Christ and His disciples did not observe these ceremonial washings, and the spies made this neglect the ground of their accusation. They did not, however, make a direct attack on Christ, but came to Him with criticism of His disciples. In the presence of the multitude they said, "Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread."

Kristus og hans disciple overholdt ikke disse ceremonielle tvætninger, og spionerne gjorde denne undladelse til grundlaget for deres anklager. De fremkom imidlertid ikke med et direkte angreb på Kristus, men gik til ham med kritik af hans disciple. I folkeskarens påhør sagde de: "Hvorfor overtræder dine disciple de gamles overlevering? De vasker jo ikke deres hænder, når de skal holde måltid."