The religious leaders were offended by what Jesus said.  He cut across their traditions, and reduced their system of 'rules for daily living' to rubble (Matthew 15:7-9).  Jesus was deliberately provocative; He publicly exposed their hypocritical hearts (Matthew 6:5).   Although they appeared to be holy, they were really self-seeking, greedy for attention and hungry for praise.  They were using their religion to glorify themselves, gain power over the people, and have a good lifestyle.
 
Jesus had challenged their petty rules about hand-washing, which were ceremonial rather than hygienic (Matthew 15:1-6).  Those activities had no spiritual meaning, they were just traditions.  They purported to show an inner holiness, but instead they were hypocritical.  Jesus said that the real problem was not the potential for contaminating the food which went into them, but that words from their hypocritical hearts would infect the people who listened to them.
 
The disciples were concerned that Jesus’ teaching might get them all into trouble.  The Pharisees, who were considered to be experts in truth, were angry that Jesus effectively called them false teachers.  He questioned their right to speak for God.  He undermined their social prestige, religious power and often lavish lifestyle.  The disciples were sensitive to the brewing conflict with the religious ruling classes, probably fearing that Jesus' popularity would fade ... and with it, their own importance too (Luke 9:46).  They were asking the Master not to be so direct; He should avoid criticising the traditional religious establishment.
 
That kind of fear is common today.  But when those representing the truth, deny the truth, we must be careful to obey God rather than human beings (Acts 4:18-20).  Of course it is dangerous to swim against the current of social or religious opinion.  Most of the apostles found that out in their own early and violent death.  But there is no eternal value in pretending that lies are truth – that is Satan’s deadly work (John 8:44).  When truth is lost in the worship-place, there is little hope of integrity in the workplace.  So be freshly vigilant to identify the ways in which compromise has become the route to self-preservation, and where error has infected the society around us because we have agreed to accept lies and keep the truth locked away.