Jesus exposed the evil in the Bible, but in Matthew 15 He describes what defines a person. He exposed the wickedness of the Pharisees when they used their own man-made traditions to give excuses for them to violate the clear commands of God.
When the Scribes and Pharisees came to Him and said,
“Why do Your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread” -Matthew 15:2
He answered them,
“Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? -Matthew 15:3
The Scribes and the Pharisees said the disciples were ceremonially unclean as a result.
Jesus exposed their hearts but He also gave the answer to us.
Jesus also said in Matthew 15:8-11
“These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.” He summoned the multitude. He summoned the multitude, and said to them, hear and understand.”
“That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man, but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defines the man.”
The disciples came to Jesus and said, the Scribes and Pharisees were offended when by You, they were upset at You for saying that this does not defile a man. Jesus said to them,
“Every plant which My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.
He is saying thst by this influence, these religious leaders, as not God’s people. The Pharisees that people had been listening to, we’re not from God, and one day God will uproot them, Jesus told them to,
“Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit” -Matthew 15:14
What goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled but what comes out of the mouth, proceeds from the heart.
Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.
While we should wash our hands before we eat, because we may get sick, we do not need to wash our hands to become ceremonially clean. It’s not our diet that makes us acceptable or unacceptable before God, but our deeds that defile us. It’s what’s in our hearts that makes us acceptable or unacceptable before God.
From Pity to Praise 