Matthew 15
The Tradition of the Elders
1Then Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asked,23“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”45He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?67For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.89But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,”1011he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition.1213Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:14
15This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 16
17They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.”18
Defilement Is from Within
19Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand:2021It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth — this defiles a person.”2223Then the disciples came up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?”24
25He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.2627Leave them alone! They are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”28
29Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.”30
31“Do you still lack understanding?” he asked.3233“Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?3435But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.3637For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.3839These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”40
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
41When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.4243Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”4445Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.”46
47He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”48
49But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!”50
51He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”52
53“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”54
55Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed.56
Healing Many People
57Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there,5859and 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.6061So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they gave glory to the God of Israel.62Feeding of the Four Thousand
63Jesus called his disciples and said, “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.”6465The disciples said to him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to feed such a crowd?”66
67“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them. “Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”68
69After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,7071he 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.7273They all ate and were satisfied. They collected the leftover pieces — seven large baskets full.7475Now there were four thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children.7677After dismissing the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.78