1 Then athe scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
2a“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4For God commanded, saying, a‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, b‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
5But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, a“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—
6then he need not honor his father1or mother.’ Thus you have made the2commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
7aHypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8‘Thesea people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me withtheir lips, But their heart is far from Me.
9And in vain they worship Me, aTeachingasdoctrines the commandments of men.’”
10aWhen He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:
11aNot what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, a“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
14Let them alone. aThey are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15aThen Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said, a“Are you also still without understanding?
17Do you not yet understand that awhatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
18But athose things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
19aFor out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
20These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
A Gentile Shows Her Faith
21aThen Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, aSon of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
The scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem confronted Jesus about His disciples transgressing the tradition of the elders, not the law of God. Their accusation cannot be supported by any command found in God's law. This connects to Galatians 1:14, where Paul describes his zeal for the traditions of his fathers, referring to the national religion of Judaism.
Matthew 15:1-2
This ties in with Galatians 1:14, where Paul writes about being "zealous for the traditions of my fathers"—his description of the national religion of Judaism. Jesus' disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders, not the law of God. One cannot find a command concerning what they are accused of in God's law.
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The scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem confronted Jesus about His disciples transgressing the tradition of the elders, not the law of God. Their accusation cannot be supported by any command found in God's law. This connects to Galatians 1:14, where Paul describes his zeal for the traditions of his fathers, referring to the national religion of Judaism.