Defilement Comes from Within^(A)

7 Then ^(B)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.

²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ^(A)“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ^(B)ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

^53 [a]And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him, ^[b]and ^(A)seeking to catch Him in something He might say, ^[c]that they might accuse Him.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(A)

¹⁷ Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present ^[a]to heal them.

Defilement Comes from Within^(A)

15 Then ^(B)the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ^2 (C)“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying, ^(D)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(E)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ^(F)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father ^[a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the ^[b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ^7 (G)Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

^10 (J)When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: ^11 (K)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

¹³ But He answered and said, ^(L)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone. ^(M)They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

^15 (N)Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

¹⁶ So Jesus said, ^(O)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that ^(P)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But ^(Q)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ^19 (R)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 unwashed hands does not defile a man.”