Get the free app for more features and content.
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

The Tradition of the Elders

1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” 3He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ 5But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. 6So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:

8‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

9in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ ”

Things That Defile

10Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

The Canaanite Woman’s Faith

21Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus Cures Many People

29After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, 31so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Feeding the Four Thousand

32Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” 34Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 38Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Click here to learn more.

Featured Resources

Why Jesus Told Parables (and How You Can Understand Them)

Why Jesus Told Parables (and How You Can Unders...

Jesus of Nazareth was a master storyteller, and many of his most well-known t...

BibleProject

Rachel Clark: Going Home, Rethinking Home, Finding Peace at Home - Biola University Chapel

Rachel Clark: Going Home, Rethinking Home, Find...

Chapel from December 4, 2009. Matthew 15:4. Going Home, Rethinking Home, Find...

Biola University

Introduction to Matthew

Introduction to Matthew

Dr. Tommy Givens introduces Matthew by emphasizing Jesus’ commitment to minis...

Fuller Studio

The Book of Matthew (Introduction) | Spoken Word

The Book of Matthew (Introduction) | Spoken Word

Watch our Introduction video on the book of Matthew, which outlines the book'...

Spoken Gospel

Do The Gospels Marginalize Women? — Rebecca McLaughlin

Do The Gospels Marginalize Women? — Rebecca McL...

People often assume that because the four biographies of Jesus were written b...

The Gospel Coalition

The Workshop - Can We Trust the Gospels? with Dr. Craig Blomberg

The Workshop - Can We Trust the Gospels? with D...

The Workshop Series offers a chance to consider important topics in a TED-tal...

Denver Seminary

The Gospel

The Gospel

The New Testament contains four ancient biographies of Jesus of Nazareth, and...

BibleProject

Kevin DeYoung on Why You Should Believe in Jesus

Kevin DeYoung on Why You Should Believe in Jesus

Kevin DeYoung points out that Jesus is both a historical fact and a present s...

The Gospel Coalition

Gospel of Matthew Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2)

Gospel of Matthew Summary: A Complete Animated ...

Watch our overview video on Matthew 14-28, which breaks down the literary des...

BibleProject

New Testament Summary: A Complete Animated Overview

New Testament Summary: A Complete Animated Over...

Watch our overview video on the New Testament. This video breaks down the lit...

BibleProject

Explore Matthew 15