OET interlinear MAT 15:20

Section 15:1–20: The deeds that make someone unclean in God’s eyes

Over the years, Jewish religious leaders added many oral rules to God’s written laws. The Pharisees and teachers of the law considered these oral rules (also called traditions) to be as important as God’s written laws. One of their rules was that a person must wash his hands a certain way before he ate food. If a Jew did not follow this rule before he ate, they considered him ceremonially “unclean.” This meant that they did not allow him to worship God in public for a certain amount of time. Jesus made it clear that there was something far more important than how a person washed his hands. The important thing was the condition of his heart.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus Challenges the Pharisees’ Traditions (GW)

Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity/Cleanliness

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 7:1–23 and Luke 11:37–39.

These are what defile a man,

• It is those things/actions that make a person unclean.

• Those are the things/deeds that cause people to be unfit/unacceptable to God.

but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

• But eating without washing the hands according to tradition, this does not make him unclean.”

• If people eat without washing their hands in the proper/correct way, this does not make them unfit/unacceptable to God.”

General Comment on 15:17–20

In some languages, it will be more natural to use plural words like “people” or “men” rather than singular words like “person” or “man.” For example:

17 Do you not see that whatever food people eat goes into their stomachs and then into the sewer? 18 But the talk that comes out of peoples’ mouths comes from their hearts and defiles them. 19 Because out of peoples’ hearts come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, false witness, speaking evil things about people. 20 These are what defile people. But for people to eat with unwashed hands, this does not defile them.