^15:1Then Pharisees¹ and experts in the law² came from Jerusalem³ to Jesus and said,⁴^15:2“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their⁵ hands when they eat.”⁶^15:3He answered them,⁷ “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ^15:4For God said,⁸ ‘Honor your father and mother’⁹ and ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’¹⁰^15:5But you say, ‘If someone tells his father or mother, “Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,”¹¹^15:6he does not need to honor his father.’¹² You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. ^15:7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said,

^15:8‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart¹³ is far from me,

^15:9and they worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”¹⁴

True Defilement

^15:10Then he called the crowd to him and said,¹⁵ “Listen and understand. ^15:11What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what¹⁶ comes out of the mouth that defiles a person.” ^15:12Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that when the Pharisees¹⁷ heard this saying they were offended?” ^15:13And he replied,¹⁸ “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ^15:14Leave them! They are blind guides.¹⁹ If someone who is blind leads another who is blind,²⁰ both will fall into a pit.” ^15:15But Peter²¹ said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ^15:16Jesus²² said, “Even after all this, are you still so foolish? ^15:17Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer?²³^15:18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. ^15:19For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ^15:20These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person.”²⁴

A Canaanite Woman’s Faith

^15:21After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre²⁵ and Sidon.²⁶^15:22A²⁷ Canaanite woman from that area came²⁸ and cried out,²⁹ “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!” ^15:23But he did not answer her a word. Then³⁰ his disciples came and begged him,³¹ “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.” ^15:24So³² he answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ^15:25But she came and bowed down³³ before him and said,³⁴ “Lord, help me!” ^15:26“It is not right³⁵ to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,”³⁶ he said.³⁷^15:27“Yes, Lord,” she replied,³⁸ “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ^15:28Then³⁹ Jesus answered her, “Woman,⁴⁰ your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Healing Many Others

^15:29When he left there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a mountain, where he sat down. ^15:30Then⁴¹ large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others. They⁴² laid them at his feet, and he healed them. ^15:31As a result, the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

^15:32Then Jesus called the⁴³ disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.” ^15:33The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” ^15:34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven—and a few small fish.” ^15:35After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, ^15:36he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds.⁴⁴^15:37They⁴⁵ all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. ^15:38Not counting children and women,⁴⁶ there were four thousand men who ate.⁴⁷^15:39After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.⁴⁸

The Demand for a Sign

^16:1Now when the Pharisees¹ and Sadducees² came to test Jesus,³ they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.⁴^16:2He⁵ said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ ^16:3and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’⁶ You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky,⁷ but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. ^16:4A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then⁸ he left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

^16:5When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. ^16:6“Watch out,” Jesus said to them, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees⁹ and Sadducees.”¹⁰^16:7So¹¹ they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “It is because we brought no bread.” ^16:8When Jesus learned of this,¹² he said, “You who have such little faith!¹³ Why are you arguing¹⁴ among yourselves about having no bread? ^16:9Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ^16:10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? ^16:11How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” ^16:12Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession

^16:13When¹⁵ Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi,¹⁶ he asked his disciples,¹⁷ “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ^16:14They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,¹⁸ and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ^16:15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ^16:16Simon Peter answered,¹⁹ “You are the Christ,²⁰ the Son of the living God.” ^16:17And Jesus answered him,²¹ “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood²² did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! ^16:18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades²³ will not overpower it. ^16:19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” ^16:20Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.²⁴

First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

^16:21From that time on²⁵ Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem²⁶ and suffer²⁷ many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law,²⁸ and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ^16:22So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him:²⁹ “God forbid,³⁰ Lord! This must not happen to you!” ^16:23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”³¹^16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower,³² he must deny³³ himself, take up his cross,³⁴ and follow me. ^16:25For whoever wants to save his life³⁵ will lose it,³⁶ but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ^16:26For what does it benefit a person³⁷ if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? ^16:27For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.³⁸^16:28I tell you the truth,³⁹ there are some standing here who will not⁴⁰ experience⁴¹ death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”⁴²

