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

¹ Then there came to Jesus a party of Pharisees and Scribes from Jerusalem, who inquired, ² "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by not washing their hands before meals?"

³ "Why do you, too," He retorted, "transgress God's commands for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother'; and 'Let him who reviles father or mother be certainly put to death';

⁵ but you--this is what you say: 'If a man says to his father or mother, That is consecrated, whatever it is, which otherwise you should have received from me-- ⁶ he shall be absolved from honouring his father'; and so you have abrogated God's Word for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! well did Isaiah prophesy of you,

⁸ "'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me; ⁹ but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

¹ Then the Pharisees, with certain Scribes who had come from Jerusalem, came to Him in a body. ² They had noticed that some of His disciples were eating their food with 'unclean' (that is to say, unwashed) ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews--being, as they are, zealous for the traditions of the Elders--never eat without first carefully washing their hands, ⁴ and when they come from market they will not eat without bathing first; and they have a good many other customs which they have received traditionally and cling to, such as the rinsing of cups and pots and of bronze utensils, and the washing of beds.) ⁵ So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

⁶ "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me: ⁷ But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'

⁸ "You neglect God's Commandment: you hold fast to men's traditions." ⁹ "Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'

¹¹ But *you* say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to God) ¹² And so you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother, ¹³ thus nullifying God's precept by your tradition which you have handed down. And many things of that kind you do."