Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 15:17-18

"Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man." — Matthew 15:17-18 (ASV)

Do you not yet understand, that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught – But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

It is not what we eat that defiles us. If it is such food as we ought to take, it builds up the body. If it is improper food, it may injure the body, yet it cannot in itself be regarded as sin. But a spiritual thing, – a thought, a desire, an imagination, – comes out of the heart, and if that is evil, it does defile the man.