Matthew 15:3He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?
The setting
Galilee, ~30 AD. Jesus responds to their accusation with a counter-accusation, turning their legal challenge into an exposure of their own law-breaking through human traditions.
The emotion here: righteous anger with surgical precision
The original word
entole (ἐντολή) — commandment, specifically God's direct orders versus human additions
Why it matters
Pharisees had developed 613 commandments from Torah, plus thousands of sub-rules called 'fences around the law'
Read with care
What most readers miss in Matthew 15:3
Jesus uses their exact same word 'disobey' and throws it back at them — this is legal verbal combat
Common misconceptionPeople think Jesus was being harsh, but He was using precise rabbinical debate technique — answering a question with a more penetrating question.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Matthew 15:3
Bible Genome reading
Matthew 15:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Matthew 15:3 comes from the book of Matthew, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 15% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include tradition vs scripture, religious authority. Notable phrases: disobey the commandment of God; because of your tradition.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Matthew 15:3 mean to you, today?
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