15 3 The commandments and traditions of men. 12 Offences. 13 The plant which is rooted up. 14 Blind leading the blind. 18 The heart. 22 The woman of Canaan. 26 The children’s bread: whelps. 28 Faith. 32 4,000 men fed. 36 Thanksgiving.

Then [a]came to Jesus the Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

(A) Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders? for they [b]wash not their hands when they eat bread.

[c]But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

(B)For God hath commanded, saying, [d]Honor thy father and mother: (C)and he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

But ye say, [e]Whosoever shall say to father or mother, By the gift that is offered by me, thou mayest have profit,

Though he honor not his father, or his mother, shall be free: thus have ye made the commandment of God of no [f]authority by your tradition.

[g]O hypocrites, Isaiah prophesied well of you, saying,

(D)This people draweth near unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with the lips, but their heart is far off from me.

But in vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines, men’s precepts.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:1 None commonly are more bold contemners of God, than they whom God appointeth keepers of his law.
  2. Matthew 15:2 Which they received of their ancestors from hand to hand, or their elders allowed, which were the governors of the Church.
  3. Matthew 15:3 Their wicked boldness, in corrupting the commandments of God, and that upon the pretence of godliness, and usurping authority to make laws, is here reproved.
  4. Matthew 15:4 By honor is meant all kinds of duties which children owe to their parents.
  5. Matthew 15:5 The meaning is this: whatsoever I bestow upon the Temple, is to thy profit, for it is as good as if I gave it thee, for (as the Pharisees of our time say) it shall be meritorious for thee: for under this color of religion, they raked all to themselves, as though that he that had given anything to the Temple, had done the duty of a child.
  6. Matthew 15:6 You made it of no power and authority as much as lay in you: for otherwise the commandments of God stand fast in the Church of God, in despite of the world and Satan.
  7. Matthew 15:7 The same men are condemned for hypocrisy and superstition, because they made the kingdom of God to stand in outward things.

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