In Matthew 15:1–20, as Jesus’ ministry continues, the criticisms of the Pharisees and scribes sharpen—but Jesus meets them head-on. Their complaint about the disciples transgressing the tradition of the elders gives Jesus the opportunity to reveal the way they circumvent God’s law and seek to replace it with human authority. His words give us occasion to reflect on our own tendency to substitute the demands of God’s law with a different set of rules we believe we can keep, instead of setting our hearts on Jesus’ fulfilling of the law in our place.
