Mark 7:1-12 Meaning: When Tradition Replaces God’s Command
1Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem.
2Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault.
3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4They don’t eat when they come from the marketplace unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.)
5The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”
6He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”
9He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’
11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban,”’” that is to say, given to God,
12“then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother,
1Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
1And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,
2and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.
3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;
4and when they come from the marketplace, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)
5And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?
6And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.
7But in vain do they worship me, Teachingas theirdoctrines the precepts of men.
8Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.
9And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.
10For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death:
11but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God;
12ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother;
1And gathered together unto him are the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem,
2and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands--that is, unwashed--eating bread, they found fault;
3for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders,
4and, coming from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches.
5Then question him do the Pharisees and the scribes, `Wherefore do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but with unwashed hands do eat the bread?'
6and he answering said to them--`Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honour Me, and their heart is far from Me;
7and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings, commands of men;
8for, having put away the command of God, ye hold the tradition of men, baptisms of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do.'
9And he said to them, `Well do ye put away the command of God that your tradition ye may keep;
10for Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He who is speaking evil of father or mother--let him die the death;
11and ye say, If a man may say to father or to mother, Korban (that is, a gift), is whatever thou mayest be profited out of mine,
12and no more do ye suffer him to do anything for his father or for his mother,
1And the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem, are gathered together to him,
2and seeing some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands,
3(for the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands diligently, do not eat, holding what has been delivered by the ancients;
4and [on coming] from the market-place, unless they are washed, they do not eat; and there are many other things which they have received to hold, the washing of cups and vessels, and brazen utensils, and couches),
5then the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why do thy disciples not walk according to what has been delivered by the ancients, but eat the bread with defiled hands?
6But he answering said to them, Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.
7But in vain do they worship me, teaching [as their] teachings commandments of men.
8[For], leaving the commandment of God, ye hold what is delivered by men [to keep] — washings of vessels and cups, and many other such like things ye do.
9And he said to them, Well do ye set aside the commandment of God, that ye may observe what is delivered by yourselves [to keep].
10For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, he who speaks ill of father or mother, let him surely die.
11But ye say, If a man say to his father or his mother, [It is] corban (that is, gift), whatsoever thou mightest have profit from me by...
12And ye no longer suffer him to do anything for his father or his mother;
Meaning in one sentence
The Pharisees from Jerusalem confront Jesus about handwashing.
Context
These verses sit in the middle of Mark’s Gospel, after Jesus has healed and taught across Galilee. The Pharisees and scribes arrive from Jerusalem, the center of religious authority. They have come to observe Jesus closely and find grounds to accuse him. What they spot is his disciples eating bread without first washing their hands in the customary way. That act violated the oral traditions passed down among the elders. Jesus answers not by defending the act but by turning the accusation back on them. He quotes Isaiah, calling them hypocrites who honor God only with their lips. Then he gives a stark example: the practice of Corban, by which someone could dedicate money to God and then refuse to help their parents. That tradition, he says, directly nullifies God’s command to honor father and mother.
Key Words
Three terms carry weight here. The word translated as ‘defiled’ in verse 2 is the Greek koinos, meaning common or ordinary. For the Pharisees, unwashed hands were not just dirty but ritually unholy. They were ‘common’ in a way that separated you from God’s people. Jesus will soon challenge that whole idea, showing that what truly defiles comes from within.
The phrase ‘tradition of the elders’ uses the Greek paradosis. It refers to teachings handed down through generations, not found in the written law of Moses. The Pharisees treated these traditions with near equal authority. But here Jesus draws a sharp line: human tradition must never override God’s own commands.
Finally, ‘Corban’ comes from a Hebrew word meaning a gift dedicated to God. By declaring property or money Corban, a person could avoid using it to support aging parents. It looked religious on the surface, but it gave people an excuse to neglect clear duties. Jesus names this hypocrisy directly.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have seen this passage as a warning against letting human rules eclipse God’s commands. Many Protestant readers emphasize the principle of sola Scriptura, that Scripture alone holds final authority. Catholic and Orthodox Christians value church tradition, yet they agree that no tradition can contradict the clear teaching of Scripture. Some have pointed out that not all tradition is bad; the problem arises when traditions are treated as equal to God’s law or used to evade obedience. The Corban example stands as a timeless caution: piety can be twisted to avoid love. All traditions agree that Jesus calls for a heart fully devoted to God, not simply outward observance.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that the Corban practice was a genuine biblical vow. In fact, Corban was a human tradition from the elders, not commanded in the Law of Moses. It allowed people to escape the clear obligation to care for their parents by declaring their resources dedicated to God. Jesus exposes this as a way of making God’s command void. The passage does not condemn all vows or offerings but warns against using religious language to justify neglect of love.
Living This Out
This week, pay attention to the gap between your outward religious habits and the state of your heart. It is easy to keep up regular church attendance, give, and say the right words while ignoring a phone call from a parent who needs you. Jesus points to the fifth commandment as a test case. Are there places where you have used spiritual language to avoid a hard but loving task? Let the Corban example prompt an honest look. What tradition or routine might you be using to set aside something God actually asks of you? The call is not to abandon structure but to make sure your heart is truly in your worship.
Main takeaway: Honoring God requires more than careful rituals; it requires a heart that keeps His commands, especially in how we treat our parents.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The Pharisees told people they had to wash their hands in a special way before eating. But Jesus said what matters is what is in your heart. God wants us to obey Him and love our family, not just follow rules on the outside.
For ages 9, 12
The Pharisees had many extra rules that they treated as equal to God’s Word. One rule, called Corban, let people say “I have dedicated this money to God” so they didn’t have to help their parents. Jesus said that was wrong. He wants us to follow God’s commands and take care of our family, even when it is hard. Our worship is real only when our heart matches our words.
Questions People Ask
Why did the Pharisees come from Jerusalem to confront Jesus?
The Pharisees and scribes traveled from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish religious authority, specifically to observe Jesus and find grounds to accuse him. Their journey shows this was not a casual encounter but a deliberate investigation, likely because Jesus’ growing popularity and teachings threatened their authority.
What does the word 'Corban' mean in this passage?
Corban is an Aramaic term meaning a gift or offering dedicated to God. In the Pharisees’ tradition, if someone declared their money or property as Corban, it was considered reserved for God and could not be used for other purposes, even to help parents in need. Jesus condemns this practice because it directly undermines the commandment to honor father and mother.
Is Jesus against all religious traditions?
No. Jesus distinguishes between traditions that help people obey God and those that replace or nullify God’s commands. The issue here is that human traditions were being taught as if they were divine doctrines, and used to avoid clear biblical obligations. Many Christians value church traditions, but this passage warns against elevating them above Scripture.
What does 'honor with their lips, but their heart is far from me' mean?
Jesus quotes Isaiah to describe people who speak reverently about God but whose inner affections and actions do not match their words. It is a warning against outward religiosity that lacks genuine love and obedience. True worship involves both the mouth and the heart, shown through faithful actions, especially toward family.
For pastors & researchers
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