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

¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat!”

³ He answered them, “And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? ⁴ For God said:

Honor your father and your mother; and,
The one who speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.

⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple”— ⁶ he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have revoked God’s word because of your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:

⁸ These people honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
⁹ They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”

¹ The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Him. ² They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. ³ (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.) ⁵ Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ritually unclean hands?”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

These people honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
⁷ They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.

⁸ Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.” ⁹ He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses said:

Honor your father and your mother; and
Whoever speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.

¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift committed to the temple), ¹² “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You revoke God’s word by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”