Matthew 15:1 – 2

1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

The scribes were the members of the Jews who transcribed the scriptural texts, they were the most knowledgeable on the subject of the scriptures because of their work, they not only copied the works, but also were responsible for interpreting the difficult passages and helping to understand the law. Many scribes were members of the Sanhedrin council. The Pharisees were a leading sect of the Jews who made great pretensions of being righteous. The two were enemies of Jesus and frequently tried to get Him in trouble with the Sanhedrin or the Roman government.

The Pharisees and their allies placed great stress on traditions of the forefathers in the Law of the Mosaic system. In most cases they placed more importance on the traditions of their ancestors than on the written law of Moses.

One of these traditions had to do with the washing of the hands at specified times. It was not done as a necessary cleansing of the hands to prevent sickness but was a self imposed ritual of the elders of the Jewish nation.

The disciples of Jesus were busy with the important affairs of their work with Jesus and did not observe such ritual ceremonies.

The critics of Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees thought they had cause for accusation against the disciples and came to Jesus regarding their accusations.

This passage is long, so I will break it down into a few verses per day. Tomorrow's post will regard part of Jesus reply to them.