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 See the note on Pharisees in .
2 Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in .
3 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
4 The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb so that its telic (i.e., final or conclusive) force can be more easily detected: The Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus in order to speak with him.
5 Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autōn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 f1 579 700 892 1424 f g1); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
6 Grk “when they eat bread.”
7 Grk “But answering, he said to them.”
8 Most (א*,2 C L W 0106 33 𝔐) have an expanded introduction here; instead of “For God said,” they read “For God commanded, saying” (ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἐνετείλατο λέγων, ho gar theos eneteilato legōn). But such expansions are generally motivated readings; in this case, most likely it was due to the wording of the previous verse (“the commandment of God”) that caused early scribes to add to the text. Although it is possible that other witnesses reduced the text to the simple εἶπεν (eipen, “[God] said”) because of perceived redundancy with the statement in v. 3, such is unlikely in light of the great variety and age of these authorities (א1 B D Θ 073 f1, 13 579 700 892 lat co, as well as other versions and fathers).
9 A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
10 A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.
11 Grk “is a gift,” that is, something dedicated to God.
12 The logic of v. 5 would seem to demand that both father and mother are in view in v. 6. Indeed, the majority of (C L W Θ 0106 f1 𝔐) have “or his mother” (ἢ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, ē tēn mētera autou) after “honor his father” here. However, there are significant witnesses that have variations on this theme (καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ [kai tēn mētera autou, “and his mother“] in Φ 565 1241 and ἢ τὴν μητέρα [“or mother“] in 073 f13 33 579 700 892 ), which is usually an indication of a predictable addition to the text rather than an authentic reading. Further, the shorter reading (without any mention of “mother”) is found in early and important witnesses (א B D sa). Although it is possible that the shorter reading came about accidentally (due to the repetition of -ερα αὐτοῦ), the evidence more strongly suggests that the longer readings were intentional scribal alterations. Grk “he will never honor his father.” Here Jesus is quoting the Pharisees, whose intent is to release the person who is giving his possessions to God from the family obligation of caring for his parents. The verb in this phrase is future tense, and it is negated with οὐ μή (ou mē), the strongest negation possible in Greek. A literal translation of the phrase does not capture the intended sense of the statement; it would actually make the Pharisees sound as if they agreed with Jesus. Instead, a more interpretive translation has been used to focus upon the release from family obligations that the Pharisees allowed in these circumstances. Here Jesus refers to something that has been set aside as a gift to be given to God at some later date, but which is still in the possession of the owner. According to contemporary Jewish tradition, the person who made this claim was absolved from responsibility to support or assist his parents, a clear violation of the Mosaic law to honor one’s parents (v. 4).
13 The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.
14 A quotation from Isa 29:13.
15 Grk “And calling the crowd, he said to them.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as attendant circumstance. The emphasis here is upon Jesus’ speaking to the crowd.
16 Grk “but what.”
17 See the note on Pharisees in .
18 Grk “And answering, he said.”
19 Most , some of which are significant, read “They are blind guides of the blind” (א1 C L W Z Θ f1, 13 33 𝔐 lat). The shorter reading is read by א*,2 B D 0237 Epiph. There is a distinct possibility of omission due to homoioarcton in א*; this manuscript has a word order variation which puts the word τυφλοί (tuphloi, “blind”) right before the word τυφλῶν (tuphlōn, “of the blind”). This does not explain the shorter reading, however, in the other witnesses, of which B and D are quite weighty. Internal considerations suggest that the shorter reading is original: “of the blind” was likely added by scribes to balance this phrase with Jesus’ following statement about the blind leading the blind, which clearly has two groups in view. A decision is difficult, but internal considerations here along with the strength of the witnesses argue that the shorter reading is more likely original. places τυφλῶν in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
20 Grk “If blind leads blind.”
21 Grk “And answering, Peter said to him.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
22 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
23 Or “into the latrine.”
24 Grk “but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”
25 For location see ; ; ; ; .
26 For location see ; ; .
27 Grk “And behold a Canaanite.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis ( 1).
28 Grk The participle ἐξελθοῦσα (exelthousa) is here translated as a finite verb. The emphasis is upon her crying out to Jesus.
29 Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
30 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
31 Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
32 Grk “And answering, he said.” The construction in Greek is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the disciples’ request.
33 In this context the verb προσκυνέω (proskuneō), which often describes worship, probably means simply bowing down to the ground in an act of reverence or supplication (see L&N 17.21).
34 Grk “she bowed down to him, saying.”
