For leaving the commandment of God, you keep the tradition of men, the washings of pitchers and cups, and you do many other things like these.”
Christ here reveals the tragic exchange that had taken place in their religious life. They were not merely keeping certain human traditions, but in the process they had “left” the commandments of God. That is, the problem was not only the additions, but the replacement. When secondary things become primary, in the end a person loses the very thing that was central. With great zeal they washed pitchers and cups, but they did not keep what concerned the truth of the heart, righteousness, and love. Outward meticulousness can very often become a cover for inward disobedience. This verse warns that if a person focuses only on ritual details, he may neglect the most important and holiest aspects of the will of God.