Matthew 15
15
What Makes People “Unclean”?
1Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked, 2“Why don’t your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3Jesus replied, “And why don’t you obey God’s command? You would rather follow your own teachings! 4God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, ‘Anyone who asks for bad things to happen to their father or mother must be put to death.’ (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9) 5But suppose people have something that might be used to help their parents. You allow them to say it is instead ‘a gift set apart for God.’ 6So they do not need to honor their father or mother with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings. 7You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said,
8“ ‘These people honor me by what they say.
But their hearts are far away from me.
9Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me.
They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” (Isaiah 29:13)
10Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, “Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone’s mouth does not make them ‘unclean.’ It’s what comes out of their mouth that makes them ‘unclean.’ ”
12Then the disciples came to him. They asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were angry when they heard this?”
13Jesus replied, “They are plants that my Father in heaven has not planted. They will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave the Pharisees. They are blind guides. If one blind person leads another blind person, both of them will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said, “Explain this to us.”
16“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see? Everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. 18But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart. Those are the things that make someone ‘unclean.’ 19Evil thoughts come out of a person’s heart. So do murder, adultery, and other sexual sins. And so do stealing, false witness, and telling lies about others. 20Those are the things that make you ‘unclean.’ But eating without washing your hands does not make you ‘unclean.’ ”
The Faith of a Woman From Canaan
21Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly.”
23Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, “Send her away. She keeps crying out after us.”
24Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.”
25Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. “Lord! Help me!” she said.
26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.”
28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! You will be given what you are asking for.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
29Jesus left there. He walked along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Large crowds came to him. They brought blind people and those who could not walk. They also brought disabled people, those who could not speak, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. 31The people were amazed. Those who could not speak were speaking. The disabled were made well. Those not able to walk were walking. Those who were blind could see. So the people praised the God of Israel.
32Then Jesus called for his disciples to come to him. He said, “I feel deep concern for these people. They have already been with me three days. They don’t have anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. If I do, they will become too weak on their way home.”
33His disciples answered him. “There is nothing here,” they said. “Where could we get enough bread to feed this large crowd?”
34“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
35Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks. Then he broke them and gave them to the disciples. And the disciples passed them out to the people. 37All of them ate and were satisfied. After that, the disciples picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces. 38The number of men who ate was 4,000. Women and children also ate. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat. He went to the area near Magadan.
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Matthew 15: NIrV
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Matthew 15
15
The Tradition of the Elders
Mk 7:1–23
1Then scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2#Lk 11:38; Col 2:8“Why do Your disciples violate the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3But He answered them, “Why do you also violate the commandment of God by your tradition? 4#Ex 20:12; 21:17; Dt 5:16For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and mother,’#Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16. and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’#Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9. 5But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, “What you would have profited from me is a gift to God,” 6will be free from honoring his father or his mother.’ So you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7You hypocrites, Isaiah well prophesied of you, saying:
8#Isa 29:13; Eze 33:31 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
9#Isa 29:13; Titus 1:14 In vain they do worship Me,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”
10He called the crowds and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11#Ac 10:14–15That which goes into the mouth does not defile a man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?”
13#Isa 60:21; Jn 15:2But He answered, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14#Lk 6:39; Isa 56:10Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.”
15#Mt 13:36Then Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16#Mt 16:9Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17#1Co 6:13Do you not yet understand that whatever enters at the mouth goes into the stomach and is cast out into the sewer? 18#Mt 12:34But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. 19#Gal 5:19–21For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. 20These are the things which defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
The Faith of the Canaanite Woman
Mk 7:24–30
21Then Jesus went from there and departed into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. 22#Mt 9:27; 17:15There, a woman of Canaan came out of the same regions and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely possessed by a demon.”
23#Mt 14:15But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24#Ro 15:8; Mt 10:5–6But He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25#Mt 8:2Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26#Mt 7:6; Rev 22:15But He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and to throw it to dogs.”
27#Lk 16:21She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28#Mt 8:13; 9:22Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
The Healing of Many People
29#Mt 4:18; 5:1Jesus departed from there, and passed by the Sea of Galilee, and went up on a mountain and sat down there. 30Great crowds came to Him, having with them those who were lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and placed them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them, 31#Mt 9:8; 9:33so that the crowds wondered when they saw the mute speak, the maimed made whole, the lame walk, and the blind see. And they glorified the God of Israel.
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
Mk 8:1–10
32#Mt 9:36Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with Me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I will not send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
33His disciples said to Him, “Where will we get enough bread in the wilderness to feed such a great crowd?”
34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven and a few little fish.”
35He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36#Lk 22:19; Jn 6:11He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd. 37They all ate and were filled. And they collected seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left. 38Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39#Mk 8:10He sent the crowd away, and got into the boat, and went to the region of Magdala.
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