Matthew 15

Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity

15Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him,G5119G4334G2424G1122G2532G5330G575G2414G30042"Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat."G1302G4675G3101G3845G3862G4245G1063G3538G3756G846G5495G3752G2068G7403Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?G1161G611G2036G846G1302G5210G2532G3845G1785G2316G1223G5216G38624For instance, God says, 'Honor your father and mother,'

and 'Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.'G1063G2316G1781G3004G5091G4675G3962G2532G3384G2532G2551G3962G2228G3384G5053G22885But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.'G1161G5210G3004G3739G302G2036G3962G2228G3384G1435G1537G3739G1437G5623G17006In this way, you say they don't need to honor their parents

. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.G2532G5091G3364G846G3962G2228G846G3384G2532G208G1785G2316G208G1223G5216G38627You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,G5273G2573G4395G2268G4395G4012G5216G30048'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.G3778G2992G1448G3427G846G4750G2532G5091G3165G5491G1161G846G2588G568G4206G575G17009Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'

"G1161G3155G4576G3165G1321G1319G1778G44410Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "Listen," he said, "and try to understand.G2532G4341G3793G2036G846G191G2532G492011It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth."G3756G1525G1519G4750G2840G444G235G1607G1537G4750G5124G2840G44412Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?"G5119G4334G846G3101G2036G846G1492G3754G5330G4624G191G305613Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,G1161G611G2036G3956G5451G3739G3450G3770G3962G5452G3756G5452G161014so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."G863G846G863G1526G5185G3595G5185G1161G1437G5185G3594G5185G297G4098G1519G99915Then Peter said to Jesus, "Explain to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat."G1161G611G4074G2036G846G5419G2254G5026G385016"Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asked.G1161G2424G2036G2075G5210G2532G188G80117"Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.G3539G3768G3539G3768G3539G3754G3956G1531G1519G4750G5562G1519G2836G2532G1544G1519G85618But the words you speak come from the heart—that's what defiles you.G1161G3588G1607G1537G4750G1831G1537G2588G2548G2840G44419For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.G1063G1537G2588G1831G4190G1261G5408G3430G4202G2829G5577G98820These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you."G5023G2076G3588G2840G444G1161G5315G449G5495G2840G3756G444

The Faith of a Gentile Woman

21Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon.G2532G2424G1831G1564G402G1519G3313G5184G2532G460522A Gentile

woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely."G2532G2400G1135G5478G1831G575G1565G3725G2905G846G3004G1653G3165G2962G5207G1138G3450G2364G2560G113923But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."G1161G611G846G3756G3056G2532G846G3101G4334G2065G846G3004G630G846G630G3754G2896G3693G225724Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep—the people of Israel."G1161G611G2036G649G3756G649G1508G1519G622G4263G3624G247425But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord, help me!"G1161G2064G4352G846G3004G2962G997G342726Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."G1161G611G2036G2076G3756G2570G2983G5043G740G2532G906G295227She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters' table."G1161G2036G3483G2962G2532G1063G2952G2068G575G5589G3588G4098G575G846G2962G513228"Dear woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.G5119G2424G611G2036G846G5599G1135G3173G4675G4102G1096G4671G5613G2309G2532G846G2364G2390G575G1565G5610

Jesus Heals Many People

29Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down.G2532G2424G3327G1564G2064G3844G2281G1056G2532G305G1519G3735G2521G156330A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.G2532G4183G3793G4334G846G2192G3326G1438G5560G5185G2974G2948G2532G4183G2087G2532G4496G846G4496G3844G2424G4228G2532G2323G84631The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.G5620G3793G2296G991G2974G2980G2948G5199G5560G4043G2532G5185G991G2532G1392G2316G2474

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

32Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way."G1161G2424G4341G846G3101G2036G4697G1909G3793G3754G4357G3427G2235G5140G2250G2532G2192G3756G5101G5315G2532G2309G3756G630G846G630G3523G3379G1590G1722G359833The disciples replied, "Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?"G2532G846G3101G3004G846G4159G2254G5118G740G1722G2047G5620G5526G5118G379334Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?" They replied, "Seven loaves, and a few small fish."G2532G2424G3004G846G4214G740G2192G1161G2036G2033G2532G3641G248535So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground.G2532G2753G3793G377G1909G109336Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.G2532G2983G2033G740G2532G2486G2168G2806G2532G1325G846G3101G1161G3101G379337They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.G2532G5315G3956G5315G2532G5526G2532G142G2801G4052G2033G4711G413438There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.G1161G2068G2258G5070G435G5565G1135G2532G381339Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.G2532G630G3793G1684G1519G4143G2532G2064G1519G3725G3093