Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G075 The Lord Jesus Teaches the Pharisees (2)
Tradition and the Commandments
The Defilement of a Person
Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 15:1-20

1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of *God by your tradition?

4 For *God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of *God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.

9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10 And He called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12 Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

15 Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable.

16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Mark 7:1-23

1 Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of *God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of *God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

14 And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

15There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

17 And when He was entered into the house from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

18 And He saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

20 And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

In this lesson, we will study together the words the Lord Jesus spoke to the Pharisees for the second time, when they found fault with His disciples for not washing their hands before eating. The first time He taught them was when they questioned Him about not washing His hands before eating. This event was recorded by Luke in Luke 11:37-54, which we studied in lesson 64.

Matthew 15:1-2

1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

Mark 7:1-5

1 Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

According to John 6:59, the Lord Jesus taught the people about how He is the bread of life and the living bread in the synagogue of Capernaum. It is likely that after the Lord had finished teaching, His disciples sat down together to eat, but they did not wash their hands before eating, according to the customs of the Israelites.

In fact, nowhere in the Old Testament does it mention a law requiring the Israelites to wash their hands before eating. This law was not given by God through Moses in the Old Testament. Washing hands before eating was a tradition of the Pharisees, most of whom were elders and scribes. This tradition developed during the period when *God was silent toward the Israelites, roughly 400 years between the Old and New Testaments.

This tradition stems from the cleanliness laws in the Old Testament, as seen in the book of Leviticus. However, nowhere in Scripture is there a specific commandment to wash hands before eating. The practice of washing hands before meals became a strict rule among the Pharisees to ensure ritual cleanliness.

In addition to washing hands before eating, the Pharisees also established laws concerning the washing of cups, clay pots, copper vessels, and dining couches. They were very strict about these laws. Those who violated them were severely criticized and could be excommunicated from the Israelite community.

Of course, washing hands and utensils before eating is a good practice for maintaining hygiene, protecting health, and preventing the spread of disease. However, turning it into a law imposes a burden on others, especially since there are times when it is not convenient to wash hands before eating. Furthermore, adding human-made rules to the law of *God is not right. Today, many religious organizations that bear the name of the Lord also add countless man-made rules to *God’s law.

The Pharisees and some scribes from Jerusalem likely came to Capernaum to hear the Lord Jesus teach and to witness the miracles He performed. By that time, news about Him had spread throughout Canaan and the surrounding regions. When they saw that the Lord’s disciples did not wash their hands before eating, they approached the Lord and criticized His disciples.

They affirmed that washing hands before eating was a tradition handed down by the elders. The term “the elders” used by them referred to the elders of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. The elders of the Sanhedrin were responsible for preserving the law of *God along with all the regulations established by the Pharisees. The words and decisions of the Sanhedrin held authority over the lives of the people of Israel.

Matthew 15:3-6

3 But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of *God by your tradition?

4 For *God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of *God of none effect by your tradition.

Mark 7:9-13

9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of *God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

The Lord Jesus directly called the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites because they appeared strict in observing the laws, yet they created regulations that nullified *God’s law to serve their own desires. He sarcastically told them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of *God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

The “full well” lay in using *God’s name to disguise their violation of His commandments. *God’s commandment requires children to honor their parents, and those who curse their parents must be put to death. Honoring parents includes providing for them. However, the Pharisees created a law stating that if the money intended for supporting parents was declared “Corban,” then they were no longer obligated to use it for that purpose. “Corban” means a gift offered to *God.

If they truly used that money as an offering to *God and did not support their parents, it would be an evil act. By doing so, they would cause their parents to lack necessities and possibly stumble if their parents blamed *God. *God never commanded anyone to take the money meant for supporting their parents and offer it to Him. He commanded children to honor their parents, which includes supporting them.

If they did not actually offer that money to *God but only declared it as an offering to avoid supporting their parents, it would be a great evil. In doing so, they would be robbing both their parents and *God while also lying in His name.

Not only in this matter, but the Pharisees also created thousands of other laws, adding to *God’s law and placing many useless burdens on the Israelites that they themselves did not follow. This is something we will study in Matthew 23:3-4.

Matthew 15:7-9

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.

