Matthew 15:2-20

2“Why do your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

3He answered them, “Why do you break the commandment of God because of your traditions?

4For example, God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.’

5But you say that whoever tells his father or mother, ‘I have given to God whatever support you might have received from me,’

6does not have to honor his father. Because of your traditions you have destroyed the authority of God’s word.

7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

9Their worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are rules made by humans.’ ”

10Then he called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand!

11What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean. It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”

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

13He answered, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.

14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”

15Peter said to him, “Explain this illustration to us.”

16Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet?

17Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet?

18But whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within, and that’s what makes a person unclean.

19Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, ⌞other⌟ sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing come from within.

20These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating without washing one’s hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”