Matthew 15

Traditions and Inner Purity

1 “Some Pharisees and teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to question Jesus.”

2 “They asked, ‘Listen, why do Your disciples ignore the traditions of our elders, They do not even wash their hands before they eat!’”

3 “Jesus said, ‘Why do you all ignore God’s commands for the sake of your traditions,’”

4 “‘God said, “Honor your father and mother,” and, “Anyone who curses their parents must be put to death.”’”

5 “‘But you all say that if someone declares their help for their parents as a gift to God, they do not have to honor their parents.’”

6 “‘By doing this, you cancel God’s word for your traditions.’”

7 “‘You all are hypocrites! Isaiah was talking about you when he said,’”

8 “‘“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”’”

9 “‘“They worship Me in vain, teaching human rules as doctrine.”’”

What Defiles a Person

10 “Jesus called the crowd and said, ‘Listen up and understand this.’”

11 “‘It is not what goes into your mouth that defiles you, but what comes out of it.’”

12 “The disciples said, ‘Listen, the Pharisees got offended when You said that.’”

13 “Jesus said, ‘Every plant My Father did not plant is going to be uprooted.’”

14 “‘Let them be. They are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, they are both is going to fall in a ditch.’”

15 “Peter said, ‘Explain this parable to us.’”

16 “Jesus said, ‘You all still do not get it,’”

17 “‘Whatever goes in your mouth goes to your stomach and then out your body.’”

18 “‘But what comes out of your mouth comes from your heart, that is what defiles you.’”

19 “‘From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lies, and slander.’”

20 “‘That is what defiles a person. Eating with unwashed hands does not make you unclean.’”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 “Jesus left there and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.”

22 “A Canaanite woman from that area came to Him, shouting, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering.’”

23 “Jesus did not say a word. His disciples said, ‘Send her away, she keeps shouting after us.’”

24 “Jesus said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’”

25 “But the woman came, knelt before Him, and said, ‘Lord, help me!’”

26 “Jesus said, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’”

27 “She said, ‘Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’”

28 “Jesus said, ‘Woman, you got great faith! Your request is granted.’ Her daughter was healed at that moment.”

Jesus Heals Many

29 “Jesus left there and went up on a mountainside near the Sea of Galilee and sat down.”

30 “Large crowds came, bringing the lame, blind, mute, and many others. They laid them at His feet, and He healed them.”

31 “The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled walking, the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

32 “Jesus called His disciples and said, ‘I feel bad for these people. They have been with Me for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, they might collapse on the way.’”

33 “The disciples said, ‘Where are we are going to get enough food in this remote spot to feed this crowd?’”

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

35 “He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.”

36 “He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to hand out.”

37 “They all ate and were full. The disciples picked up seven baskets of leftovers.”

38 “About 4,000 men ate, not counting women and kids.”

39 “After sending the crowd away, Jesus got in a boat and went to the region of Magadan.”