Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus as asked Him why His disciples break the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before they eat.
Jesus responds with a question of His own if why they break the command of God for the sake of tradition. The command is to honor your father and mother and anyone who curses them will be put to death. The Pharisees, however, say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their parents is devoted to God, they are to not honor their parents with it. Jesus then calls them hypocrites and quotes Isaiah to illustrate them:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”
Isaiah 29:13
Jesus said that what goes into the body does not defile them, rather, it’s what comes out of the mouth that does so.
His disciples told Him that He had offended the Pharisees (sounds like something that would be said today).
Jesus replies that every plant not planted by His Father has no roots. He said to leave them because if the blind lead the blind they both will fall into the pit.
Peter asked Jesus to explain the parable.
Jesus says that whatever enters the mouth goes into the body and then out. But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. Out of the heart come evil thoughts-murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a person, because eating with unwashed hands does not.
Tradition can really mess over someone’s relationship with God. Here we see the religious leaders more concerned about hand washing than they were the true evil desires of the people. Jesus says it’s what comes out of the mouth…and it comes from the heart. What is your heart saying today? Where does your heart lie today? Love God…love others. That should be the language of our hearts.
A Journey With Jesus 