Thematic Bible: Traditional rules of the jewish


Thematic Bible



Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said, "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? read more.
For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might have received from me is a gift to God' he is not to honor his father with it. Thus you have made the word of God of no effect for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, when he said: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'" And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornications, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

they saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash themselves. And there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pitchers and copper vessels.) read more.
The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with impure hands?" And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites; as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' You let go of the commandment of God, and hold on to the tradition of men." And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." And he called all the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, everyone, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him." (...) When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. So he said to them, "Are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, since it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, come evil thoughts, fornications, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."