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Matthew 15-16
New American Standard Bible

Tradition and Commandment

15 (A)Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus (B)from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they (C)do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘(D)Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘(E)The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to [a]be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been [b]given to God,” 6 he is not to [c]honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, by saying:

8 ‘(F)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as (G)doctrines the commandments of men.’”

10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! 11 (H)It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”

12 Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were [d]offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “(I)Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; (J)they are blind guides [e]of blind people. And (K)if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.”

The Heart of Man

15 Peter [f]said to Him, “(L)Explain the parable to us.” 16 [g]Jesus said, “Are you also still lacking in understanding? 17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is [h]eliminated? 18 But (M)the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. 19 (N)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and [i]slanderous statements. 20 These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 (O)Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of (P)Tyre and (Q)Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, (R)Son of David; my daughter is severely (S)demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting [j]at us!” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to (T)the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and (U)began [k]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 Yet He answered and said, “It is not [l]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, (V)your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed [m]at once.

Healing Crowds

29 (W)Departing from there, Jesus went along (X)the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And [n]large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and (Y)He healed them. 31 So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs [o]restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they (Z)glorified the God of Israel.

Four Thousand Men Fed

32 (AA)Now Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “(AB)I feel compassion for the [p]people, because they [q]have remained 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.” 33 The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the [r]people to [s]sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after (AC)giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large (AD)baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into (AE)the boat and came to the region of (AF)Magadan.

Pharisees and Sadducees Test Jesus

16 (AG)The (AH)Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and putting Jesus to the test, they (AI)asked Him to show them a [t]sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, “[u](AJ)When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ (AK)You know how to discern the [v]appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? 4 (AL)An evil and adulterous generation wants a [w]sign; and so a [x]sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

5 And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and (AM)beware of the [y]leaven of the (AN)Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “(AO)You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand nor remember (AP)the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? 10 Nor (AQ)the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets you picked up? 11 How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But (AR)beware of the [z]leaven of the (AS)Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the [aa]leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the (AT)Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession of Christ

13 (AU)Now when Jesus came into the region of (AV)Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that (AW)the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say (AX)John the Baptist; and others, [ab](AY)Elijah; and still others, [ac]Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are (AZ)the [ad]Christ, (BA)the Son of (BB)the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, (BC)Simon [ae]Barjona, because (BD)flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are [af](BE)Peter, and upon this [ag]rock I will build My church; and the gates of (BF)Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you (BG)the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and (BH)whatever you [ah]bind on earth [ai]shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you [aj]loose on earth [ak]shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20 (BI)Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was (BJ)the [al]Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death

21 (BK)From that time [am]Jesus began to [an]point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to (BL)suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. 22 And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[ao]God forbid it, Lord! This shall never [ap]happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, (BM)Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on [aq]God’s purposes, but men’s.”

Discipleship Is Costly

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, (BN)take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For (BO)whoever wants to save his [ar]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [as]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but [at]forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the (BP)Son of Man (BQ)is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and (BR)will then repay every person according to his [au]deeds.

28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the (BS)Son of Man (BT)coming in His kingdom.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Lit die the death
  2. Matthew 15:5 Lit a gift; i.e., an offering
  3. Matthew 15:6 I.e., by supporting them with it
  4. Matthew 15:12 Lit caused to stumble
  5. Matthew 15:14 Later mss add of blind people
  6. Matthew 15:15 Lit answering, said
  7. Matthew 15:16 Lit and He
  8. Matthew 15:17 Lit thrown out into the latrine
  9. Matthew 15:19 Or abusive speech
  10. Matthew 15:23 Lit behind us
  11. Matthew 15:25 Or worshiped
  12. Matthew 15:26 Or proper
  13. Matthew 15:28 Lit from that hour
  14. Matthew 15:30 Lit many
  15. Matthew 15:31 Or healthy
  16. Matthew 15:32 Lit crowd
  17. Matthew 15:32 Lit are remaining
  18. Matthew 15:35 Lit crowd
  19. Matthew 15:35 Lit recline
  20. Matthew 16:1 I.e., confirming miracle
  21. Matthew 16:2 Early mss do not contain the rest of v 2 and v 3
  22. Matthew 16:3 Lit face
  23. Matthew 16:4 I.e., confirming miracle
  24. Matthew 16:4 I.e., confirming miracle
  25. Matthew 16:6 I.e., fermented dough
  26. Matthew 16:11 I.e., as a symbol of corruption
  27. Matthew 16:12 I.e., fermented dough
  28. Matthew 16:14 Gr Elias
  29. Matthew 16:14 Gr Jeremias
  30. Matthew 16:16 I.e., Messiah
  31. Matthew 16:17 I.e., son of Jonah
  32. Matthew 16:18 Gr Petros, a stone
  33. Matthew 16:18 Gr petra, massive rock formation; bedrock
  34. Matthew 16:19 I.e., forbid
  35. Matthew 16:19 Gr fut. pft. pass. tense
  36. Matthew 16:19 I.e., permit
  37. Matthew 16:19 Gr fut. pft. pass. tense
  38. Matthew 16:20 I.e., Messiah
  39. Matthew 16:21 Two early mss Jesus Christ
  40. Matthew 16:21 Or show
  41. Matthew 16:22 Lit (God be) merciful to You
  42. Matthew 16:22 Lit be
  43. Matthew 16:23 Lit the things of God
  44. Matthew 16:25 Or soul
  45. Matthew 16:25 Or soul
  46. Matthew 16:26 I.e., suffers the loss of
  47. Matthew 16:27 Lit activity
Listen to Matthew 15-16
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Matthew 15-16
New International Version

That Which Defiles(A)

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”(B)

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a](C) and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b](D) 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.(E)’[c](F)”

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,(G) but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”(H)

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted(I) will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d](J) If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”(K)

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”(L)

16 “Are you still so dull?”(M) Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart,(N) and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.(O) 20 These are what defile a person;(P) but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman(Q)

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.(R) 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David,(S) have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”(T)

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”(U)

25 The woman came and knelt before him.(V) “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!(W) Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(X)(Y)(Z)

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.(AA) 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.(AB)

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(AC) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them(AD) and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.(AE) 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

The Demand for a Sign(AF)

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees(AG) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.(AH)

2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[e](AI) 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”(AJ) Jesus then left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”(AK)

7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith,(AL) why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(AM) 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(AN) 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.(AO)

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(AP)

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(AQ) others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”(AR)

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”(AS)

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,(AT) but by my Father in heaven.(AU) 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[f](AV) and on this rock I will build my church,(AW) and the gates of Hades[g] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys(AX) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[h] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[i] loosed in heaven.”(AY) 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone(AZ) that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death(BA)

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem(BB) and suffer many things(BC) at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(BD) and that he must be killed(BE) and on the third day(BF) be raised to life.(BG)

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!(BH) You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.(BI) 25 For whoever wants to save their life[j] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.(BJ) 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man(BK) is going to come(BL) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.(BM)

28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  2. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  3. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13
  4. Matthew 15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind
  5. Matthew 16:3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes … of the times.
  6. Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
  7. Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
  8. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  9. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  10. Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26.
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