Matthew 15:1-20 ▼

1 Then Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who 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, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?

4 For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever 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 nullified the word of God because of your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:

8 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

9 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands. ”

10 Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand:

11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.”

12 Then the disciples came up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said? ”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

14 Leave them alone! They are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.”

16 “Do you still lack understanding? ” he asked.

17 “Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.

19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.

20 These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”