King James Version

Matthew 15:13

"But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."

Passage study

What is the plant image doing in this conversation?

Original notes prepared with AI assistance · 2026-10-05 · Owner approved for publication

Begin with Matthew 15:1–20. The notes below distinguish observations in the passage from comparisons to test.

The scene begins with a complaint about the disciples not observing a handwashing tradition. Jesus answers with a question about tradition setting aside God’s command, then discusses honouring parents and the difference between outward words and the heart. The disciples report in verse 12 that the Pharisees were offended. The plant saying is Jesus’ reply to that report.

Verse 14 immediately describes blind leaders leading blind followers. The sequence points the reader toward a criticism of the leadership and teaching under discussion. It does not identify every plant in the image with a named modern person or institution. Verses 17–20 return to the question of defilement and locate evil actions in the heart. Read the image within that conversation before using it as a general verdict about another group.

Why compare these passages?

These two selections have an explained purpose. The imported links that follow have their own source ordering.

John 15:1–6
John also uses a plant image involving the Father, removal, and fruit. Reading the whole vine passage lets you compare how an image communicates dependence and judgment.
Keep the settings distinct: John explicitly names Jesus as the vine and speaks of branches abiding in him. Matthew’s plant saying answers a report about offended Pharisees. The shared imagery does not make every detail interchangeable.
Isaiah 60:19–22
Isaiah describes God’s people as the branch of his planting and the work of his hands. This provides a positive comparison for planting associated with God’s work.
Keep the settings distinct: Isaiah’s passage presents a promise about the people and their future; Matthew warns of uprooting. Note both the shared image and the opposite emphasis.

A reading to avoid

The image should not become a shortcut for declaring that God rejects anyone who disagrees with you. First identify the actual dispute and the commands Jesus says tradition has displaced.

Try the reading yourself

Why does Matthew place the plant saying between the report of offence and the warning about blind leaders?

Read Matthew 15:1–20 and give the discussion a title in your own words. List the contrast between tradition and command in verses 3–6, then explain how the plant image fits that contrast without adding a modern target.

Source: the linked KJV passages. These notes offer a reading, not a ruling on doctrine. How the notes are prepared · Suggest a correction

Study guide
Trace a Bible Theme Carefully
A method for comparing planting imagery while preserving each passage’s purpose.

Linked passages (8 shown)

Up to ten source links are retained per verse. Their order follows source votes, not a judgment about meaning. How the links were collected

John 15:2
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
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Isaiah 60:21
"Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified."
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John 15:6
"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
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Isaiah 61:3
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
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Psalms 92:13
"Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God."
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Matthew 13:40
"As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."
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1 Corinthians 3:12
"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;"
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1 Corinthians 3:9
"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."
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