Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 7:2

"and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands." — Mark 7:2 (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.