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MATTHEW 15:8 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 15:7Matt 15:9
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. The Isaiah 29:13 quotation applied to the Pharisees: the lip-service worship that the prophet identified in Israel's generations is the same worship the Pharisees offer. The tradition of handwashing that they enforce publicly while violating the Fifth Commandment through the corban practice is precisely the honoring-with-lips-while-the-heart-is-far pattern.

Church Fathers on Matthew 15:8

The Lord had shewn that the Pharisees were not worthy to accuse those who transgressed the commands of the elders, seeing they overthrew the law of God themselves; and He again proves this by the testimony of the Prophet; 'Hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far frost me.'

Chrysostom · 4th century

Hypocrite signifies dissembler, one who feigns one thing in his outward act, and bears another thing in his heart. These then are well called hypocrites because under cover of God’s honour they sought to heap up for themselves earthly gain.

Remigius · 9th century

Esaias saw before the hypocrisy of the Jews, that they would craftily oppose the Gospel, and therefore he said in the person of the Lord, 'This people honoureth me with their lips, &c.'

Rabanus Maurus · 9th century
Read all 12 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Matthew 15:8 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy