Matthew 15
15
The Tradition of the Elders
1Then#Mk 7:1–23 Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asked,#Mk 3:22; Jn 1:19 2“Why do your disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”#15:2 Lit eat bread = eat a meal#Lk 11:38; Gl 1:14; Col 2:8; Heb 11:2
3He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? 4For God said:#15:4 Other mss read commanded, saying Honor your father and your mother;#15:4 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16#Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16; Eph 6:2 and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.#15:4 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9#Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9 5But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,” 6he does not have to honor his father.’#15:6 Other mss read then he does not have to honor his father or mother In this way, you have nullified the word of God#15:6 Other mss read commandment because of your tradition. 7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:
8 This people # 15:8 Other mss add draw near to me with their mouths, and honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
9 They worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines human commands.” # 15:8–9 Is 29:13 LXX #
Is 29:13; Ezk 33:31; Col 2:22; Ti 1:14
Defilement Is from Within
10Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand: 11It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles#Mt 15:18; Mk 7:15; Ac 21:28; Heb 9:13 a person, but what comes out of the mouth — this defiles a person.”#Ac 10:14–15; 1Tm 4:3
12Then the disciples came up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?”
13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.#Is 60:21; 61:3; Jn 15:2; 1Co 3:9 14Leave them alone! They are blind guides.#15:14 Other mss add for the blind And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”#Mal 2:8; Mt 23:16,24; Lk 6:39
15Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.”#Mt 13:36; Mk 7:17
16 “Do you still lack understanding?” he#15:16 Other mss read Jesus asked. 17“Don’t you realize#15:17 Other mss add yet that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?#15:17 Lit and goes out into the toilet 18But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.#Mt 12:34; Jms 3:6 19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies,#Eph 4:31; Col 3:8; 1Tm 6:4 slander.#Ex 20:13–16; Gl 5:19–21; Jms 2:4 20These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”#Mt 11:18; Mk 7:2,5; 1Co 6:9–10
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
21When Jesus left there,#Mk 7:24–30 he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.#Mt 11:21; Mk 7:24 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out,#15:22 Other mss read and cried out to him “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”#Gn 10:15,19; Jdg 1:30–33; Mt 4:24; 9:27
23Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.”
24He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”#Mt 10:6,23; Jn 4:22; Rm 15:8
25But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!”
26He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”#Ex 22:31; 2Kg 9:10; Mt 8:2; Php 3:2
27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment#15:28 Lit hour her daughter was healed.#Mt 9:22; 17:18; Jn 4:52–53
Healing Many People
29Moving on from there,#Mk 7:31–37 Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee.#Mt 9:8; 18:8; Mk 9:43 He went up on a mountain and sat there, 30and large crowds came to him, including the lame, the blind, the crippled, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he healed them. 31So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing,#Is 29:23; Lk 1:68; Ac 13:17 and they gave glory to the God of Israel.
Feeding of the Four Thousand
32Jesus called his disciples and said,#Mt 14:14–21; Mk 8:1–10 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
33The disciples said to him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place#Mk 8:4; 2Co 11:26; Heb 11:38 to feed such a crowd?”
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them.
“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”
35After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.#Mt 26:27; Lk 22:17; Jn 6:11,23; Ac 27:35; Rm 14:6; 1Co 10:30 37They all ate and were satisfied. They collected the leftover pieces — seven large baskets full. 38Now there were four thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children. 39After dismissing the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.#15:39 Other mss read Magdala#Mk 3:9; 8:10
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 15
15
That Which Defiles
1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’#15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’#15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’ # 15:9
Isaiah 29:13
”
10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
12Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.#15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
33His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
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