Matthew 15:12
Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
The verse describes a confrontation with a deputation of Pharisees and certain scribes who had come down from Jerusalem. Jesus had stayed away from the Passover because a trap had been laid for Him there, so these opponents came to Him in Galilee instead. They had been sent as spies to watch His movements and to find some accusation against Him. Their jealousy had been stirred because the people of Galilee seemed ready to receive Jesus as the Messiah, which would break the power of the hierarchy there. Their jealousy had also been stirred because the mission of the twelve had extended Christ's work and brought the disciples into direct conflict with the rabbis. An earlier group of spies sent to Capernaum to fix a charge of Sabbath-breaking against Him had been put to confusion, but the leaders at Jerusalem were determined to carry out their purpose.
The immediate occasion was their challenge to Jesus over His disciples not following the elders' traditions about handwashing. Those human traditions were treated as more sacred than God's law, even when they conflicted with the commandments given at Sinai. After hearing His teaching in reply, the Pharisees were offended.
Their offended response revealed hearts unwilling to receive light, rejecting truth and cultivating a bitterness that could spread to others. Jesus knew their hearts and answered that every plant not planted by the heavenly Father would be rooted up. Their offense also exposed them as blind leaders whose followers would fall with them.