1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (Mark 7:1-13 KJV)
Unwashed Hands, Traditions, and Commandments
One great purpose of Christ’s coming was to set aside the ceremonial law that God had made and to bring it to an end. To pave the way for this, He began with the ceremonial laws that men had added to God’s law and released His disciples from their obligation to follow them. He fully does this here, prompted by the Pharisees’ offense at the disciples for breaking those traditions. These Pharisees and scribes came down from Jerusalem to Galilee—eighty or a hundred miles—just to find fault with Jesus where they thought He had the most influence and popularity.
Had they traveled that far to learn from Him, their zeal would have been commendable. But to come so far only to oppose Him and hinder the spread of the gospel was deeply wicked. It seems the scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem claimed not just prominence over the local leaders but authority over them and would send out inspections, as they did when John the Baptist appeared (John 1:19).
What was the tradition of the elders? According to it, everyone was required to wash their hands before eating—a clean habit, harmless in itself. However, insisting on it so strictly revealed an excessive concern for the body. They considered it a religious act and wouldn’t allow it to remain optional. They enforced it under the threat of excommunication and upheld it as a tradition of the elders. The Papists also claim zeal for the church’s authority and tradition, citing councils and church fathers, but in truth, their real concern is their own wealth, power, and control—just like the Pharisees.
Mark 7:3-4 gives us insight into the Pharisees’ and the Jews’ practice:
- They washed their hands often—pugmē—a term some interpret as referring to the frequency of washing, others as to the effort involved. They washed thoroughly, possibly to the wrists or elbows, lifting their hands for the water to run down.
- They washed before meals, especially before eating bread, which was their rule: no one should eat bread, over which they recited the blessing, without washing both before and after.
- They were careful to wash after returning from the marketplace or any public place, assuming they might have encountered Gentiles or ceremonially unclean Jews and thus become defiled. They said, “Stand by yourself, don’t come near me, I’m holier than you” (Isaiah 65:5). The rabbis taught that a morning washing could suffice all day if one stayed alone; but upon returning from company, they couldn’t eat or pray without washing again. This practice gave the elders a reputation for holiness and maintained their control over people’s consciences.
- They extended this to washing cups, pots, bronze vessels, and even tables, suspecting they might have been used by unclean people. While Moses’ law included some ceremonial washings, the Pharisees added to these and enforced their additions as strictly as God’s own commands.
What did Christ’s disciples do? They knew both the law and common practice but didn’t feel bound by such traditions. They ate bread with “defiled,” that is, unwashed, hands (Mark 7:2). To eat with unwashed hands was, in the Pharisees’ terms, to eat with defiled hands. This shows how people uphold superstitions by giving negative labels to anything that challenges them. The disciples likely knew the Pharisees were watching, but they didn’t cater to them—they exercised their liberty and ate as usual. Their righteousness, though it may have appeared lacking, actually exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).
The Pharisees took offense at this. They found fault (Mark 7:2), labeling the disciples as profane or rebellious, refusing to submit to the church’s authority. They brought their complaint to Jesus, expecting Him to rebuke His disciples. Those who cling to their own traditions often expect Christ to support them and use His authority to enforce their manmade rules. Instead of asking, “Why don’t your disciples do as we do?” they said, “Why don’t they follow the tradition of the elders?” (Mark 7:5). But it could be easily answered: by embracing Christ’s teaching, they had more understanding than all their teachers—even more than the ancients (Psalm 119:99–100).
Christ defended His disciples: He confronted the Pharisees about the authority by which this ceremony was imposed. He didn’t speak publicly to the crowd about it (as we see in Mark 7:14), to avoid stirring up rebellion, but directed His reproof to those directly involved. In defending his disciples:
1. He condemned the Pharisees’ hypocrisy (Mark 7:6-7): “They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” They claimed their traditions glorified God and set them apart as a holy people, but their motives were ambition and greed. They relied on outward forms of religion while their hearts weren’t right with God. Such worship was worthless—neither pleasing to God nor beneficial to themselves.
2. He rebuked the Pharisees for substituting human traditions for true religion: they taught human rules as though they were divine doctrine. Instead of urging people to obey God’s commandments, they imposed church laws and judged others by conformity to these, rather than by obedience to God’s Word. Though Moses’ law included ceremonial washings (Hebrews 9:10) to symbolize inner purity, they expanded these rules and prioritized external cleanliness. Jesus added, “You do many other similar things” (Mark 7:8). Superstition is never-ending—accept one human invention, and many others will follow.
3. He accused the Pharisees of disregarding God’s commandments (Mark 7:8-9). They neglected, even nullified, God’s commands in favor of their traditions, treating His Word as if it were outdated and replaceable. Entrusted with upholding the law, they instead undermined it, corrupting the original meaning with their interpretations.
He gave a striking example: God commanded children to honor their parents, not just in the Mosaic law but also by natural law, and said anyone who cursed their parents should die (Mark 7:10). This implies that children must financially support poor parents. If cursing is worthy of death, how much more neglecting their needs? But the Pharisees allowed a loophole: if someone swore by “Corban” (i.e., a gift dedicated to God) that their parents wouldn’t benefit from their resources, they were considered released from their obligation (Mark 7:11). By such corrupt traditions, they taught people to break God’s law. The rabbis even had a rule that a vow must be honored, even if it broke a commandment.
This mirrors the Roman Catholic teaching that monastic vows nullify family obligations. Jesus concluded, “And you do many things like that” (Mark 7:13). When human traditions override God’s commands, they first minimize them, then cancel them altogether. Isaiah rightly prophesied about them (Mark 7:6). When we grieve over the sins of today, we shouldn’t think that past generations were innocent (Ecclesiastes 7:10). The worst hypocrites have always had predecessors.