Matthew 15:10-11
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)
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Jesus doesn't just command attention; He calls the "multitude" specifically, implying He's turning away from the self-righteous Pharisees towards those who are more open, offering them a truth that the religious elite couldn't grasp. This isn't just about obeying rules, but about understanding the deeper source of what truly defiles us.
Fresh off confronting the Pharisees about their traditions, Jesus turns to the crowd gathered, calling them to listen closely. He's about to reveal a profound truth that will directly challenge the religious leaders' obsession with outward purity, emphasizing that true defilement comes from within. This is a critical moment where Jesus teaches the common people directly, setting the stage for his disciples to grapple with his deeper meaning.
Jesus doesn't just want us to hear His words; He wants us to truly grasp them. This isn't about casual listening but a deliberate pursuit of meaning.
When Jesus calls the multitude to "Hear and understand," He's issuing a profound invitation. This isn't a passive request but an active command that requires our full attention.
Beyond Just Hearing
Many people hear words every day, but true understanding goes deeper. Jesus is calling us to move past superficial listening and engage with His message on a level that transforms our thinking and our lives. It’s about internalizing what we hear so it shapes our perspective.
A Turning Point
This moment in Matthew marks a significant shift. Jesus has engaged with the religious elite and found them unwilling to truly understand. Now, He turns to the common people, believing they are more open to receiving His teaching. He calls them to listen with an open heart and a ready mind, setting the stage for a radical redefinition of purity.
The Pharisees were obsessed with external rituals, but Jesus redirects the focus to the source of our true defilement: our hearts.
Jesus uses this encounter to dismantle the superficial understanding of purity that had become dominant, especially among the Pharisees. Their emphasis was on outward actions – washing hands, following traditions – believing these made them clean.
The Pharisees' Error
Calvin and others point out that the Pharisees' focus on external traditions led to hypocrisy. They were concerned with ritual purity but often lacked inner righteousness. Jesus directly challenges this by stating that what goes into a man doesn't defile him, but what comes out does. This is a radical departure from their teaching.
The True Source of Defilement
Barnes and Benson highlight that Jesus identifies the as the true source of pollution. It’s not the food we eat or the rituals we perform, but the thoughts, intentions, and desires that originate from within us. These inner corruptions manifest in our words and actions, truly defiling us before God.
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 occurs within a heated debate with the Pharisees, highlighting the tension between outward religious observance and inward spiritual reality that defined Jesus' ministry in Judea.
Early 1st century AD
Pharisaic traditions gain prominence
The Pharisees and their oral traditions, emphasizing ritual purity and strict adherence to the Law, become highly influential among the Jewish people. These traditions often overshadowed the written Law itself.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus challenges ritualistic purity laws
Jesus and his disciples often disregard the Pharisees' stringent rules about hand-washing and food purity, leading to conflict and accusations of violating tradition.
Early 1st century AD
Pharisees question Jesus' disciples
Pharisees challenge Jesus' disciples for eating with 'unclean' (unwashed) hands, sparking the controversy that leads to Jesus' public teaching.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus addresses the crowds and disciples
Jesus calls the crowds to him, directly confronting the Pharisees' teachings and explaining that true defilement comes from within the heart, not from external ritual infractions.
This passage directly supports Jesus' point that the Kingdom of God is not about external matters like food, but about internal righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It echoes the idea that outward observances are secondary to inner spiritual reality.
1 Timothy 4:4-5This passage reinforces the idea that all of God's creation is good and can be sanctified, aligning with Jesus' teaching that impurity doesn't come from food itself but from within. It speaks to the purification that comes through God's Word and prayer.
Jeremiah 17:9This verse provides a powerful Old Testament parallel to Jesus' core message about the heart being the source of corruption. It states, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?' highlighting the internal origin of sin.
Mark 7:15This parallel passage in Mark's Gospel reiterates Jesus' exact words, 'There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.' It emphasizes the consistent teaching on this matter across the Gospels.
Proverbs 4:23This proverb directly supports Jesus' emphasis on the heart as the source of everything important, stating, 'Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.' It underscores the vital importance of guarding one's inner being, from which all actions and thoughts emerge.
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 attention; He calls the "multitude" specifically, implying He's turning away from the self-righteous Pharisees towards those who are more open, offering them a truth that the religious elite couldn't grasp. This isn't just about obeying rules, but about understanding the deeper source of what truly defiles us.
Fresh off confronting the Pharisees about their traditions, Jesus turns to the crowd gathered, calling them to listen closely. He's about to reveal a profound truth that will directly challenge the religious leaders' obsession with outward purity, emphasizing that true defilement comes from within. This is a critical moment where Jesus teaches the common people directly, setting the stage for his disciples to grapple with his deeper meaning.
Fresh off confronting the Pharisees about their traditions, Jesus turns to the crowd gathered, calling them to listen closely. He's about to reveal a profound truth that will directly challenge the religious leaders' obsession with outward purity, emphasizing that true defilement comes from within. This is a critical moment where Jesus teaches the common people directly, setting the stage for his disciples to grapple with his deeper meaning.
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Why did Jesus' clear teaching cause offense? Because some hearts were too hardened to receive it, leading others astray.
Jesus' teaching about the true source of defilement was not meant to be a minor correction; it was a profound challenge to the established religious order. The reaction from the Pharisees and their followers reveals a deeper spiritual issue.
The Offense of Truth
Calvin explains that the Pharisees were offended not because Jesus was unclear, but because His teaching exposed their hypocrisy and undermined their traditions. They were "blind leaders of the blind" (Matthew 15:14), unable to receive or impart true spiritual understanding. Their pride and stubbornness made them resistant to God's truth, even when spoken by the Son of God.
The Danger of Unwillingness
Bengel notes that not everyone was worthy of hearing this teaching, especially those like the Pharisees who were already resistant. Jesus turns to the multitude, but the core message remains: genuine faith requires more than outward observance; it demands a willingness to have one's heart examined and purified by God. Those who refuse this inner work often end up leading others away from truth.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus condemns hypocrisy and false leadership
Jesus denounces the Pharisees as 'blind leaders of the blind' and warns that their traditions, not founded by God, will be uprooted.
"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 attention; He calls the "multitude" specifically, implying He's turning away from the self-righteous Pharisees towards those who are more open, offering them a truth that t…
