Matthew 15:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And there are many other things which they shall keep: immersions by the stklanitsa, and by the chwan, and by the cauldron, and by the bier." (Mark 7:3-4). The term for washing signifies cleansing up to the elbow. They believed that by washing bowls, cups, cauldrons, and pews, they could sanctify these objects. Engaging in additional novelties, they disregarded the law in favor of these absurd rituals. In contrast, the disciples chose not to adhere to these rules and often consumed food with unwashed hands. Why was this the case? Their focus was solely on righteousness, having never practiced such traditions, and they considered physical needs unimportant as these did not affect the soul in any negative way.

Although the Law of Moses mandated hand washing in certain circumstances, the scribes had so twisted this directive that they rendered it absurd. They claimed, for instance, that failing to wash one's hands before eating merited death, equating the act to engaging with a harlot; they asserted it better to journey a considerable distance for water than to eat with unclean hands, and they stated that not washing after a meal was akin to being a vile murderer. In preparation for meals, they would cleanse not only their hands but also the tables, benches, vessels, and pots, prompting mockery from their adversaries, the Sadducees, who joked that soon the Pharisees would seek to wash the very sun itself. They magnified these trivial regulations, which they termed the traditions of the elders, to the point of claiming they originated with God, said to have been communicated to Moses at Sinai. The scribes conveniently overlooked Moses’ commandment to neither add to nor subtract from the written Law. Noticing that the disciples of Jesus did not adhere to these traditions and were eating bread with unwashed hands, they eagerly confronted the Divine Teacher, saying:

In His exchange with the Pharisees regarding the traditions of the elders, the Evangelists preserve the account with great precision. Mark, writing for a Roman audience unfamiliar with Jewish practices, provides clarifications about what it means to eat bread with unclean hands and elaborates on the Pharisaic regulations regarding ritual washings. Similarly, Matthew presents a distinct account of the Lord's response to news of the Pharisees' indignation over His comments concerning the elders' betrayal before inviting His disciples to elucidate the parable. Both the response and the parable's explanation, as noted by Mark, took place privately among the disciples.

Variations among the Evangelists primarily involve the arrangement of particular statements in Christ's address to the Pharisees. When the Pharisees criticized Jesus's disciples for neglecting the tradition of washing their hands before meals, He responded by pointing out that the traditions of the elders are frequently human inventions designed to bypass the commandments of God. For instance, while the law instructs to honor one’s father and mother, promising severe consequences for disobedience (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17), the Pharisees permitted a person to declare their resources as a “korban” (a gift to God), thus excusing them from the obligation to support their parents (Matt. 3-6). Jesus highlighted that this elevation of human traditions over divine commandments and the meticulous adherence to bodily regulations fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah proclaimed about His contemporaries (Isaiah 29:13, LXX; Matt. 7-8). In Mark's account, these two elements are presented in the reverse sequence (9-13; 6-8).

However, perceiving the sinister intentions of these adversaries, Christ chose not to go to Jerusalem this time and instead observed Passover in Galilee, continuing His mission for humanity's salvation. After their scheme failed, the Jewish leaders returned to Galilee once more after the feast, intent on finding reasons to accuse the Savior of transgressing the law.

An opportunity soon arose for them, but it only served to reveal their own hypocrisy. The Jewish legalists did not merely adhere to the law of Moses; over time, they had added numerous arbitrary rules and interpretations, sometimes placing greater emphasis on these modifications than on God’s actual commandments. The scribes and Pharisees were particularly zealous in observing these additions, viewing them as a protective barrier around the law, even though they often contradicted the true law and concealed their own low hypocrisy. They took note when the disciples of Jesus did not wash their hands before meals, interpreting this as a serious infraction—a transgression considered as grave as consuming unclean meat according to rabbinic teachings. The stringent legalists asserted, "Whoever does not wash his hands when eating is to be cast out from society, for within the act of washing lies the significance of the Ten Commandments; he is deserving of death, akin to a murderer," as they strictly interpreted these customs.

Among the Jewish people, it was widely believed that in addition to the written Law, God had imparted an unwritten law to Moses that was handed down orally—first to Joshua, then to the judges and prophets. This oral tradition, distinct from the written Law, consisted of the teachings and interpretations provided by rabbis across generations. Regrettably, these man-made traditions gained the unshakeable respect of the populace, who, led by the scribes and Pharisees, prioritized the letter of the law over its true intent, often neglecting the divine truths encapsulated in the Torah of Moses. The intricate and at times trivial stipulations of this oral law became known as the “traditions of the elders,” which were meticulously followed, often with greater devotion than the moral imperatives of God’s Law as outlined in the Pentateuch.

The societal life of Judea became ensnared in the traditions of these misguided interpreters of Divine revelation, who imposed burdensome regulations on the people (Matt. 23:4). On this occasion, the Pharisees and scribes reprimanded the disciples of Jesus for failing to observe the ceremonial washings required by the Law of Moses (Lev., ch. 11), which detailed the division of clean and unclean animals and included regulations about becoming unclean from contact with such things. Therefore, items that were rendered unclean had to be purified in certain ways, including immersing them in water or destroying them if they were made of clay (vv. 24-25, 32, 33).

Through their rigorous interpretations, the Jewish legalists mandated that individuals wash their hands prior to meals to prevent any inadvertent transmission of uncleanness to the food, asserting that this precaution was necessary based on the "tradition of the elders" with its many intricate rules. This tradition, which later found its way into the Talmud, was evidently viewed as obligatory during Jesus’ time, as illustrated by the words of the evangelist Mark: “The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received in order to observe: the washing of cups, pitchers, and copper vessels” (7:3-4).

When the Pharisees and scribes observed some of Jesus’ disciples eating without washing their hands, they first confronted them, and then directed their inquiry to Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” The disciples' actions were not deliberate, as St. John Chrysostom notes, but stemmed from their disdain for what was excessive and their focus on fulfilling essential requirements.