But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
But their worship is totally empty when they're teaching human rules like they're God's commands.
Following made-up religious rules instead of God's heart makes worship meaningless.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes had developed extensive oral traditions that they treated as equally authoritative as the Mosaic Law, often prioritizing these human additions over God's actual commands. Jesus was directly addressing this hypocrisy in Matthew 15, quoting from Isaiah to condemn their empty worship when they taught man-made rules as divine doctrine. This reflects the broader tension in first-century Jewish society between authentic obedience to Scripture and the rigid legalism that had infiltrated religious practice.
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