1. Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked,
2. "Why don't your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don't wash their hands before they eat!"
3. Jesus replied, "And why don't you obey God's command? You would rather follow your own teachings!
4. God said, 'Honor your father and mother.' (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, 'If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.' (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9)
5. But you allow people to say to their parents, 'Any help you might have received from us is a gift set apart for God.'
6. So they do not need to honor their parents with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings.
7. "You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said,
8. " 'These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me.
9. Their worship doesn't mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.' " (Isaiah 29:13)
10. Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, "Listen and understand.
11. What goes into your mouth does not make you 'unclean.' It's what comes out of your mouth that makes you 'unclean.' "