1 Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying, 2 Why do your disciples go against the teaching of the fathers? for they take food with unwashed hands. 3 And in answer he said to them, Why do you, yourselves, go against the word of God on account of the teaching which has been handed down to you? 4 For God said, Give honour to your father and mother: and, He who says evil of father or mother will be put to death. 5 But you say, If a man says to his father or his mother, That by which you might have had profit from me is given to God; 6 There is no need for him to give honour to his father. And you have made the word of God without effect because of your teaching. 7 You false ones, well did Isaiah say of you, 8 These people give me honour with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 9 But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules of men. 10 And he got the people together and said to them, Give ear, and let my words be clear to you: 11 Not that which goes into the mouth makes a man unclean, but that which comes out of the mouth. 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, Did you see that the Pharisees were troubled when these words came to their ears? 13 But he said in answer, Every plant which my Father in heaven has not put in the earth, will be taken up by the roots. 14 Let them be: they are blind guides. And if a blind man is guiding a blind man, the two will go falling into a hole together. 15 Then Peter said to him, Make the story clear to us. 16 And he said, Are you, like them, still without wisdom? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth goes on into the stomach, and is sent out as waste? 18 But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart; and they make a man unclean. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, the taking of life, broken faith between the married, unclean desires of the flesh, taking of property, false witness, bitter words: 20 These are the things which make a man unclean; but to take food with unwashed hands does not make a man unclean. 21 And Jesus went away from there into the country of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a woman of Canaan came out from those parts, crying and saying, Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is greatly troubled with an unclean spirit. 23 But he gave her no answer. And his disciples came and said to him, Send her away, for she is crying after us. 24 But he made answer and said, I was sent only to the wandering sheep of the house of Israel. 25 But she came and gave him worship, saying, Help, Lord. 26 And he made answer and said, It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. 27 But she said, Yes, Lord: but even the dogs take the bits from under their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus, answering, said to her, O woman, great is your faith: let your desire be done. And her daughter was made well from that hour. 29 And Jesus went from there and came to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and took his seat there. 30 And there came to him great numbers of people having with them those who were broken in body, or blind, or without voice, or wounded, or ill in any way, and a number of others; they put them down at his feet and he made them well: 31 So that the people were full of wonder when they saw that those who had no voice were talking, the feeble were made strong, those whose bodies were broken had the power of walking, and the blind were able to see: and they gave glory to the God of Israel. 32 And Jesus got his disciples together and said, I have pity for the people, because they have now been with me three days and have no food: and I will not send them away without food, or they will have no strength for the journey. 33 And the disciples say to him, How may we get enough bread in a waste place, to give food to such a number of people? 34 And Jesus says to them, How much bread have you? And they said, Seven cakes, and some small fishes. 35 Then he gave an order to the people to be seated on the earth, 36 And he took the seven cakes of bread and the fishes; and having given praise, he gave the broken bread to the disciples, and the disciples gave it to the people. 37 And they all took food, and had enough; and they took up of the broken bits, seven baskets full. 38 And there were four thousand men who took food, together with women and children. 39 And when he had sent the people away, he got into the boat, and came into the country of Magadan.
