Matthew 15:3 - 6

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—

6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

The scribes and Pharisees had accused the disciples of ignoring the traditions of their Jewish ancestors. Jesus points out and accuses them of ignoring the law in order to fulfill the traditions. It is much worse to ignore the law than it is to ignore the traditions.

The Law of Moses plainly required a person to honor the parents (Exodus 20:12). The word “honor” means to give respect and honor to, but not only that but “to make wealthy.” So it means to financially support the parents when needed.

When a person's parents are in need of the necessary things of life and they look to their children for help, but the child puts off the parent because the child says the money they need is dedicated to God's treasury, is wrong. In this case it is not only wrong but hypocritical as well because they never carried out their claim of devoting the money to the work of the Lord. Besides this hypocritical action, the law never intended the money needed for supporting dependents was to be used for the work of the Lord.

The Pharisees taught if a man withheld his support of his parents on the pretense of giving it to the Lord then he would be exempt from the requirement of the commandment given in Exodus 20:12. This meant the Pharisees was holding their tradition to be of more importance than the commandment given in the law of Moses.