Chapter 15
Matthew · Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew
¹ 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.”
Mt 15:1-2
³ He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But 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,” ⁶ he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
Mt 15:3-7
¹⁰ He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹ That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Mt 15:10-11
¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
Mt 15:12
¹³ But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Mt 15:13-14
¹⁶ So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷ Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”
Mt 15:16-20
²¹ Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Behold, 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!”
Mt 15:21-22
²⁶ But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Mt 15:26
²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
Mt 15:27
²⁸ Then 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.
Mt 15:28
²⁹ Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there. ³⁰ Great 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, ³¹ so 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.
Mt 15:29-31
³² Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued 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.”
Mt 15:32
³³ The disciples said to him, “Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”
Mt 15:33
³⁵ He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; ³⁶ and 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. ³⁷ They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. ³⁹ Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.
Mt 15:35-39