“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.” —Matthew 15:2

“Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?” —Matthew 15:3

“These people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.” —Matthew 15:8-9

Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand: It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.” —Matthew 15:10-11

Defiled- to become dirty or polluted by sin

Our dirty hearts are the problem.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” —Jeremiah 17:9

“Do you still lack understanding?” he asked. “Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander. These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.” —Matthew 15:16-20

“Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7

Only Jesus can make our hearts clean.

“Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” —John 13

Are you clean Inside?

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.” —Romans 10:9-10

“For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want.” —Romans 18-19, 24-25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” —Psalms 139:24