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Matthew 15:1-20 — Tradition and the Heart

Matt.15.1-20

¹Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus , saying, ²“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³But answering, he said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God said , 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.' ⁵But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift to God,” ⁶he need not honor his father .' And you have made void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷Hypocrites! Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ⁹and in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" ¹⁰And summoning the crowd, he said to them, "Hear and understand: ¹¹it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a person." ¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³But answering, he said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind . And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit." ¹⁵But Peter answering said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶And he said , "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart, and these defile a person. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. ²⁰These are the things that defile a person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

Translation Notes

5/7/2026

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