15:1 Pharisees and scribes Two groups of Jewish religious leaders. See note on 2:4; note on John 1:24.

from Jerusalem The Pharisees may have been in the area already, or they may have come as an official delegation to confront Jesus.

15:2 tradition of the elders Refers to the oral teachings of the Pharisees throughout the centuries. These teachings served to clarify and preserve the law.

they do not wash The disciples’ negligence makes them ritually unclean according to the tradition of the Pharisees. However, this point is not elucidated in the law, which required only priests to wash prior to service. The Pharisees applied this ceremonial purity to all Jews (compare Exod 30:17–21; Lev 15:11; Mark 7:3–4).

15:3 break the commandment of God Jesus turns the tables on His opponents. In the following verses, He highlights their guilt for a much greater offense than handwashing. His disciples may have violated the tradition of the elders, but the Pharisees violated the commandment of God.

15:4 Honor your father and your mother The fifth commandment. See Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.

The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die See Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.

15:5 benefit you would have received from me is a gift to God This apparently involves pledging to support the religious establishment with resources that otherwise might go to one’s parents. The Pharisees seem to have allowed—or even encouraged—such a trade-off, which Jesus says elevates human tradition above God’s commands.

15:7 Isaiah Jesus quotes Isa 29:13, which originally referred to the people of Jerusalem, and by extension God’s people as a whole, and applies it to the Pharisees.

15:11 defiles Make ritually unclean.

15:13 Every plant Drawing from Isaiah, Jesus uses plant imagery to describe the people of God (see Isa 60:21).

will be uprooted Jesus implies that the Pharisees, who oppose His message and burden the people with humanmade laws, do not come from the Father (even though they are Jews) and therefore will be destroyed.

15:14 They are blind guides of the blind The Pharisees, who knew the law better than the rest of the Jews, should have been teaching and instructing the people in the ways of God. Instead, they became caught up in ritual concerns of the law, unnecessarily burdening the people with secondary matters. Jesus says they, too, are blind and unworthy guides. Romans 2:19 uses the designation “guides of the blind” for rabbis.

15:15 Peter answered Peter continues to emerge as the spokesman of the group (see Matt 14:28 and note). Peter’s question follows Jesus’ statement about the blind guides, but Jesus’ response indicates that the question was about defilement (v. 11).

15:16 without understanding Despite all that they have seen and heard up to this point, the disciples still do not understand basic truths and spiritual metaphors.

15:18 come from the heart A person’s speech reveals the true state of his or her heart. In the Hebrew conception of personhood, the heart represents intelligence and will.

15:20 These are the things that defile a person Jews believed that ritual purity protected them from incurring God’s wrath; they would not approach God if they were unclean. Jesus teaches that matters of the heart—not external ceremonial regulations—render people unfit to enter God’s presence.

15:21 departing from there Refers to Gennesaret (14:34).

Tyre and Sidon Powerful Gentile city-states on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of Gennesaret.

15:22 Canaanite woman The Canaanites, Israel’s enemies in the Hebrew Scriptures (e.g., Deut 7:1), no longer existed as a distinct people. Mark uses the more historically accurate designation “Syrophoenician” (Mark 7:26). Matthew probably is employing “Canaanite” to emphasize the woman’s outsider status as a Gentile (non-Jewish person).

Lord, Son of David The title “lord” could simply be a sign of respect (see Matt 8:2 and note), but the title “Son of David” has messianic overtones, indicating that the Canaanite woman had better insight into Jesus’ identity than many Jews.

15:24 lost sheep of the house of Israel Refers to the Jews. Eventually, the gospel will be preached among non-Jewish people (as recorded in the book of Acts), but Jesus focused on teaching and healing among the people of Israel. His interaction with the Canaanite woman represents an exception to His normal pattern of ministry (compare 8:5–13).

15:26 children’s Refers to the Jews.

dogs Refers to the Gentiles. Rather than conveying personal hostility toward non-Jewish people, Jesus’ choice of words likely reflects a common Jewish sentiment, which He uses to evoke a response from her about Jewish and non-Jewish relations.

Gentiles

15:28 Let it be done for you Jesus’ response illustrates His point in vv. 10–20: The state of one’s heart, shaped by faith, is the decisive factor.

Miracles of Jesus Table

15:34 Seven, and a few little fish Compared to five loaves and two fish in the earlier account (see Matt 14:17).

15:37 seven baskets full The number seven is frequently used to express totality or completeness. See 14:20.

15:38 in addition to women and children See 14:21 and note.

15:39 the region of Magadan The location is unknown, but it might be an alternate name for Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.