Clean and unclean

“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean'.” Matthew 15:18-20
We all know people who have a habit of saying one thing and doing another. We tend to hold them in low esteem, and rightly so. This can happen in two ways: they may say good things but fail to live it out in their lives; or they may go to church, give to charity and do other good things, but what comes out of their mouths makes you wonder whether they are really saved.
It is the latter case that is in view here. According to Jewish custom (not the law of God) there was a specific way of washing your hands so they would be ceremonially clean. The Pharisees were extremely diligent to wash their hands in this way, while at the same time they were the same ones who had the murderous intents in their hearts that eventually led to the trial and execution of Jesus Himself. They criticised the disciples for not following the ceremonial hand-washing protocol, while in actual fact they had bigger issues in their own lives that needed dealing with.
The Bible tells us that “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). We can know what is in someone’s heart by what they say. (Similarly, we know what is in God’s heart by reading His Word). Ultimately what this passage means to me, is that having the right character is much more important than keeping religious traditions and living up to other people’s religious expectations.