Matthew 15:1-9

Evangelical Heritage Version

Commandments and Traditions

15 Then the Pharisees and experts in the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For example, God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’^[a] and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of his father or mother should be put to death.’^{[b] 5} But you say that if someone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might have received from me has been dedicated as a gift to God,’^{[c] 6} that man does not need to honor his father or his mother.^[d] And so you set aside the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: