that is, [ceremonially] unwashed hands. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews would not eat anything unless they first scrubbed their hands [i.e., up to the wrists] in accordance with the [long-established] tradition of the Jewish elders). ⁴ And when they returned from the open shopping markets they refused to eat [anything] until they washed themselves [or "it," that is, the food, thoroughly]. There were also many other traditions which they [strictly] observed, like washing cups, pots and copper kettles [thoroughly].) [Note: The most accurate Greek manuscripts do not add "and beds" in this verse]. ⁵ The Pharisees and experts in the law of Moses asked Jesus, "Why do your disciples not live according to the traditions of the Jewish elders, but [instead] eat their food with contaminated [i.e., ceremonially unwashed] hands?"

⁶ And He answered them, "Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites very well when he wrote [Isa. 29:13], 'These people honor me with their lips [i.e., by what they say], but their heart is far from [honoring] me. ⁷ They are worshiping me for nothing because they are teaching principles which are [merely] the requirements of men.'

⁸ You disregard the commandment of God and [yet] hang onto the traditions of men." ⁹ And He said to them, "You are good at rejecting the commandment of God so you can keep your traditions. ¹⁰ For Moses said, [Ex. 20:12] 'Give honor to your father and mother,' and [Ex. 21:17 says], 'Whoever says bad things about his father or mother should surely be put to death.'

¹¹ But when you people say, 'If someone says to his father or mother, [the money] I could have helped you with is Corban; in other words, [it is] given to God,' ¹² you are not allowing him to do anything for his father or mother anymore. ¹³ You are making God's message useless by [enforcing] the tradition you have been following. And you do many things like that."