Matthew · Bible in Basic English
Matthew 15 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (38)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Luke 5:30; Mark 3:22; Luke 5:21; Matthew 23:2; Acts 23:9
- 2 Mark 7:2; Luke 11:38; Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:20–23; Mark 7:5
- 3 Colossians 2:23; Titus 1:14; Colossians 2:8; Mark 7:6–8; Matthew 7:3–5
- 4 Exodus 20:12; Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 21:18–21; Deuteronomy 5:16
- 5 Mark 7:10–13; Acts 5:29; Matthew 23:16–18; Amos 7:15–17; Acts 4:19
- 6 1 Timothy 5:8; Jeremiah 8:8; Mark 7:13; Psalm 119:126; 1 Timothy 5:16
- 7 Mark 7:6; Matthew 23:23–29; Acts 28:25–27; Matthew 7:5
- 8 Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31; Acts 8:21; 1 Peter 3:10; Jeremiah 12:2
- 9 Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7:7; 1 Timothy 1:4; Titus 1:14; Colossians 2:18–22
- 10 Mark 7:14–15; Colossians 1:9; Luke 20:45–47; Luke 24:45; Matthew 24:15
- 11 Mark 7:15; Matthew 15:18–20; James 3:5–8; Matthew 12:34–37; 1 Timothy 4:4–5
- 12 1 Corinthians 10:32–33; 1 Kings 22:13–14; Matthew 17:27; 2 Corinthians 6:3; James 3:17
- 13 John 15:2; Isaiah 60:21; John 15:6; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 92:13
- 14 Luke 6:39; Isaiah 56:10; Matthew 23:16–24; Isaiah 9:16; Malachi 2:8
- 15 Matthew 13:36; Mark 7:17; John 16:29; Mark 4:34
- 16 Matthew 16:9; Mark 9:32; Mark 7:18; Luke 9:45; Matthew 15:10
- 17 Luke 6:45; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Matthew 7:19–20; James 3:6; Colossians 2:21–22
- 18 Proverbs 15:28; Matthew 12:34; James 3:6–10; Matthew 15:11; Proverbs 15:2
- 19 Mark 7:21–23; Galatians 5:19–21; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:13–15; Titus 3:2–6
- 20 Mark 7:3–4; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; Luke 11:38–40; Ephesians 5:3–6; Revelation 21:8
- 21 Mark 7:24–30; Matthew 11:21–23; Joshua 13:6; Judges 1:31; Joshua 19:28–29
- 22 Matthew 9:27; Mark 7:25–26; Matthew 17:15; Psalm 45:12; Psalm 4:1
- 23 Matthew 14:15; Genesis 42:7; Psalm 28:1; Lamentations 3:8; Mark 10:47–48
- 24 Matthew 10:5–6; Romans 15:8; Acts 13:46; Jeremiah 50:6–7; Ezekiel 34:5–6
- 25 Genesis 32:26; Mark 9:22; Matthew 20:31; Hosea 12:4; Matthew 14:33
- 26 Mark 7:27–28; Matthew 7:6; Philippians 3:2; Ephesians 2:12; Galatians 2:15
- 27 Ephesians 3:8; Luke 16:21; Romans 10:12; 1 Timothy 1:13–15; Job 40:4–5
- 28 Mark 9:23–24; Matthew 8:13; Psalm 145:19; Mark 5:34; Matthew 9:22
- 29 Matthew 4:18; Matthew 5:1; John 6:1; Matthew 15:29–31; Luke 5:1
- 30 Luke 6:17–19; Acts 5:15–16; Matthew 14:35–36; Acts 19:11–12; Isaiah 35:5–6
- 31 Matthew 9:8; Luke 18:43; Genesis 32:28; Luke 17:15–18; Luke 7:16
- 32 Matthew 9:36; Luke 12:29–30; Acts 27:33; Mark 8:1–10; Matthew 14:14–21
- 33 Luke 9:13; Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:37; John 6:5–9; Mark 8:4–5
- 34 Matthew 16:9–10; Luke 24:41–42; John 21:9–10
- 35 Mark 6:39–40; John 6:10; Luke 9:14–16; Matthew 14:19–21
- 36 Luke 22:19; Romans 14:6; John 6:11; Acts 27:35; 1 Timothy 4:3–4
- 37 Matthew 14:20–21; Psalm 107:9; Mark 8:19–21; Mark 8:8–9; Matthew 15:33
- 39 Mark 8:10; Matthew 14:22
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
This woman of Canaan, who has just now been brought before us in the lesson of the Gospel, shows us an example of humility, and the way of godliness; shows us how to rise from humility unto exaltation.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
Then; when? when He had wrought His countless miracles; when He had healed the infirm by the touch of the hem of His garment. For even with this intent doth the evangelist mark the time, that He might signify their unspeakable wickedness, by nothing repressed.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For [the Scripture] saith in a certain place, "This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." And again: "They bless with their mouth, but curse with their heart." And again it saith, "They loved Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their tongue; but their heart was not right with Him, neither …
… the simple command of God; that is, they set up a spurious law, and one contrary to the [true] law; as also the Lord made plain, when He said to them, "Why do ye transgress the commandment of God, for the sake of your tradition?" For not only by actual transgression did they set the law of God at nought, …
For He says in the Gospel, "I am not sent save to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," which He here compared to the pupil of God's eye, to signify the profoundest love.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)