9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Mark 7:6-8

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of *God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

We see that both Matthew and Mark did not quote Isaiah 29:13 verbatim. However, it’s possible that Matthew recorded the Lord Jesus’ exact words, while Mark recorded according to the storyteller’s memory. In the time of the Lord Jesus, most Israelites were familiar with the Scriptures translated from Hebrew into Greek. This was the Septuagint, translated by 72 Israelite scholars living in Alexandria, Egypt. They were selected from the 12 tribes of Israel, six men from each tribe. The first five books of the Old Testament were translated around the mid-third century B.C., and the remaining books were completed by the mid-second century B.C. Initially, the Septuagint was used by Israelites living in Egypt who read and spoke Greek but could not read or speak Hebrew. By the time of the Lord Jesus, the Septuagint was widely used in synagogues throughout the Roman Empire. The Lord Jesus Himself often quoted the Old Testament from the Septuagint. After the Church was established, the Septuagint was used in the Church.

Many times, the New Testament quotes the meaning of Old Testament verses rather than quoting them verbatim. This helps us understand that quoting the correct meaning of Scripture is equivalent to quoting God’s Word. Such quotations hold the same value and authority as the Scriptures.

Since the law of *God consists of only 613 commandments while the laws of the Pharisees number in the thousands, it is natural that the scribes taught more about human laws than about *God’s laws. Many of their laws were completely contrary to or rendered *God’s laws ineffective, such as the law regarding “Corban,” which means a gift offered to *God.

Sadly, the Israelites, due to Jewish teaching, placed more importance on practices such as washing hands before eating, washing utensils used in eating, and many other human-made laws than on the commandments of *God.

Matthew 15:10-14

10 And He called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12 Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Mark 7:14-16

14 And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

15There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

We think that Matthew recorded the exact words of the Lord in Matthew 14:11, while Mark recorded the storyteller’s paraphrase of the Lord’s words in Mark 7:15.

It is certain that the criticism of the Lord’s disciples by the Pharisees and scribes and the Lord’s response were heard by many people in the crowd following the Lord Jesus. Therefore, the Lord Jesus called the crowd to Himself to explain that not washing hands before eating does not make a person unclean; rather, it is the uncleanness in a person’s heart that makes them unclean. Indeed, what good is it to strictly adhere to human laws, such as hand-washing laws, while violating *God’s commandments in one’s heart?

Through the teachings of the Lord Jesus, we clearly see that sin begins in a person’s intention before being manifested through words and actions. Thinking about sin is already committing it, leading to sinful words, attitudes, gestures, and actions. While physical impurities make a person’s body unclean, their soul and spirit remain clean if they fear the Lord and obey His commandments. For nearly two thousand years, countless of *God’s people have suffered persecution for their faith. They have been beaten, insulted, starved, denied the ability to bathe, and left to wallow in excrement and urine, yet they remain pure before *God. All these sufferings will become their glorious reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew also adds details about the Lord’s disciples asking Him about the offense caused by the Pharisees concerning His teaching. The Lord’s response helps us understand that those who do not accept *God’s salvation will not have a share in His kingdom.

The statement “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” implies that anyone not regenerated by *God will be destroyed by Him. Physical destruction refers to the body decomposing into the atoms that compose it. Spiritual destruction means that both the soul and the resurrected body will suffer eternal torment in hell. Revelation 20:10-15 describes the eternal suffering in hell and the final judgment for those who do not belong to *God.

Revelation 3:5 states:

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before his angels.”

Revelation 20:15 states:

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

These verses lead us to understand that it was possible that before the foundation of the world, *God may have had all human names recorded in the Book of Life. He predestined how many people would be born from Adam and Eve. He foresaw those who would be faithful in their reverence and obedience to Him, and He kept their names in the Book of Life. He also knew those who would accept His salvation but later turn away from their faith and those who would never believe in Him. He removes the names of those who turn away from the faith and those who do not believe in Him. However, this does not mean erasing without a trace but rather crossing out their names. On the final judgment day, each person being judged will see that their name was once recorded in the Book of Life but has been crossed out due to their free choice to live according to their own will. Therefore, they cannot blame *God for not loving them. At that time, they will deeply feel the truth of the verses in John 3:16 and 1 Timothy 2:4.

