Matthew 15:1-11

Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked, “Why don’t your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why don’t you obey God’s command? You would rather follow your own teachings! God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ He also said, ‘Anyone who asks for bad things to happen to their father or mother must be put to death.’ But suppose people have something that might be used to help their parents. You allow them to say it is instead ‘a gift set apart for God.’ So they do not need to honor their father or mother with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings. You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said, “ ‘These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not make them ‘unclean.’ It’s what comes out of their mouth that makes them ‘unclean.’ ”