Matthew 15:2-20

2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”

3He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?

4For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.

5But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,”

6he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition.

7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:

8This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

9They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.”

10Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand:

11It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth — this defiles a person.”

12Then the disciples came up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?”

13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

14Leave them alone! They are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.”

16“Do you still lack understanding?” he asked.

17“Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

18But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.

19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.

20These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”