Matthew 15:4

The context

Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem have challenged Jesus over his disciples eating with unwashed hands. He answers by turning the charge back, citing Isaiah on teaching human commands as doctrine. This verse is the first move in his counter-argument, and the next verse names the practice he has in view.

What it establishes

Jesus upholds the commandment to honour parents and treats a religious device that lets people avoid the obligation as a nullification of God's word. The authority of the commandment is not in question in the exchange.

What it does not establish

It does not settle how the command applies in detail. What honouring entails, and what care is owed in particular circumstances, is not spelled out here, and the verse is not a complete ethic of family obligation.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• I guess I can’t be a Christian because I don’t hate my parents. Why does Jesus tell us we need to hate our parents in order to be his disciple (Luke 14:26)?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.