NOTES for Mat 15:1-20
Human life is always connected, in one way or another, with “studying human teachings and commandments,” from traffic regulations to all kinds of “washing of hands” (each person can decide for themselves what this may mean). The conflict in this Gospel account evidently arises because human tradition has become detached from God’s commandment. Yet the degree of this detachment is not always easy to understand, for the Pharisees themselves derived the rules concerning washing from God’s law. In explaining this problem to His disciples, Christ moves the question out of the realm of casuistry and rules into that of ethics, or more precisely, love. In this light it becomes clear why the rule of dedicating one’s parents’ property to God contradicts God’s will. It is in relation to the fundamental commandments of love for God and for humanity that it becomes clear what defiles a person and what does not. We cannot escape human laws and rules... but their value, their conformity to Truth, is tested precisely by whether they lead to the realization of God’s principal gift, love, or lead away from it.