Matthew 15

1 Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem come to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do your disciples step past the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 But he answered and said to them, “And why do you step past the command of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ [a] 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, “A gift — whatever you would have gained from me,” 6 he will certainly not honor his father.’ And you have made the word of God void by your tradition. [b] † 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well about you when he said: [c]

10 And he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person common, but what comes out of the mouth — this makes a person common.” [e] †

12 Then the disciples came and say to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were made to stumble when they heard the saying?” 13 But he answered and said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them. They are blind guides of the blind; and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Peter answered and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you still without understanding too? 17 Do you not see that everything going into the mouth passes into the belly and is thrown out into the latrine? 18 But the things coming out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those make a person common. 19 For out of the heart come evil reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things that make a person common; but eating with unwashed hands does not make a person common.”

21 And Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And look, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and was crying out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David! My daughter is badly demon-possessed.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and were asking him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out behind 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 was bowing down to him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But he answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord — and yet the little dogs eat from the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it happen for you as you wish.” And her daughter was cured from that hour.

29 And Jesus moved on from there and came beside the Sea of Galilee, and he went up on the mountain and sat there. 30 And large crowds came to him, having with them the deaf, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd was amazed as they saw the deaf speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing; and they gave glory to the God of Israel. [f]

32 But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, in case they give out on the road.” 33 And the disciples say to him, “Where in a deserted place would we get enough loaves to fill so large a crowd?” 34 And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

35 And he instructed the crowd to lie down on the ground, 36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven hampers full. [g] 38 And those eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children. 39 And when he had sent the crowds away he got into the boat and came to the borders of Magadan. [h]