Matthew 15:1-20

¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

² “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

⁴ For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’

⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”

⁶ he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.

⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

⁸ ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

⁹ And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’ ”

¹⁰ He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand.

¹¹ That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

¹² Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

¹³ But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵ Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.”

¹⁶ So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand?

¹⁷ Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body?

¹⁸ But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.

¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.

²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”