Matthew 15:1
Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
Matthew 15:2
“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
Matthew 15:3
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15:4
For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
Matthew 15:5
But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
Matthew 15:6
he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Matthew 15:7
You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
Matthew 15:8
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
Matthew 15:10
Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
Matthew 15:12
Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
Matthew 15:13
But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Matthew 15:15
Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
Matthew 15:16
“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.
Matthew 15:17
“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?
Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
Matthew 15:20
These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
Matthew 15:21
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Matthew 15:22
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
Matthew 15:23
But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
Matthew 15:24
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 15:25
The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
Matthew 15:26
But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Matthew 15:27
“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Matthew 15:28
“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 15:29
Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.
Matthew 15:30
Large 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.
Matthew 15:31
The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:32
Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because 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 faint along the way.”
Matthew 15:33
The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”
Matthew 15:34
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
Matthew 15:35
And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Matthew 15:36
Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
Matthew 15:37
They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Matthew 15:38
A total of four thousand men were fed, besides women and children.
Matthew 15:39
After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.