Mark 7:1-13

The Things That Defile

7¹ The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. ² They noticed that some of his disciples weren't being careful with ritual washings before meals. ³ The Pharisees - Jews in general, in fact - would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, ⁴ with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they'd give jugs and pots and pans). ⁵ The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, "Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?" ⁶ Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it. ⁷ They act like they are worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, ⁸ Ditching God's command and taking up the latest fads." ⁹ He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! ¹⁰ Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' ¹¹ But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,' ¹² thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. ¹³ You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this."