American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Matthew 15
1
Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Reference
References Jerusalem
Mark 3:22
Resurrection
Acts 23:9
Matthew 5:20
Matthew 23:2
Luke 5:21
Luke 5:17
Luke 5:30
2
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Reference
3
But he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Reference
4
For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die the death.
Reference
Curse
Exodus 21:17
Leviticus 20:9
Proverbs 20:20
Parallel theme
Proverbs 23:22
Matthew 19:19
Ephesians 6:1
References God
Exodus 20:12
Deuteronomy 5:16
Leviticus 19:3
Romans 3:31
5
But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me;
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 5:29
6
And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Reference
8
This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Reference
11
Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.
Reference
12
Then came his disciples, and said to him, Know you that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13
But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up.
Reference
14
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Reference
15
Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare to us this parable.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 13:36
16
And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding?
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 16:9
Mark 7:18
Mark 9:32
Matthew 15:10
Hebrews 5:12
Mark 6:52
Matthew 16:11
Luke 9:45
Luke 18:34
References Jesus
Matthew 13:51
17
Do not you yet understand, that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
Reference
18
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Reference
19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Reference
20
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.
21
Then Jesus went there, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22
And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried to him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, you son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
Reference
23
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and sought him, saying, Send her away; for she cries after us.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 14:15
25
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 9:22
Genesis 32:26
Hosea 12:4
References Lord
Matthew 20:31
Worship
Matthew 14:33
Matthew 8:2
26
But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 7:6
Ephesians 2:12
Philippians 3:2
Revelation 22:15
Romans 9:4
Galatians 2:15
27
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ephesians 3:8
Luke 16:21
Romans 3:29
Matthew 5:45
Luke 18:13
References Lord
Romans 10:12
Matthew 8:8
Ezekiel 16:63
Truth
Romans 3:4
Genesis 32:10
28
Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith: be it to you even as you will. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Reference
Faith
Matthew 8:13
Mark 5:34
Matthew 9:22
Matthew 8:10
Job 13:15
Luke 17:5
Luke 7:50
Matthew 14:31
Parallel theme
Psalm 145:19
Job 23:10
29
And Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
Reference
30
And great multitudes came to him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 103:3
31
So that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Reference
Glory
Matthew 9:8
Luke 7:16
Mark 2:12
Parallel theme
Matthew 18:8
Psalm 50:15
Mark 7:37
Mark 9:43
References God
Luke 18:43
Psalm 50:23
References Israel
Matthew 9:33
32
Then Jesus called his disciples to him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
Reference
33
And his disciples say to him, From where should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
Reference
34
And Jesus said to them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
36
And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Reference
37
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
38
And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
Summary of Matthew 15
Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes, who criticize His disciples for eating without performing a traditional ceremonial handwashing, but Jesus responds by exposing how religious traditions can become dangerous when they are elevated above God's actual commands.
Jesus uses the example of honoring one's parents to demonstrate how a religious tradition could allow people to avoid a responsibility clearly established by God's law, revealing that outward religious behavior can become hypocritical when it is separated from genuine obedience and love.
Jesus then teaches that spiritual impurity comes from within the heart, not from food entering the body or from merely failing to observe a ceremonial washing ritual, because evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander all originate within the person.
This teaching moves the focus of holiness from external appearances to inner character, showing that religious purity cannot be achieved simply by following visible customs while allowing the heart to remain corrupted by selfishness, hatred, dishonesty, and destructive desires.
Jesus then travels toward the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a Canaanite woman approaches Him because her daughter is suffering from demonic oppression, and despite the apparent obstacles she encounters, she continues to plead for mercy with extraordinary humility and persistence.
When Jesus tests her response through the image of children and household dogs, the woman responds with remarkable faith, acknowledging the priority of Israel while trusting that even the smallest portion of Jesus' mercy is enough, and Jesus praises her great faith before healing her daughter.
The story is especially significant because the woman comes from outside the traditional boundaries of Israel, demonstrating that faith and dependence upon Jesus are more important than ethnic or social status, while also anticipating the broader mission to the nations that becomes clearer later in Matthew.
Jesus then returns to the Sea of Galilee, where enormous crowds bring people suffering from many different physical conditions, and Jesus heals them, causing the people to glorify the God of Israel because of what they have witnessed.
Once again, Jesus sees the physical needs of a large crowd and refuses to send them away hungry, leading to the feeding of the four thousand, where seven loaves and a few fish become sufficient to satisfy the entire gathering with seven baskets of food remaining.
The second feeding reinforces the lesson that Jesus is able to provide abundantly even when His disciples see only scarcity, while the different geographical and cultural setting also contributes to the broader theme of God's provision extending beyond the narrow boundaries of the Jewish community.
The central message is that Matthew 15 contrasts external religion with genuine holiness, showing that God is concerned primarily with the condition of the human heart, while Jesus demonstrates that His mercy, authority, healing, and provision reach people who respond to Him with genuine faith and humility.
The chapter ultimately teaches that true faith is not measured by outward religious appearance or inherited tradition but by a transformed heart that recognizes its need for God, responds to Jesus with humility and persistence, and trusts His mercy even when circumstances appear to place His help beyond reach.
Jesus uses the example of honoring one's parents to demonstrate how a religious tradition could allow people to avoid a responsibility clearly established by God's law, revealing that outward religious behavior can become hypocritical when it is separated from genuine obedience and love.
Jesus then teaches that spiritual impurity comes from within the heart, not from food entering the body or from merely failing to observe a ceremonial washing ritual, because evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander all originate within the person.
This teaching moves the focus of holiness from external appearances to inner character, showing that religious purity cannot be achieved simply by following visible customs while allowing the heart to remain corrupted by selfishness, hatred, dishonesty, and destructive desires.
Jesus then travels toward the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a Canaanite woman approaches Him because her daughter is suffering from demonic oppression, and despite the apparent obstacles she encounters, she continues to plead for mercy with extraordinary humility and persistence.
When Jesus tests her response through the image of children and household dogs, the woman responds with remarkable faith, acknowledging the priority of Israel while trusting that even the smallest portion of Jesus' mercy is enough, and Jesus praises her great faith before healing her daughter.
The story is especially significant because the woman comes from outside the traditional boundaries of Israel, demonstrating that faith and dependence upon Jesus are more important than ethnic or social status, while also anticipating the broader mission to the nations that becomes clearer later in Matthew.
Jesus then returns to the Sea of Galilee, where enormous crowds bring people suffering from many different physical conditions, and Jesus heals them, causing the people to glorify the God of Israel because of what they have witnessed.
Once again, Jesus sees the physical needs of a large crowd and refuses to send them away hungry, leading to the feeding of the four thousand, where seven loaves and a few fish become sufficient to satisfy the entire gathering with seven baskets of food remaining.
The second feeding reinforces the lesson that Jesus is able to provide abundantly even when His disciples see only scarcity, while the different geographical and cultural setting also contributes to the broader theme of God's provision extending beyond the narrow boundaries of the Jewish community.
The central message is that Matthew 15 contrasts external religion with genuine holiness, showing that God is concerned primarily with the condition of the human heart, while Jesus demonstrates that His mercy, authority, healing, and provision reach people who respond to Him with genuine faith and humility.
The chapter ultimately teaches that true faith is not measured by outward religious appearance or inherited tradition but by a transformed heart that recognizes its need for God, responds to Jesus with humility and persistence, and trusts His mercy even when circumstances appear to place His help beyond reach.