But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”
English Standard Version (ESV)
What’s easy to miss here is the clever, yet cruel, loophole the religious leaders created. By declaring something "given to God" (corban), a son could be absolved from supporting his parents, even if he kept the money for himself, effectively using piety as an excuse for neglect.
But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is confronting the religious leaders about their hypocrisy, showing how their traditions lead them to disobey God's clear commands. They accuse his disciples of not following their rules about ritual handwashing, but Jesus turns the tables, arguing their traditions actually violate God's law, specifically the commandment to honor parents. This verse reveals a loophole they exploited, allowing people to vow their resources to God, thereby avoiding any obligation to support their needy parents.
Ever heard of a religious loophole? The Pharisees invented one that sounds pious but completely sidesteps a core commandment. Let's uncover it.
Jesus confronts the religious leaders about their tradition that contradicts God's clear command to honor parents. They taught that a person could declare their possessions 'Corban' (meaning 'a gift dedicated to God').
The Corban Twist
What does it mean to truly worship God? Jesus exposes a dangerous disconnect between outward actions and the heart's true devotion.
Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah to expose the heart of the matter: the Pharisees and scribes were hypocrites.
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The Heart of Worship
This teaching comes at a time when the Pharisees, deeply influential after the exile, had developed a complex system of oral laws and traditions. Their interpretations, while sometimes claiming to uphold God's law, often created loopholes that allowed people to bypass core commandments, particularly concerning family responsibilities.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar deports Jewish nobility and skilled workers, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile and a period of significant cultural and religious upheaval for the Jewish people.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple, and deport most of the remaining population, intensifying the exilic experience and the Jews' reliance on written law and oral tradition for identity.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, but the experience of exile and the subsequent rebuilding effort solidify the importance of both the Law and the oral traditions that interpreted it.
c. 450 BC - 400 BC
Development of Rabbinic Tradition
Following the return from exile, a period of intense focus on interpreting and applying the Law leads to the development of oral traditions and legal precedents by scribes and Pharisees, shaping Jewish practice.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus directly confronts the religious leaders of His day, challenging their interpretations of the Law and their traditions that, in practice, nullify God's commands.
c. AD 62
Destruction of Jerusalem Temple (Second Temple Period)
The destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans further shifts Jewish religious life towards rabbinic interpretation and synagogue-based worship, making the Pharisees' traditions even more influential in subsequent generations.
This passage establishes the principle that vows made to God should be fulfilled, which the Pharisees twisted to allow people to break their obligations to parents.
Proverbs 20:20This proverb directly addresses the consequence of disrespecting parents, highlighting the severe spiritual and practical repercussions, which contrasts sharply with the Pharisees' loophole.
Colossians 2:8Paul warns against philosophies and traditions that disregard Christ and basic principles, mirroring Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees' traditions that nullified God's commands.
1 Timothy 5:8This verse explicitly states that failing to provide for one's own family, especially parents, is a denial of faith, directly confronting the practice described in Matthew 15:5.
barnesMatthew 15:5: "But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;"
It is a gift - In Mark it is "corban." The word "corban" is a Hebrew word denoting a gift. Here it means a thing dedicated to the service of God, and therefore not to be appropriated to any other use. The Jews were in the habit of making such dedications. They devoted their property to God for sacred uses, as they pleased. In doing this they used the word קרב…
calvinMatthew 15:1-9: "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,"
- Then scribes and Pharisees, who had come from Jerusalem, approach to Jesus, saying, 2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3. But he answering said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God on account of [390] your tradition? 4. For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and, He that curseth fath…
What’s easy to miss here is the clever, yet cruel, loophole the religious leaders created. By declaring something "given to God" (corban), a son could be absolved from supporting his parents, even if he kept the money for himself, effectively using piety as an excuse for neglect.
Jesus is confronting the religious leaders about their hypocrisy, showing how their traditions lead them to disobey God's clear commands. They accuse his disciples of not following their rules about ritual handwashing, but Jesus turns the tables, arguing their traditions actually violate God's law, specifically the commandment to honor parents. This verse reveals a loophole they exploited, allowing people to vow their resources to God, thereby avoiding any obligation to support their needy parents.
Jesus is confronting the religious leaders about their hypocrisy, showing how their traditions lead them to disobey God's clear commands. They accuse his disciples of not following their rules about ritual handwashing, but Jesus turns the tables, arguing their traditions actually violate God's law, specifically the commandment to honor parents. This verse reveals a loophole they exploited, allowing people to vow their resources to God, thereby avoiding any obligation to support their needy parents.
"But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”" — What’s easy to miss here is the clever, yet cruel, loophole the religious leaders created. By declaring something "given to God" (corban), a son could be absolved from supporting his parents, even if…
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Last reviewed October 2026