Matthew 15:6 means that Jesus accused the religious leaders of using a man-made custom to excuse themselves from caring for their own parents, and in doing so, they had effectively cancelled God’s commandment to honor father and mother. The verse is the closing point of Jesus’ rebuke, spoken to the Pharisees and scribes who had traveled from Jerusalem to question him about hand-washing and tradition. He answers them directly, showing that their practice had quietly overturned something God had plainly asked.
He shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.
Matthew 15:6 (WEB)
What Matthew 15:6 Means
The verse begins with a sentence that is cut short by the quotation marks. The speaker is describing someone who declares that money or help that might have gone to a parent has instead been dedicated to God. Once that vow is made, the person is no longer free to give that support, and Jesus says plainly that such a person does not honor father or mother. The word “honor” in Scripture carries the sense of caring for, respecting, and providing for, not merely feeling warmly toward someone.
The final clause is the heart of the rebuke. Jesus says the leaders have “made the commandment of God void,” meaning they have rendered it ineffective in practice. The verse does not claim that dedicating gifts to God is always wrong. It shows that using a religious vow to escape a clear duty to parents turns worship into an excuse, and that is what Jesus condemns.
The Context of Matthew 15:6
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a largely Jewish audience and presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills and interprets the Law of Moses. Traditionally the book is attributed to Matthew, one of the twelve apostles, though scholars have debated its exact authorship and date. The scene in chapter 15 is set in a dispute over the “tradition of the elders,” the oral rules that had grown up around the written Law. Jesus repeatedly contrasts those human rules with the actual words of God.
Just before verse 6, Jesus cites the commandment to honor parents and the command that those who curse parents be put to death. Verses 7 to 9 then bring the rebuke to its close by quoting Isaiah about people who honor God with their lips while their hearts are far away. Read in that setting, verse 6 is the concrete example that proves the point: a religious system that loses sight of God’s heart will end up neglecting the very duties God requires.
Key Phrases in Matthew 15:6
Mark 7:13
Making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
(WEB)
Mark records the same episode and states the point even more directly, that the tradition hands down and nullifies the word of God. Reading it alongside Matthew 15:6 confirms that the issue was a human practice overriding divine instruction.
Ephesians 6:2
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise…
(WEB)
Paul restates the command to honor parents within the New Testament, presenting it as a foundational duty for believers. This shows that the principle Jesus defended was not an isolated Jewish concern but remains part of Christian life.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 15:6
Lord, you are not impressed by the words I use to sound devoted, but you look at what my hands and my heart actually do. Show me where I have hidden behind religious language to avoid the people you have placed in my care. Give me the courage to honor my parents and family in practical ways, and help my worship to be real rather than rehearsed. Keep my heart near to you and let my obedience be honest. Amen.
