Thematic Bible: He justifies his disciples in eating without washing their hands (at capernaum)


Thematic Bible



Then some Pharisees and experts in the law of Moses came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples violate the tradition of the [Jewish] elders? For they do not [ceremonially] wash their hands before eating [their meals]." And He answered them, "Why do you also violate the commandments of God by [following] your traditions? read more.
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.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, I have given to God the money I could have helped you with;' this person does not honor his father [or mother]. You have made God's message useless by [thus enforcing] your traditions. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied accurately about you, saying [Isa. 29:13], These people [claim to] honor me with their lips [i.e., by what they say], but their heart is far from [honoring] me. They are worshiping me for nothing [because they are] teaching principles that are [merely] the requirements of men.'" Then Jesus called the crowds to come to Him, and He said to them, "Listen and understand. It is not what enters the mouth of a person that [spiritually] corrupts him, but what proceeds out of his mouth that [spiritually] corrupts him." Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were upset [with you] when they heard [you say] that?" But He answered and said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. [So], let these Pharisees alone; they are blind leaders. And if a blind person leads a blind person, both of them will fall into a ditch." And Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." And He replied, "Are you still unable to understand? Do you not realize that whatever enters a person's mouth goes into his stomach and [eventually] passes out into the toilet? But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from his heart. These are what [spiritually] corrupt a person. For evil thoughts, murder, extramarital affairs, sexual immorality, stealing, perjury, slander --- [all these] come from a person's heart, and are what corrupt him [spiritually]. But eating [a meal] with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not [spiritually] corrupt him."

The Pharisees and some experts in the law of Moses, who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around Jesus. They had observed some of His disciples eating their food with contaminated, that is, [ceremonially] unwashed hands. (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). read more.
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]. 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?" 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. They are worshiping me for nothing because they are teaching principles which are [merely] the requirements of men.' You disregard the commandment of God and [yet] hang onto the traditions of men." And He said to them, "You are good at rejecting the commandment of God so you can keep your traditions. 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.' 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,' you are not allowing him to do anything for his father or mother anymore. You are making God's message useless by [enforcing] the tradition you have been following. And you do many things like that." Then He called the crowd to Him again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand [what I am saying]. There is nothing that enters a person's body from the outside that can [spiritually] corrupt him, but it is what proceeds out of a person's life that [spiritually] corrupts him." {{Verse is absent from most ancient manuscripts}}. And when He had gone into the house away from the crowd His disciples asked Him about this parable. He said to them, "Are you also as lacking in understanding [as the others]? Do you not understand that whatever enters a person's body from the outside cannot [spiritually] corrupt him? It is because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and [eventually] passes out into the toilet." By saying this He made all foods [ceremonially] acceptable. And He said, "Whatever proceeds out of a man's life is what [spiritually] corrupts him. For from within, out of people's hearts, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, extramarital affairs, greedy desires, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained indecency, envy, slander, arrogance and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within [man's heart] and [spiritually] corrupt him."