17, 18. What was one reason why the counsel offered by the Pharisees was not helpful?

¹⁷ Turn now from Paul’s good example and consider a bad example​—that of the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They offered much counsel, but usually the nation did not benefit from it. Why?

¹⁸ There were many reasons. For one, consider the time when the Pharisees rebuked Jesus because his disciples did not wash their hands before a meal. Of course, most mothers counsel their children to wash their hands before a meal, and as a hygienic practice, there is much to recommend this. But the Pharisees were not primarily concerned with hygiene. For them, the washing of hands was a tradition, and they were upset that Jesus’ disciples were not following this tradition.

Matthew 15:1-11