Matthew 15:11, 1, 3-10, 2, 12-20

It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.”

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying

So he answered and said to them, “Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received from me is a gift to God,” need not honor his father,’ and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” And summoning the crowd, he said to them, “Hear and understand

“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” And he answered and said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter answered and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” But he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!”