Mark 7:1-8

One day, the Pharisees and certain religious scholars came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus. They were shocked to find that some of Jesus’ disciples ate bread without first observing the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating their meal. (For the Pharisees, like all other Jews, will not eat without first performing a ritual of pouring water over their cupped hands to keep the tradition of the elders. Similarly, when returning from the marketplace, they ceremonially wash themselves before eating. They also observed many other traditions, such as ceremonially washing cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and religious scholars asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the age-old traditions passed down by our elders? They should first ceremonially wash their hands before eating.” Jesus replied, “You are hypocrites! How accurately did Isaiah prophesy about you phonies when he said: ‘These people honor me with their words while their hearts run far away from me! Their worship is nothing more than a charade! For they continue to insist that their man-made traditions are equal to the instructions of God.’ “You abandon God’s commandments just to keep men’s rituals, such as ceremonially washing utensils, cups, and other things.”