Matthew 15
15
The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Mark 7.1-13)
1About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, 2“Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don't even wash their hands#15.2 wash their hands: The Jewish people had strict laws about washing their hands before eating, especially if they had been out in public. before they eat.”
3Jesus answered:
Why do you disobey God and follow your own teaching? 4#Ex 20.12; Dt 5.16; Ex 21.17; Lv 20.9. Didn't God command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? 5But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they have has been offered to God.#15.5 has been offered to God: According to Jewish custom, when people said something was offered to God, it belonged to him and could not be used for anyone else, not even for their own parents. 6Is this any way to show respect to your parents? You ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. 7And you are nothing but show-offs! Isaiah the prophet was right when he wrote that God had said,
8 # Is 29.13 (LXX). “All of you praise me
with your words,
but you never really
think about me.
9It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans.”
What Really Makes People Unclean
(Mark 7.14-23)
10Jesus called the crowd together and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 11The food you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”
12Then his disciples came over to him and asked, “Do you know you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?”
13Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. 14#Lk 6.39. Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch.”
15Peter replied, “What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?”
16Jesus then said:
Don't any of you know by now what I am talking about? 17Don't you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? 18#Mt 12.34. But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. 19Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. 20These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.
A Woman's Faith
(Mark 7.24-30)
21Jesus left and went to the territory near the towns of Tyre and Sidon. 22Suddenly a Canaanite woman#15.22 Canaanite woman: This woman was not Jewish. from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David,#15.22 Son of David: See the note at 9.27. have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” 23Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.
24Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”
25The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”
26Jesus replied, “It isn't right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”#15.26 feed it to dogs: Some Jewish people referred to Gentiles as dogs.
27“Lord, this is true,” the woman said, “but even puppies get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table.”
28Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.
Jesus Heals Many People
29From there, Jesus went along Lake Galilee. Then he climbed a hill and sat down. 30Large crowds came and brought many people who were paralyzed or blind or lame or unable to talk. They placed them, and many others, in front of Jesus, and he healed them all. 31Everyone was amazed at what they saw and heard. People who had never spoken could now speak. The lame were healed, the paralyzed could walk, and the blind were able to see. Everyone was praising the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
(Mark 8.1-10)
32Jesus called his disciples together and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home.”
33His disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?”
34Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread#15.34 small loaves of bread: See the note at 14.17. and a few little fish.”
35After Jesus had told the people to sit down, 36he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks. He then broke them and handed them to his disciples, who passed them around to the crowds.
37Everyone ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.
38There were 4,000 men who ate, not counting the women and children.
39After Jesus had sent the crowds away, he got into a boat and sailed across the lake. He came to shore near the town of Magadan.#15.39 Magadan: The location is unknown.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 15
15
1Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem come up to Jesus, saying, 2Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. 3But he answering said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching? 4For God commanded saying, Honour father and mother; and, He that speaks ill of father or mother, let him die the death. 5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, whatsoever it be by which received from me thou wouldest be profited: 6and he shall in no wise honour his father or his mother; and ye have made void the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching. 7Hypocrites! well has Esaias prophesied about you, saying, 8This people honour me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me; 9but in vain do they worship me, teaching as teachings commandments of men.
10And having called to him the crowd, he said to them, Hear and understand: 11Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man; but what goes forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man. 12Then his disciples, coming up, said to him, Dost thou know that the Pharisees, having heard this word, have been offended? 13But he answering said, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. 14Leave them alone; they are blind leaders of blind: but if blind lead blind, both will fall into a ditch. 15And Peter answering said to him, Expound to us this parable. 16But he said, Are ye also still without intelligence? 17Do ye not yet apprehend, that everything that enters into the mouth finds its way into the belly, and is cast forth into the draught? 18but the things which go forth out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile man. 19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies; 20these are the things which defile man; but the eating with unwashen hands does not defile man.
21And Jesus, going forth from thence, went away into the parts of Tyre and Sidon; 22and lo, a Canaanitish woman, coming out from those borders, cried to him saying, Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is miserably possessed by a demon. 23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came to him and asked him, saying, Dismiss her, for she cries after us. 24But he answering said, I have not been sent save to the lost sheep of Israel's house. 25But she came and did him homage, saying, Lord, help me. 26But he answering said, It is not well to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs. 27But she said, Yea, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters. 28Then Jesus answering said to her, O woman, thy faith is great. Be it to thee as thou desirest. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29And Jesus, going away from thence, came towards the sea of Galilee, and he went up into the mountain and sat down there; 30and great crowds came to him, having with them lame, blind, dumb, crippled, and many others, and they cast them at his feet, and he healed them: 31so that the crowds wondered, seeing dumb speaking, crippled sound, lame walking, and blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32But Jesus, having called his disciples to him, said, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have stayed with me already three days and they have not anything they can eat, and I would not send them away fasting lest they should faint on the way. 33And his disciples say to him, Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness as to satisfy so great a crowd? 34And Jesus says to them, How many loaves have ye? But they said, Seven, and a few small fishes. 35And he commanded the crowds to lie down on the ground; 36and having taken the seven loaves and the fishes, having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples to the crowd. 37And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was over and above of the fragments seven baskets full; 38but they that ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39And, having dismissed the crowds, he went on board ship and came to the borders of Magadan.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.