Matthew 15:1–16:12
Human Traditions and God’s Commandments
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat ⌊a meal⌋.”a 3 So he answered and* said to them, “Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your* father and your* mother,’b and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother ⌊must certainly die⌋c.’d 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his* father or his* mother, “Whatever ⌊benefit you would have received⌋e from me is a gift to God,” 6 need not honor his father,’f and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying,
8 ‘This people honors me with their* lips,
but their heart is far, far away from me,
9 and they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”g
10 And summoning the crowd, he said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and* said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they* heard this saying?” 13 And he answered and* said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leth them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter answered and* said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 But he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. 19 For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!”
A Canaanite Woman’s Great Faith
21 And departing from there, Jesus went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and* asked him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out after us!” 24 But he answered and* said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and* knelt down before him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And he answered and* said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it* to the dogs!” 27 So she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29 And departing from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up on the mountain and* was sitting there. 30 And large crowds came to him, having with them the mute, blind, lame, crippled,i and many others, and they put them down at his feet, and he healed them. 31 So then the crowd was astonished when they* saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.
32 And Jesus summoned his disciples and* said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me three days already and do not have anything to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they give out on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where in this desolate place ⌊can we get⌋j so much bread that such a great crowd could be satisfied?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” So they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” 35 And commanding the crowd to recline for a meal on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish and after he* had given thanks, he broke them* and began givingk 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 baskets full. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. 39 And after he* sent away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
16 And when* the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test him,* they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 So he answered and* said to them, “When* evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather because the sky is red,’ 3 and early in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy weather, because the sky is red and* darkening.’ You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky, but you are not able to evaluate* the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah!” And he left them and* went away.
Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 And when* the disciples arrived at the other side,a they had forgotten to take bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 7 So they were discussing this* among themselves, saying, “It is because we did not take bread.” 8 But knowing this,* Jesus said, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you did not take bread,b you of little faith? 9 Do you not yet understand or do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 11 How do you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.