The account of the dialogue between Christ and the Pharisees regarding the traditions of the elders is recorded with precision by the Evangelists. Mark, who wrote his Gospel for a Roman audience unfamiliar with Jewish customs, provides some clarifications. He explains what it means to eat bread with unwashed hands and details the Pharisaical regulations surrounding purification (2-4). Matthew, prior to asking his disciples for an interpretation of the parable (Mk. 17ff.), includes a unique description of the Lord’s response to the news that the Pharisees were offended by His admonition concerning their traditions (12-14). Both this reply and the explanation of the parable, as noted in Mark (17), were given privately among the disciples. Other variances among the Evangelists pertain mainly to the arrangement of the statements within Christ's discourse to the Pharisees.
In response to the Pharisees' critique of Christ's disciples for not adhering to the traditions of the elders by failing to wash their hands before meals, Jesus argues that these traditions are often mere human constructs that conceal the neglect of God’s commandments. For instance, the law commands honoring one’s father and mother, with a penalty of death for those who disrespect their parents (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17). The Pharisees had stated that anyone who declares a gift to God (referred to as 'korban' in Aramaic) from what they would otherwise provide for their parents is exempt from their sacred duty to honor and assist them (Matt. 3-6). Furthermore, Jesus highlights the contrast between God’s commandments and human traditions, echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah regarding the people of His time (Isaiah 29:13 in the LXX; Mt. 7-8). In Mark’s account, these two ideas are presented in reverse order (9-13; 6-8).
THEOSIS