Matthew
Chapter 15
1 Some teachers of the law and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus and asked,
2 Why do your followers break the elders’ tradition? They don’t wash their hands before eating bread.
3 But he replied and said to them, “Why do you also break God’s command by following your tradition?”
4 God commanded, saying, Respect your father and mother; and, Anyone who speaks badly of their father or mother must be put to death.
5 But you say, if anyone tells their father or mother, ‘What you could have gained from me is a gift to God’,
6 If someone does not respect their father or mother, you say they are free from guilt. This way, you cancel out God’s rule because of your tradition.
7 You pretenders, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, saying,
8 These people come close to me with their words and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me for nothing, teaching human rules as if they were God’s teachings.
10 He called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and understand.”
11 What goes into the mouth does not make a person unclean; it’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.
12 His disciples came and asked him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were upset when they heard what you said?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled out.”
14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a hole.
15 Peter replied and asked him, “Explain this story to us.”
16 Jesus asked, “Do you still not understand?”
17 Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then is eliminated?
18 The things that come out of the mouth start in the heart, and these make the person unclean.
19 Evil thoughts, murders, cheating in marriage, sexual misconduct, stealing, lying, and insults all come from the heart.
20 These things make a person unclean: but eating with unwashed hands does not make a person unclean.
21 Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 Look, a Canaanite woman came from that area and called out to him, “Please have mercy on me, Sir, son of David; my daughter is suffering terribly because of an evil spirit.”
23 He did not reply to her at all. His followers came and urged him, “Tell her to go away; she keeps shouting at us.”
24 He replied, “I am only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 She came and worshiped him, saying, “Sir, help me.”
26 But he replied, “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to dogs.”
27 She said, “Yes, God, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owners’ table.”
28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is strong; let it happen for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
29 Jesus left that place and went near the Sea of Galilee; He climbed a mountain and sat down there.
30 Many people came to him, bringing the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and placed them at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them.
31 The crowd was amazed to see those who couldn’t speak talking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.
32 Jesus called his followers to him and said, “I feel sorry for all the people because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they might get weak on their journey.”
33 His followers asked him, “Where can we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a large crowd?”
34 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35 He told the people to sit down on the ground.
36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God, broke them, and gave them to his followers, and they gave them to the crowd.
37 Everyone ate and was satisfied. They collected seven baskets full of leftover pieces.
38 About four thousand men ate, not counting women and children.
39 He sent the crowd away, got into a boat, and went to the region of Magdala.