Matthew 15

Matthew 15:1-2

¹Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ²“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”

Jerusalem Pharisees criticize disciples for eating with unwashed hands.

Matthew 15:3-9

³He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” ⁶he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ⁸‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹And they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”

Jesus exposes Corban abuse that voids God’s command to honor parents; Isaiah names vain worship.

Matthew 15:10-11

¹⁰He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

What comes out of the mouth defiles, not what goes in.

Matthew 15:12

¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

Disciples report that the Pharisees took offense at the saying.

Matthew 15:13-14

¹³But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Unplanted plants will be uprooted; leave blind guides—both fall into a pit.

Matthew 15:15

¹⁵Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.”

Peter asks Jesus to explain the parable.

Matthew 15:16-20

¹⁶So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body? ¹⁸But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”

Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, and the like proceed from the heart and defile.

Matthew 15:21-22

²¹Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”

A Canaanite woman cries for mercy for her demonized daughter, calling Jesus Son of David.

Matthew 15:23

²³But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”

Jesus answers her not a word; disciples urge sending her away.

Matthew 15:24

²⁴But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Jesus says He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.

Matthew 15:25

²⁵But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

She kneels and simply prays, Lord, help me.

Matthew 15:26

²⁶But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Jesus says it is not right to take children’s bread and throw it to dogs.

Matthew 15:27

²⁷But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

She agrees yet claims even dogs eat crumbs from the master’s table.

Matthew 15:28

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Jesus praises her great faith and heals her daughter instantly.

Matthew 15:29-31

²⁹Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there. ³⁰Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, ³¹so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

Crowds bring the lame, blind, and mute; Jesus heals them and they glorify the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:32

³²Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.”

Jesus feels compassion for the crowd that has been with Him three days without food.

Matthew 15:33

³³The disciples said to him, “Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”

Disciples wonder where enough bread could come from in a desolate place.

Matthew 15:34

³⁴Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

Jesus asks how many loaves they have; they say seven, and a few fish.

Matthew 15:35-39

³⁵He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; ³⁶and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. ³⁷They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. ³⁹Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.

Jesus feeds four thousand men besides women and children; seven baskets remain; He sends them away and leaves.

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