Matthew 15:1-9 Meaning: When Traditions Undermine God's Word
1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
2“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’
5But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”
6he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.
7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9And they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
1Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
1Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying,
2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death.
5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God;
6he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition.
7Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.
9But in vain do they worship me, Teachingas theirdoctrines the precepts of men.
1Then come unto Jesus do they from Jerusalem--scribes and Pharisees--saying,
2`Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'
3And he answering said to them, `Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?
4for God did command, saying, Honour thy father and mother; and, He who is speaking evil of father or mother--let him die the death;
5but ye say, Whoever may say to father or mother, An offering is whatever thou mayest be profited by me; --
6and he may not honour his father or his mother, and ye did set aside the command of God because of your tradition.
7`Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8This people doth draw nigh to Me with their mouth, and with the lips it doth honour Me, but their heart is far off from Me;
9and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings--commands of men.'
1Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem come up to Jesus, saying,
2Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
3But he answering said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching?
4For God commanded saying, Honour father and mother; and, He that speaks ill of father or mother, let him die the death.
5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, whatsoever [it be] by which [received] from me thou wouldest be profited:
6and he shall in no wise honour his father or his mother; and ye have made void the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching.
7Hypocrites! well has Esaias prophesied about you, saying,
8This people honour me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me;
9but in vain do they worship me, teaching [as] teachings commandments of men.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus confronts the Pharisees about elevating human tradition above God's commands. Learn what this means for you today.
Context
Religious leaders from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish authority, came to confront Jesus. They had watched his disciples and noticed they did not perform the ceremonial hand-washing that generations of teachers had handed down. For the Pharisees, this tradition carried nearly the weight of Scripture itself. Jesus did not defend his disciples. Instead he turned the accusation back on the accusers. He named a specific example: the practice called Corban, where a person could dedicate money to God and then claim it could not be used to help their own parents. By their tradition, they had found a way to bypass the clear commandment of God to honor father and mother. Then Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah, saying that honoring God with lips while the heart stays far away is empty worship.
Key Words
The Greek word for transgress, used by both the Pharisees and Jesus, is parabainō. It means to step over a line, to cross a boundary. The Pharisees accused the disciples of stepping over their traditions. Jesus said the Pharisees themselves were stepping right over God's own commands. Both sides used the same word. But only one side was talking about rules made by people. Jesus used a second important word: akuroō, which means to nullify or to strip of authority. In verse 6 he said the Pharisees had taken the powerful word of God and made it powerless, all because of their tradition. That is a strong claim. He called them hupokritēs, a Greek word that originally meant an actor on a stage, someone playing a part. They looked devout on the outside, but their hearts were not in it. The words are plain, and they ask a question that has not lost its edge: have I ever used a good rule to avoid doing what God actually wants?
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage as a warning. Catholic teaching holds that authentic church tradition must never contradict Scripture, and that the Corban example shows how human customs can distort faith. Protestant Reformers and their heirs point to this text as a foundation for the principle that Scripture alone is the final authority in matters of faith. Orthodox Christians distinguish between sacred Tradition, which preserves apostolic teaching, and mere human customs that can become burdensome. While traditions differ on the role of church teaching, there is broad agreement that when any practice, no matter how old or respected, undermines God's clear commands to love, honor, and care for others, it must be set aside. The heart of worship cannot be replaced by a set of rules.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to conclude that Jesus condemned all tradition. In fact, Jesus himself observed many Jewish customs. What he opposed was tradition used as a loophole. The Pharisees had invented a religious excuse to avoid caring for parents. Jesus did not criticize the idea of giving gifts to God; he criticized using that gift as a reason to neglect clear moral duty. The problem was not tradition itself, but tradition that overrides God's commands.
Living This Out
This passage asks something uncomfortable. Think about the ways you may use religious activity to avoid God’s harder calls. You might say you are too busy with church work to help an aging relative. Or you might hold to a certain way of doing things and treat anyone who disagrees as unfaithful. Jesus invites you to check: are your practices pulling you toward God’s heart, or are they helping you keep a distance from it? This week, look for one area where a habit or rule has made it easy to skip what love requires. Then set the habit aside and do the harder thing.
Main takeaway: True worship comes from a heart near to God, not from lips that merely recite human rules.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some people were upset because Jesus' friends did not wash their hands the way the teachers said they should. Jesus said it is more important to obey God, like helping your mom and dad, than to follow every rule people make. God wants us to love Him with our whole heart.
For ages 9, 12
Some religious leaders made a rule called Corban. If someone said, “This money is a gift for God,” they could use that as a reason not to help their parents. Jesus saw that this rule let people disobey God while looking very religious. He warned against acting holy on the outside while ignoring what God really wants, like caring for family and loving others. Your heart matters more than your reputation.
Questions People Ask
What is the 'tradition of the elders' in Matthew 15?
It refers to unwritten teachings that Jewish scribes and Pharisees had passed down over many generations. They believed these oral traditions were given to Moses alongside the written Law. In this passage, the specific tradition was about washing hands before eating. The Pharisees treated these traditions as binding as Scripture itself.
What is the meaning of 'Corban' in this passage?
Corban is a Hebrew term meaning a gift or offering devoted to God. The practice allowed a person to declare that money or property was dedicated to the temple treasury. Once a person said 'Corban,' they claimed that resource could not be used to help their parents. Jesus condemned this because it let people avoid the clear command to honor father and mother.
Why does Jesus call the Pharisees hypocrites?
The Greek word hupokritēs originally meant a stage actor, someone playing a part. Jesus used it because the Pharisees appeared devout and zealous for God's rules, but their traditions actually undermined God's commands. Their outward show of piety hid a heart that was far from God.
Does Matthew 15:1-9 mean all traditions are bad?
No. Jesus was not against tradition itself. He kept Jewish customs and worshipped in synagogues. What he condemned was traditions used to evade or override clear commands of God. The problem was not the tradition but how it was used to justify disobedience, especially toward parents.
What does 'they worship me in vain' mean in verse 9?
Jesus quotes Isaiah to say that worship becomes empty and useless when people teach human rules as if they were divine doctrines. Even sincere efforts to honor God are wasted if the heart is not truly engaged and if those efforts contradict what God has actually commanded.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study