Matthew 15

Defilement Comes from Within

1Then #Mark 7:1; John 1:19; Acts 25:7the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2#Mark 7:5“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, #Ex. 20:1, 12; Lev. 19:3; (Deut. 5:16); Prov. 23:22; (Eph. 6:2, 3)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, #Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 27:16; Prov. 20:20; 30:17‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, #Mark 7:11, 12“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7#Mark 7:6Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8‘These#Ps. 78:36; Is. 29:13; Ezek. 33:31 people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

9And in vain they worship Me,

#Is. 29:13; (Col. 2:18–22); Titus 1:14Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

10#Mark 7:14When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11#(Acts 10:15; Rom. 14:14, 17, 20; 1 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:15)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what 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 when they heard this saying?”

13But He answered and said, #(Is. 60:21; 61:3; John 15:2; 1 Cor. 3:12, 13)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone. #Is. 9:16; Mal. 2:8; Matt. 23:16, 24; Luke 6:39; Rom. 2:19They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

15#Mark 7:17Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16So Jesus said, #Matt. 16:9; Mark 7:18“Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not yet understand that #(1 Cor. 6:13)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18But #(Matt. 12:34); Mark 7:20; (James 3:6)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19#Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Prov. 6:14; Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21; (Rom. 1:29–32; Gal. 5:19–21)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith

21#Mark 7:24–30Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, #Matt. 1:1; 22:41, 42Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

23But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

24But He answered and said, #Matt. 10:5, 6; (Rom. 15:8)“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

26But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little #Matt. 7:6; Phil. 3:2dogs.”

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

28Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, #Luke 7:9great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus Heals Great Multitudes

29#Matt. 15:29–31; Mark 7:31–37Jesus departed from there, #Matt. 4:18skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30#Is. 35:5, 6; Matt. 11:5; Luke 7:22Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ #Mark 7:25; Luke 7:38; 8:41; 10:39feet, and He healed them. 31So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they #Luke 5:25, 26; 19:37, 38glorified the God of Israel.

Feeding the Four Thousand

32#Mark 8:1–10Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

33#2 Kin. 4:43Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”

34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

35So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36And #Matt. 14:19; 26:27; Luke 22:17, 19; John 6:11, 23; Acts 27:35; (Rom. 14:6)He took the seven loaves and the fish and #1 Sam. 9:13; Luke 22:19gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39#Mark 8:10And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

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Matthew 15: NKJV

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