Matthew 15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 15
The Tradition of the Elders.[a] 1 (A)Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 (B)“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?[b] They do not wash [their] hands when they eat a meal.” 3 He said to them in reply, “And why do you break the commandment of God[c] for the sake of your tradition? 4 (C)For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ 5 [d]But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” 6 need not honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
8 (D)‘This people honors me with their lips,[e]
but their hearts are far from me;
9 (E)in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’”
10 (F)He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” 12 Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He said in reply,[f] “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 (G)Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Then Peter[g] said to him in reply, “Explain [this] parable to us.” 16 He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding? 17 Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? 18 (H)But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. 19 [h]For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”
The Canaanite Woman’s Faith.[i] 21 (I)Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 24 [j]He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 (J)But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children[k] and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 (K)Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith![l] Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
The Healing of Many People. 29 Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. 30 (L)Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. 31 The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
The Feeding of the Four Thousand.[m] 32 (M)Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” 33 The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” 35 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks,[n] broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 37 (N)They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, not counting women and children. 39 And when he had dismissed the crowds, he got into the boat and came to the district of Magadan.
Footnotes
- 15:1–20 This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one’s hands before eating (Mt 15:2). Jesus’ counterquestion accuses his opponents of breaking the commandment of God for the sake of their tradition (Mt 15:3) and illustrates this by their interpretation of the commandment of the Decalogue concerning parents (Mt 15:4–6). Denouncing them as hypocrites, he applies to them a derogatory prophecy of Isaiah (Mt 15:7–8). Then with a wider audience (the crowd, Mt 15:10) he goes beyond the violation of tradition with which the dispute has started. The parable (Mt 15:11) is an attack on the Mosaic law concerning clean and unclean foods, similar to those antitheses that abrogate the law (Mt 5:31–32, 33–34, 38–39). After a warning to his disciples not to follow the moral guidance of the Pharisees (Mt 15:13–14), he explains the parable (Mt 15:15) to them, saying that defilement comes not from what enters the mouth (Mt 15:17) but from the evil thoughts and deeds that rise from within, from the heart (Mt 15:18–20). The last verse returns to the starting point of the dispute (eating with unwashed hands). Because of Matthew’s omission of Mk 7:19b, some scholars think that Matthew has weakened the Marcan repudiation of the Mosaic food laws. But that half verse is ambiguous in the Greek, which may be the reason for its omission here.
- 15:2 The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.
- 15:3–4 For the commandment see Ex 20:12 (Dt 5:16); 21:17. The honoring of one’s parents had to do with supporting them in their needs.
- 15:5 See note on Mk 7:11.
- 15:8 The text of Is 29:13 is quoted approximately according to the Septuagint.
- 15:13–14 Jesus leads his disciples away from the teaching authority of the Pharisees.
- 15:15 Matthew specifies Peter as the questioner, unlike Mk 7:17. Given his tendency to present the disciples as more understanding than in his Marcan source, it is noteworthy that here he retains the Marcan rebuke, although in a slightly milder form. This may be due to his wish to correct the Jewish Christians within his church who still held to the food laws and thus separated themselves from Gentile Christians who did not observe them.
- 15:19 The Marcan list of thirteen things that defile (Mk 7:21–22) is here reduced to seven that partially cover the content of the Decalogue.
- 15:21–28 See note on Mt 8:5–13.
- 15:24 See note on Mt 10:5–6.
- 15:26 The children: the people of Israel. Dogs: see note on Mt 7:6.
- 15:28 As in the case of the cure of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10), Matthew ascribes Jesus’ granting the request to the woman’s great faith, a point not made equally explicit in the Marcan parallel (Mk 7:24–30).
- 15:32–39 Most probably this story is a doublet of that of the feeding of the five thousand (Mt 14:13–21). It differs from it notably only in that Jesus takes the initiative, not the disciples (Mt 15:32), and in the numbers: the crowd has been with Jesus three days (Mt 15:32), seven loaves are multiplied (Mt 15:36), seven baskets of fragments remain after the feeding (Mt 15:37), and four thousand men are fed (Mt 15:38).
- 15:36 Gave thanks: see Mt 14:19, “said the blessing.” There is no difference in meaning. The thanksgiving was a blessing of God for his benefits.
Matthew 15
New Matthew Bible
Christ defends his disciples, and rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for transgressing God’s commandments through their own precepts. What goes into the mouth does not defile a man. He delivers the Canaanite woman’s daughter, heals the multitude, and with seven loaves and a few little fishes feeds 4,000 men, as well as women and children.
15 Then scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 Why do your disciples transgress the precepts of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. 3 He answered and said to them, And why do you transgress the commandment of God through your precepts? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour your father and mother, and, He who curses father or mother shall suffer death. 5 But you say every man should tell his father or mother, That which you desire of me, to help you with, is given for God – 6 and so he should not honour his father or mother. And thus you have made the commandment of God to be without effect, through your precepts. 7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draws near to me with their mouths, and honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 And in vain they worship me, teaching doctrines which are nothing but men’s precepts.
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, Hear and understand: 11 that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man.
12 Then his disciples came and said to him, Do you perceive how the Pharisees are offended in hearing this saying? 13 He answered and said, All plants that my heavenly Father has not planted shall be plucked up by the roots. 14 Let them alone. They are the blind leaders of the blind. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.
15 Then Peter answered and said to him, Explain the parable to us. 16 Jesus said, Are you still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes in at the mouth descends down into the stomach, and is cast out into the drain? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, theft, bearing of false witness, slander. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.
21 And Jesus went from there, and withdrew to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a woman who was a Canaanite came out of the same region and cried out to him, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord Son of David! My daughter is piteously vexed with a devil. 23 But he gave her never a word in answer. Then his disciples came to him and urged him, saying, Send her away; she is following us, crying. 24 He answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Master, help me! 26 He answered and said, It is not good to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs. 27 She answered and said, True, Lord; nevertheless, the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be unto you even as you desire.
And her daughter was made whole even at that same hour.
29 Then Jesus went away from there, and came near to the Sea of Galilee, 30 and went up on a mountain and sat down there. And crowds of people came to him, having with them people who were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and put them down at Jesus’ feet. 31 And he healed them, and the people were in wonderment to see the dumb speak, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion on the people, because they have continued with me now for three days, and have nothing to eat. I do not want to let them go away without eating, lest they faint along the road. 33 And his disciples said to him, Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a great number of people? 34 And Jesus said to them, How many loaves do you have? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35 And he directed the people to sit down on the ground, 36 and took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they did all eat, and were satisfied. And of the pieces left over they took up seven baskets full – 38 and yet those who ate were 4,000 men, as well as women and children.
39 And Jesus sent the people away, boarded the boat, and went to the region of Magdala.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.