Matthew 15:1-9

Traditions and Commandments

1 ¹Then Pharisees and ²scribes came to Jesus ³from Jerusalem and said,

2 ⁴"Why do your disciples break ⁵the tradition of the elders? ⁶For they do not wash their hands when they eat."

3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4 For God commanded, ⁷'Honor your father and your mother,' and, ⁸'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.'

5 But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God,"^[a]

6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have ⁹made void the word^[b] of God.

7 ¹⁰You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

8 ¹¹"'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as ¹²doctrines the commandments of men.'"

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 1-20, see Mark 7:1-23
• 2. Mark 3:22
• 3. Mark 3:22
• 4. [Matthew 9:11]
• 5. Galatians 1:14; Colossians 2:8
• 6. Luke 11:38
• 7. Cited from Exodus 20:12
• 8. Cited from Exodus 21:17
• 9. Galatians 3:17(Gk.); [Romans 2:23]
• 10. Matthew 23:13
• 11. Cited from Isaiah 29:13; [Ezekiel 33:31]
• 12. Colossians 2:22; Titus 1:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Or is an offering
• [b]. Some manuscripts law