Matthew 15:

Contending Against Jesus 

                A group of scribes and Pharisees came to Jerusalem to speak to Jesus, saying; “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For the wash not their hands when they eat bread.” (Matthew 15:2) Talk about digging for something to accuse Jesus. But Jesus had an answer waiting for them; “…Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightiest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free…” (Matthew 15:3-6) Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for not providing for their parents, because they say that it is a gift from God. Jesus tells them that they are hypocrites and that “…in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9)

                Jesus then calls the multitude to come and listen to His words; “…Hear and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth man.” (Matthew 15:10-11) Essentially saying that the scribes and Pharisees need to be quiet, because they are only defiling themselves with the filth that comes out of their mouth. One of those in the multitude says; “…Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended…” (Matthew 15:12) and Jesus responds; “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14) In other words, Jesus is saying that He doesn’t care that it offended them, because eventually they will fall into the ditch, because it is the BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.

Peter comes and asks Jesus for clarification, where Jesus explains that anything that enters the belly that is not clean, will be cast out one way or another. The body will process the good and eliminate the bad. Whereas the evil words that come out of the mouth, come from the heart. Where there is an evil heart, there are evil thoughts. These are the things that defile man, not having washed your hands before eating.

Jesus then departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon where a woman from Canaan comes to Jesus and begs for Him to heal her daughter, who was vexed with a devil. Jesus responds; “…I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24), in other words, He was on a different mission and did not have time to come and heal her daughter. However, the woman persists and asks again. Jesus is impressed with her faith and rewards her, by healing her daughter. From here, great multitudes come to Jesus and ask to be healed; he heals those who were lame, blind, dumb and maimed. There he performed these great miracles for three days, and has compassion on the multitude that had been following him without food for those three days. Jesus, then commands the multitude to sit, while he performed a similar miracle to that of the five loaves of bread and two fish. This time Jesus feeds four thousand men, besides women and children with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. We learn that there was even left over food, of seven baskets.

Jesus then departs to the coasts of Magdala.