Matthew 15:1-20

International Standard Version

Jesus Challenges the Tradition of the Elders^(A)

15 Then some Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked, ² “Why do your disciples disregard the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands when they eat.”^[a]

³ But he answered them, “Why do you also disregard the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ Because God said,^[b] ‘You are to honor your father and your mother,’^[c] and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother must certainly be put to death.’^{[d] 5} But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or his mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me has been given to God,”^{[e] 6} does not have to honor his father.’^[f] Because of your tradition, then, you have disregarded^[g] the authority of God’s word.^{[h] 7} You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said,

¹⁰ Then calling out to the crowd, he addressed them, “Listen and understand! ¹¹ It is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean. It is what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”

¹² Then the disciples came and asked him, “Do you realize that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?”

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind.^[j] If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Then Peter told him, “Explain to us this^[k] parable.”

¹⁶ Jesus^[l] said, “Are you still so ignorant? ¹⁷ Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then is expelled as waste? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is those things that make a person unclean. ¹⁹ It is out of the heart that evil thoughts come, as well as murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, false testimony, and slander.^{[m] 20} These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating with unwashed hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”