Matthew 15 · WEB
Tradition, Defilement, and the Faith of an Outsider
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Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
2"Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread."
3He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'
5But you say, 'Whoever may tell his father or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,"
6he shall not honor his father or mother.' You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.
7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8'These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'"
10He summoned the multitude, and said to them, "Hear, and understand.
11That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
12Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
13But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father didn't plant will be uprooted.
14Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."
15Peter answered him, "Explain the parable to us."
16So Jesus said, "Do you also still not understand?
17Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body?
18But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.
19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.
20These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn't defile the man."
21Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!"
23But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us."
24But he answered, "I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me."
26But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
27But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
28Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.
30Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,
31so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.
32Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way."
33The disciples said to him, "Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?"
34Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."
35He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;
36and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.
37They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.
38Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children.
39Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.
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Summary
Jesus confronts the Pharisees for using their human traditions to nullify God's commandments and teaches that real defilement comes from the heart, not from unwashed hands. Withdrawing to Gentile territory, he is met by a Canaanite woman whose persistent, humble faith wins healing for her daughter. Returning near the Sea of Galilee, he heals great crowds and feeds four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish, again demonstrating compassion and abundance.
Themes
- Heart religion versus external ritual
- Tradition that can betray Scripture
- Faith that crosses ethnic and religious boundaries
- Persistence and humility in prayer
- Compassion and abundance in Jesus' kingdom
Key verses
- Matt 15:11 — “That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
- Matt 15:19 — “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.”
- Matt 15:28 — “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.”
- Matt 15:8-9 — “These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.”
Context & background
The Pharisees and scribes traveled from Jerusalem (in modern Israel/Palestine) to confront Jesus over the oral tradition of hand-washing, which went beyond the written Law. Tyre and Sidon are ancient Phoenician port cities on the Mediterranean coast in modern Lebanon — Gentile territory historically hostile to Israel; calling the woman a "Canaanite" emphasizes her status as an outsider to the covenant. Jesus then returns to the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake in northern Israel; Mark's parallel locates the second feeding in the Decapolis east of the lake. Magadan (or Magdala in some texts) was a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Cross-references
- Exodus 20:12 — The fifth commandment Jesus invokes against Corban abuse.
- Isaiah 29:13 — Quoted by Jesus on lip-service worship.
- Mark 7:1-37 — Parallel account with additional detail about the woman and the healings.
- Matt 14:13-21 — The earlier feeding of the five thousand; deliberate parallel and contrast.
- Romans 11:11-24 — Salvation reaching the Gentiles through Israel; the Canaanite woman foreshadows this.