Matthew 15:1-20 Study

Verses 1-9

1 Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem drew near to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why are Your disciples transgressing the tradition of the elders? For they are not washing their hands whenever they eat bread.” 3 But He answered and said to them, “And why do YOU transgress the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have received from me is a gift to God,” 6 need not honor his father. And so you disregard the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, 8 ’This people with their lips honors Me, but their heart is far away from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, and what they teach is the commands of men.’”[1]

[1] Isaiah 29:13; Literally here, teaching teachings – commands of men.

v. 3 - to transgress God’s law will lead away from success and prosperity (Nm 14:41; 2Ch 24:20)

v. 4 - 5th commandment from Exodus 20:12; Deut 5:16 (see also Eph 6:2); second quote from Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 15

Priests were required to wash their hands and feet prior to performing their duties. The Pharisees made this a matter of ceremonial purity and, in their desire to meticulously avoid any possibility of becoming unclean, applied it to all Israelites.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 15

The Pharisees are hypocrites for two reasons: (1) their actions are merely external and do not come from their hearts, and (2) their teachings are not from God but reflect human tradition (cf. vv. 2–3).

Matthew–Luke Comment

The scene has the texture of an inquiry. “Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem.” If

Matthew–Luke Comment

The point is this: the Pharisees think far too much of their teachings and not nearly enough of Jesus.

Verses 10-14

10 And He summoned the crowd to Himself and said to them, “Listen and understand:  11 it is not what enters the mouth that defiles the man, but what goes out of the mouth – this defiles the man.” 12 Then the disciples drew near and say to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees, when they heard this word, were offended?” 13 And He answered and said, “Every plant which was not planted by My heavenly Father will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind; and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

v. 13 - they are not oaks of righteousness planted by the LORD (Is 60:21; 61:3)

v. 14 - they are blind like the servant of the LORD (Israel) in Isaiah 42:19-20

Matthew–Luke Comment

15:10–11 Rules about ceremonial washing before eating seem like arcane, irrelevant matters for theologians. But Jesus, as Israel’s shepherd, knows the people need instruction on food, purity, and impurity, so he summons them to “hear and understand” (v. 10). The Pharisees multiply regulations about purity and impurity, and it is right to ignore them. Nonetheless, it is still possible to defile oneself. Jesus notes, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (v. 11).

Matthew–Luke Comment

The disciples, burdened with lingering respect for those they have considered holy teachers, inform Jesus, “The Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying” (v. 12). It is normally unwise to disrespect influential leaders, but Jesus judges it necessary. The disciples and the crowds must discern that these are unreliable teachers. Jesus compares them to bad plants and blind guides.

Matthew–Luke Comment

The planting metaphor can be used positively or negatively in Scripture (

Verses 15-20

15 And Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain to us this parable.” 16 And He said, “Are you[2] also still senseless? 17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth moves on into the belly and then is cast out into the latrine? 18 But the things that are coming out of the mouth are coming from the heart, and these defile the man. 19 For from the heart come out evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things that defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

[2] You is plural in Greek, referring to all the disciples, not just Peter.

Matthew–Luke Comment

Every sin in verse 19 is plural, which suggests that sin manifests itself in diverse ways.

Matthew–Luke Comment

Like many sin or vice lists of the NT, verse 19 approximates the second table of the law.

Matthew–Luke Section Overview

Jesus is more intent on instructing his followers than on silencing his antagonists. In doing so he makes two central assertions. First, he does violate religious traditions, but for good reason: they often annul God’s law. Second, he ignores laws of purification because what defiles a man is not what goes into him but what comes out of him.