New Testament in a Year

15 Some Pharisees and other Jewish leaders now arrived from Jerusalem to interview Jesus.

² “Why do your disciples disobey the ancient Jewish traditions?” they demanded. “For they ignore our ritual of ceremonial handwashing before they eat.” ³ He replied, “And why do your traditions violate the direct commandments of God? ⁴ For instance, God’s law is ‘Honor your father and mother; anyone who reviles his parents must die.’ ^5-6 But you say, ‘Even if your parents are in need, you may give their support money to the church^[a] instead.’ And so, by your man-made rule, you nullify the direct command of God to honor and care for your parents. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, ⁸ ‘These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away. ⁹ Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.’^[b]”

¹⁰ Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, “Listen to what I say and try to understand: ¹¹ You aren’t made unholy by eating nonkosher food! It is what you say and think that makes you unclean.”^[c]

¹² Then the disciples came and told him, “You offended the Pharisees by that remark.”

^13-14 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my Father shall be rooted up, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and both will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Then Peter asked Jesus to explain what he meant when he said that people are not defiled by nonkosher food.

¹⁶ “Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that anything you eat passes through the digestive tract and out again? ¹⁸ But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the man who says them. ¹⁹ For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, lying, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile; but there is no spiritual defilement from eating without first going through the ritual of ceremonial handwashing!”