Mark 7:9

Full well do ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep your traditions (kalw aqeteite thn entolhn tou qeou ina thn paradosin umwn thrhshte). One can almost see the scribes withering under this terrible arraignment. It was biting sarcasm that cut to the bone. The evident irony should prevent literal interpretation as commendation of the Pharisaic pervasion of God's word. See my The Pharisees and Jesus for illustrations of the way that they placed this oral tradition above the written law. See on "Mt 15:7".