True Spirituality and Man-Made Traditions

When the Pharisees and the experts in the law criticize Jesus’ disciples for not ceremonially washing their hands before a meal, Jesus responds by accusing them of elevating their human traditions above God’s law and violating the higher principles that characterize the heart of God. It is not external things like food and drink that make a person “clean” or “unclean,” but thoughts and actions that come from an evil and hard heart.