“What you would have gained from me is given to God”
Matthew 15:5–6
Legal referenceSettledJesus
But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, 'Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (Matthew 15:5–6 BSB)
* Corban (Mark 7:11): property vowed to the temple to dodge supporting one's parents.
What it sounds like today
An obscure hypothetical about donations.
The cultural key
This is the Corban vow (Mark names it): declaring assets 'dedicated to God,' a formula that made them legally unavailable to others while the vower could often go on enjoying them. A son could thus vow away exactly the resources his aging parents would have claimed, and teachers held the vow binding even against the command to honor father and mother. A pious-sounding legal instrument for disinheriting your parents.
Recovered meaning
Jesus' exhibit A of tradition strangling Torah: a loophole that weaponizes religious language to void one of the Ten Commandments. The fiercest words in the chapter, 'you have made void the word of God,' land on a technically legal act.
Parallels: Mark 7:9–13