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1 Then some scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They said to him, 2 “Why do your disciples ignore the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” 3 Jesus answered and said to them, “Why do you ignore the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, Honor you father and your mother, and, Whoever curses their father or mother will die, 5 but you say that whoever would say to their father or mother, “Whatever you would have received in support from me, I have donated to the Temple,” 6 this person is exempt from caring for their parents. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,

8 This people honors me with their lips,

       But their hearts are far away from me.

9 The worship me in vain,

    Teaching human doctrines as if they were commandments.

Comments

The Pharisees were guided not only by the Hebrew Scriptures, but also be a collection of oral interpretations of the Scriptures referred to as “the tradition of the elders.” They believed that all Jews should follow the purity rules in the Torah that were originally meant only for priests serving in the Temple. The idea that Jews should wash their hands before eating is based on the requirement that priests ritually wash themselves before worship (Ex 30.19, 40.12). Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for building up so many additional requirements for holiness that they neglect the basic spirit of the Law, and quotes Is 29.13 against them.

This exchange often feels ironic to modern readers, because today we of course know that washing hands before eating is an important practice for health, but Jesus and the Pharisees were talking about religious purity, not physical hygiene.

This passage, and its equivalent in Mk 7.1-15, is often cited to argue against the Catholic and Orthodox use of both Scripture and Tradition. However, Jesus’ criticism against the Pharisees excessive focus on the Tradition of the Elders must be balanced against Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians to hold fast to the traditions handed on to them (1 Cor 11.2). It also should be remembered that the Gospel first began as oral tradition, and that tradition is the only basis for the canon of the NT. Jesus’ words in this passage serve as a reminder, however, that any tradition that contradicts Scripture, especially the great overarching themes of Scripture, cannot be valid.