Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 7:1

"And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem," — Mark 7:1 (ASV)

Another delegation of fact-finding theologians came down from Jerusalem (cf. 3:22) to investigate the Galilean activities of Jesus. They discovered that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before eating. Their question was one of ceremonial purity versus ceremonial defilement, an important topic to devout Jews.