35 Grk “And answering, he said, ‘It is not right.’ ” The introductory phrase “answering, he said” has been simplified and placed at the end of the English sentence for stylistic reasons. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
36 Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.” The term dogs does not refer to wild dogs (scavenging animals roaming around the countryside) in this context, but to small dogs taken in as house pets. It is thus not a derogatory term per se, but is instead intended by Jesus to indicate the privileged position of the Jews (especially his disciples) as the initial recipients of Jesus’ ministry. The woman’s response of faith and her willingness to accept whatever Jesus would offer pleased him to such an extent that he granted her request.
37 Grk “And answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant and has not been translated.
38 Grk “she said.”
39 Grk “Then answering, Jesus said to her.” This expression has been simplified in the translation.
40 Woman was a polite form of address (see γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.
41 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
42 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
43 Although the external evidence is not great (א W Θ 700 ), the internal evidence for the omission of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after “disciples” is fairly strong. The pronoun may have been added by way of clarification. , however, includes the pronoun, on the basis of the much stronger external evidence.
44 Grk “was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.”
45 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
46 Although most witnesses (B C L W f13 33 𝔐 f sys,p,h mae) read “women and children” instead of “children and women,” it is likely that the majority’s reading is a harmonization to Matt 14:21. “Children and women” is found in early and geographically widespread witnesses (e.g., א D [Θ f1] 579 lat syc sa bo), and has more compelling internal arguments on its side, suggesting that this is the original reading. , however, agrees with the majority of witnesses.
47 Grk “And those eating were four thousand men, apart from children and women.”
48 Magadan was a place along the Sea of Galilee, the exact location of which is uncertain.
1 See the note on Pharisees in .
2 See the note on Sadducees in .
3 The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.
4 What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
5 Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.
6 Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).
7 Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”
8 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
9 See the note on Pharisees in .
10 See the note on Sadducees in .
11 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ saying about the Pharisees and Sadducees.
12 Or “becoming aware of it.”
13 Grk “Those of little faith.”
14 Or “discussing.”
15 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
16 For location see ; .
17 Grk “he asked his disciples, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant and has been left untranslated.
18 The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
19 Grk “And answering, Simon Peter said.”
20 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” See the note on Christ in .
21 Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
22 The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so , ; cf. “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
23 Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy). In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13–14). Some translations render this by its modern equivalent, “hell”; others see it as a reference to the power of death.
24 Most (א2 C W 𝔐 lat bo) have “Jesus, the Christ” (Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, Iēsous ho Christos) here, while D has “Christ Jesus” (ὁ Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς). On the one hand, this is a much harder reading than the mere Χριστός, because the name Jesus was already well known for the disciples’ master—both to them and to others. Whether he was the Messiah is the real focus of the passage. But this is surely too hard a reading: There are no other texts in which the Lord tells his disciples not to disclose his personal name. Further, it is plainly a motivated reading in that scribes had the proclivity to add Ἰησοῦς to χριστός or to κύριος (kurios, “Lord”), regardless of whether such was appropriate to the context. In this instance it clearly is not, and it only reveals that scribes sometimes, if not often, did not think about the larger interpretive consequences of their alterations to the text. Further, the shorter reading is well supported by א* B L Δ Θ f1, 13 565 700 1424 al it sa. Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” See the note on Christ in .
25 Grk “From then.”
26 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
27 The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
28 Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in .
29 Grk “began to rebuke him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
30 Grk “Merciful to you.” A highly elliptical expression: “May God be merciful to you in sparing you from having to undergo [some experience]” (L&N 88.78). A contemporary English equivalent is “God forbid!”
31 Grk “people.”
32 Grk “to come after me.”
33 This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
34 To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
35 Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25–26).
36 The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
37 Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
38 An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
39 Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
40 The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mē) is the strongest possible.
41 Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. γεύομαι 2).
42 Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21–23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.