Matthew 15:10-11
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Jesus doesn't just command them to listen; he urges them to understand, a direct call for deeper comprehension beyond mere hearing. This emphasis highlights that truly grasping his message requires engaging their minds, especially as he's about to dismantle traditions they'd been taught.
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus had just publicly confronted the Pharisees about their traditions, exposing their hypocrisy and legalism. Now, turning from those who were stubbornly opposed, he calls the common people closer to explain a fundamental truth: true defilement comes not from external things, but from the heart and what proceeds from it. He emphasizes the need for them to truly listen and grasp this crucial distinction, which would overturn their deeply ingrained ideas about ritual purity.
Jesus often started His most profound teachings with a simple, yet urgent, command: 'Hear and understand.' This wasn't just about listening; it was about grasping a truth that would shift perspectives entirely.
The Call to Discernment
When Jesus calls the multitude in Matthew 15:10, He's not just gathering a crowd. He's deliberately turning away from the proud and obstinate Pharisees to address those who are potentially teachable. His command, "Hear and understand," is a powerful invitation to pay attention not just with their ears, but with their minds and hearts. He knew the Pharisees were so set in their traditions that they couldn't, or wouldn't, grasp His message. He's calling the everyday people, who might have been influenced by these traditions, to a deeper level of discernment.
This emphasis on understanding is critical. It highlights that true spiritual insight isn't passive; it requires active engagement. Jesus wants them to move beyond simply hearing words to truly grasping the implications of what He's about to reveal.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day were obsessed with ritual purity. But Jesus cut through the noise, pointing to a radical truth: true defilement doesn't come from what you eat, but from what you say.
The Heart of the Matter
The Pharisees had a complex system of rules about ceremonial washings and food laws, believing these external practices kept them pure before God. Jesus directly confronts this in Matthew 15:11, stating, "It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." He's not negating dietary laws entirely but dismantling the idea that outward rituals hold more spiritual weight than the condition of one's inner life.
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He explains that the source of true pollution isn't the food we eat but the words that come from our hearts. Our speech, our attitudes, our intentions – these are the true indicators of our spiritual state. The words spoken from an unsanctified heart reveal an inner corruption that external washings can never cleanse. This redirects the focus from outward performance to inward transformation.
Jesus points to a single, profound source for all moral and spiritual pollution: the human heart. This wasn't just about actions, but the very desires and thoughts that fuel them.
Unpacking the Heart's Deceit
Jesus doesn't stop at saying what defiles us isn't external; He pinpoints the origin of internal defilement: the heart. In verses like Matthew 15:18-19 (as expanded in parallel accounts like Mark 7), He lists the evils that proceed from within: wicked thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slander. These aren't accidental slips; they are outflows from a corrupted core.
The 'heart' in Scripture is often used to refer to the center of our being – our will, intellect, emotions, and deepest desires. When this inner core is estranged from God, it becomes a breeding ground for sin. The outward actions are merely the symptoms of a deeper malady. Jesus’ teaching here is a radical call to self-examination, urging us to look beyond surface behavior to the true condition of our hearts.
Understand the original words
koinoō · Greek Verb
To render ceremonially or morally unclean, making one unfit for holy things or fellowship with God. It often refers to a state of corruption or impurity that separates a person from a righteous standing.
This teaching by Jesus occurred during a period of intense friction between his ministry and the influential Pharisaic movement, which prioritized intricate purity laws. His words were a direct challenge to their traditions and a call for the common people to discern spiritual truth beyond outward observances.
c. 20 BC - 30 AD
Pharisaic Dominance and Tradition
The Pharisees gained significant influence, emphasizing strict adherence to both Mosaic Law and their own oral traditions regarding ritual purity. These traditions heavily impacted daily life, especially concerning food and cleanliness.
c. 28-30 AD
Jesus' Ministry and Conflict
Jesus actively taught and healed throughout Galilee and Judea, often challenging the established religious authorities, including the Pharisees, on their interpretations of the Law and their traditions.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Controversy over Ritual Purity
Jesus and his disciples are questioned by Pharisees for not following specific ritual washing traditions before eating. This leads to Jesus' teaching on the true source of defilement.
c. 30 AD
Rejection by Religious Leaders
Jesus directly confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes, likening them to blind guides and predicting their spiritual downfall. This further solidifies the opposition from these groups.
This passage echoes Jesus' core message here by stating that the Kingdom of God isn't about outward regulations like food, but about internal righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, aligning with Jesus' emphasis on the heart over external practices.
1 Timothy 4:4-5This passage directly supports Jesus' teaching by affirming that 'every creature of God is good' and 'sanctified by the word of God and prayer,' underscoring that outward things are not inherently defiling when approached with a right heart and understanding.
Jeremiah 17:9This verse reveals the deep, internal source of corruption that Jesus addresses, stating that the human heart is 'deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,' providing the backdrop for why Jesus emphasizes that what comes out of the heart is the true source of defilement.
Mark 7:15-16This parallel account in Mark highlights Jesus' repeated emphasis on internal defilement, even including the phrase 'If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear,' underscoring the critical importance of understanding this spiritual truth beyond mere ritual.
Luke 6:45This verse provides a direct parallel to Jesus' teaching in Matthew, stating, 'The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks,' directly linking outward words to the internal state of the heart.
calvinMatthew 15:10-20: "And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:"
- And having called the multitudes to him, he said to them, Hear and understand. 11. What entereth into the mouth polluteth not the man, but what goes out of the mouth polluteth the man. 12. Then his disciples approaching said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard that saying? 13. But he answering, said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be roote…
bensonMatthew 15:10: "And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:"
Matthew 15:10-11 . And he called the multitude — Having shown the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and condemned them for the unwarrantable stress which they laid on their vain and precarious traditions, he took this opportunity to undeceive the people, and let them see how insignificant that outward strictness was on which the Pharisees insisted. And said, Hear and understand — From these words, and those record…
Jesus doesn't just command them to listen; he urges them to understand, a direct call for deeper comprehension beyond mere hearing. This emphasis highlights that truly grasping his message requires engaging their minds, especially as he's about to dismantle traditions they'd been taught.
Jesus had just publicly confronted the Pharisees about their traditions, exposing their hypocrisy and legalism. Now, turning from those who were stubbornly opposed, he calls the common people closer to explain a fundamental truth: true defilement comes not from external things, but from the heart and what proceeds from it. He emphasizes the need for them to truly listen and grasp this crucial distinction, which would overturn their deeply ingrained ideas about ritual purity.
Jesus had just publicly confronted the Pharisees about their traditions, exposing their hypocrisy and legalism. Now, turning from those who were stubbornly opposed, he calls the common people closer to explain a fundamental truth: true defilement comes not from external things, but from the heart and what proceeds from it. He emphasizes the need for them to truly listen and grasp this crucial distinction, which would overturn their deeply ingrained ideas about ritual purity.
"And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”" — Jesus doesn't just command them to listen; he urges them to understand, a direct call for deeper comprehension beyond mere hearing. This emphasis highlights that truly grasping his message requires…
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Last reviewed October 2026