The Lord’s command to “Let them alone” helps us understand that for those who stubbornly oppose the truth, He wants us not to waste any more time on them. Particularly with those who preach or follow false doctrine, we should admonish them twice and then avoid them, as the Holy Spirit instructed through the Apostle Paul:

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;” (Titus 3:10)

The phrase “they be blind leaders of the blind” refers to those who do not understand the truth teaching those who also do not understand the truth. The blindness referred to here is spiritual blindness, an inability to see the truth of God’s Word. In today’s world, there are many people in religious organizations bearing the title “Doctor of Theology,” yet they do not understand the truth of God’s Word. Some even offer sophistries to reject *God’s commandments and laws. One commandment they vehemently reject is the fourth commandment in the Ten Commandments of *God.

“If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” describes a reality both physical and spiritual. The spiritual ditch is eternal damnation in the lake of fire.

Mark chose to record an additional statement by the Lord Jesus: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew did not include this detail.

“Have ears to hear” means having the ability to think and consider what is heard.

“Let him hear” means let him listen and reflect on what he has heard.

In reality, many people hear without thinking or considering what they have heard. Therefore, their hearing is in vain, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. The Lord Jesus calls only those who are willing to listen and reflect to pay attention to His words.

Matthew 15:15-18

15 Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable.

16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Mark 7:17-20

17 And when He was entered into the house from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

18 And He saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

20 And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

Through Mark 7:17, we understand that what Matthew records in 15:12-20 likely took place in the Lord’s lodging, which we think was Peter’s house. That is, after Jesus had finished teaching the crowd, He returned to the lodging, and the disciples came close to Him to ask questions with Peter on behalf of them. In fact, even in the Lord Jesus’ previous statement, His meaning was very clear: “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus still further explained it to the disciples. Everything a person eats or drinks is absorbed into the blood, while what cannot be absorbed is excreted from the body in a hidden place, meaning the restroom. *God created all food for humankind. Therefore, anything that is food is clean. Humanity only needs to give thanks to *God and eat.

The Holy Spirit, through Paul, affirmed:

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:” (1 Timothy 4:4)

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

In reality, when feces and urine are still inside a person, they do not defile that person. It is only after they are expelled that contact with them can make a person physically unclean. However, physical uncleanness does not make a person spiritually unclean.

What Jesus wanted everyone to understand is the spiritual uncleanness that exists within each person. No one can make themselves spiritually clean on their own. Only faith in the saving blood of Christ can cleanse a person from spiritual uncleanness.

Matthew 15:19-20

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Mark 7:21-23

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

In this section, it is likely that both Matthew and Mark chose to record only some of the sins that the Lord Jesus mentioned. Combining their accounts, we have the following list of sins:

“Evil thoughts” are thoughts that are unloving, impure, and unjust, ideas that are contrary to God’s commandments.

“Murders” refer to the desire to take another person’s life, including hatred towards others (1 John 3:15), but do not include thoughts about the execution of capital punishment according to God’s laws.

“Adulteries” involve sexual relations of a married person with someone other than their spouse or sexual relations of a single person with someone else’s spouse.

“Fornications” refer to sexual relations outside of marriage. Marriage is the union between one man and one woman.

“Thefts” refer to the illegal appropriation of anything that does not belong to oneself.

“Covetousness” refers to unjust desires: wanting more than one’s needs, desiring things that do not belong to oneself.

“Wickedness” involves intentionally causing suffering, injustice to others, or lacking compassion and mercy.

“Deceit” means being untruthful or attempting to deceive others.

“Lasciviousness” is a lack of self-control, indulging in fleshly pleasures.

“Evil eye” reflects a lack of love, purity, and righteousness through one’s gaze. It could be a contemptuous look towards others, a look intending harm, or a look filled with lustful thoughts towards others.

“False witness” refers to intentionally speaking falsehoods to conceal the truth.

“Blasphemy” refers to words that offend God and the authorities established by God.

“Pride” is the belief that one is superior, more competent, and deserving of admiration from others.

“Foolishness” is a lack of reflection to discern right from wrong and truth from falsehood.

All these are evil and do not align with the standards of love, purity, and righteousness set by God. They are what make a person spiritually unclean.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
08/10/2024

Note:

About Using “*God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible uses a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.