Matthew 15:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

NIV: These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.'

NASB: These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.'

CSB: These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

NLT: These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.'

KJV: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

NKJV: These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Does unknowingly eating a bit of something "unclean" cause an Israelite to be defiled? The Pharisees said it did, so they washed their hands in a ritual manner before every meal to avoid it. Jesus said it does not; in fact, Jesus said nothing that goes into a person through the mouth can cause that person to be defiled. It's the sin in the human heart, revealed by the words that come out of a person's mouth, that defile a person (Matthew 15:11, 17–19).

Jesus provided a sample list of defiling sins in the previous verse (Matthew 15:19), though there are many more. Every single human carries defiling sin in his or her heart (Romans 3:1–11). Nobody is clean. The point of the Law of Moses was not to keep the people permanently clean from some external source of sin; the Law did not have the power to do that. Sin is something on the inside which our words and actions reveal. Jesus had come to earth to make it possible for the sin in us to be forgiven by God once and for all.

Christ concludes this discussion of the Pharisees by telling His disciples that eating with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. That's why He does not require them to participate in the ritual washing before meals. No tiny speck on an unclean thing, unknowingly and accidentally eaten, can ever touch their souls, which are already defiled with sin.

It's important to understand that Jesus is not commanding anyone not to wash their hands before meals. His point is only about what handwashing does not accomplish, spiritually. We know that consuming germs or other contaminants does have the ability to make us physically sick. It's a good idea for our physical health to wash before eating. It just won't do anything to make us more or less sinful or "defiled."

Matthew 15:10–20 describes Jesus' expanded answer to a challenge from the Pharisees. Their concern is not about washing hands for health, but to follow religious rituals. He says these Pharisees will be uprooted and that they are blind guides. When asked, Jesus tells the disciples it's not what goes into a person's mouth that defiles him; it's the words that come out that reveal the sin in his heart. The defilement is already there, including all kinds of sin. He tells them flatly that eating with unwashed hands does not spiritually defile anyone.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.