¹ Matthew 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ Matthew 15:3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ Matthew 15:4 “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ ⁵ Matthew 15:5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” ⁶ Matthew 15:6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ Matthew 15:7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ⁸ Matthew 15:8 ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ⁹ Matthew 15:9 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’” ¹⁰ Matthew 15:10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. ¹¹ Matthew 15:11 “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” ¹² Matthew 15:12 Then the disciples *came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” ¹³ Matthew 15:13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. ¹⁴ Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ Matthew 15:15 Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ Matthew 15:16 Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? ¹⁷ Matthew 15:17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? ¹⁸ Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. ¹⁹ Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. ²⁰ Matthew 15:20 “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”