Matthew 15:1-20

Then some Pharisees and Torah scholars came to Yeshua from Jerusalem. They said, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not do the ritual handwashing when they eat bread.” And answering, He said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever you might have gained from me is a gift to God,” he need not honor his father.’ On account of your tradition, you made void the word of God. Hypocrites! Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Then Yeshua called the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. It’s not what goes into the mouth that makes the man unholy; but what comes out of the mouth, this makes the man unholy.” Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this saying?” But He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” “Are you also still lacking understanding?” Yeshua said. “Don’t you grasp that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then is ejected into the sewer? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things make the man unholy. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. These are the things that make the man unholy; but to eat with unwashed hands does not make the man unholy.”