Matthew 15

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on Matthew 15

1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
5But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
6he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
8‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
9They worship Me in vain;
they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
10Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
11A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
12Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
14Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.
17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?
18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
20These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
22And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
23But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
29Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.
30Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them.
31The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
32Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
33The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”
34“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
35And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
37They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
38A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children.
39After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
— Matthew 15

Related Resources from Heartlight

Lost Who Find!
Illustration of Matthew 15:21-24 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:21-24 NLT -- Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely." But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging." Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep — the people of Israel."

Thanking Great Faith
Illustration of Matthew 15:25-28 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:25-28 NLT -- Then the woman came to Jesus again. She bowed before Jesus and said, "Lord, help me!" Jesus answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs." The woman said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! I will do the thing you wanted me to do." And at that time the woman's daughter was healed.

Thanks for the Power!
Illustration of Matthew 15:35-38 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:35-38 NLT -- Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Jesus took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. Then Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers. The followers gave the food to the people. All the people ate and were full. After this, the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. There were about 4,000 men there that ate. There were also women and children that ate.

Miss the Ditch!
Illustration of Matthew 15:12-14 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:12-14 NLT -- Then the followers came to Jesus and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees are angry because of what you said?" Jesus answered, "Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. Stay away from the Pharisees. They lead the people, but they are like blind men leading other blind men. And if a blind man leads another blind man, then both men will fall into a hole."

These Two First
Illustration of Matthew 15:29-31 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:29-31 NLT -- Then Jesus left that place and went to the shore of Lake Galilee. Jesus went up on a hill and sat down. Many, many people came to Jesus. These people brought many other sick people and put the sick people before Jesus. There were people that could not walk, blind people, crippled people, deaf people, and many others. Jesus healed all these people. People were amazed when they saw that people that could not speak were able to speak again. Crippled people were made strong again. People that could not walk were able to walk again. The blind were able to see again. All the people thanked the God of Israel (the Jews) for this.

You Hypocrites!
Illustration of Matthew 15:7-9 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:7-9 NLT -- "You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you. Isaiah said: 'These people say they honor me, but they don't really make me an important part of their lives. Their worship of me is for nothing. The things they teach are only rules that people have made.'"

Out of the Mouth!
Illustration of Matthew 15:10-11 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:10-11 NLT -- Jesus called the people to him. Jesus said, "Listen and understand what I am saying. It is not the things a person puts in his mouth that make him wrong. It is the things a person says with his mouth that make him wrong."

Re-runs?
Illustration of Matthew 15:32-33 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:32-33 NLT -- Jesus called his followers to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint while going home." The followers asked Jesus, "Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town."

Why? Don't!
Illustration of Matthew 15:1-2 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:1-2 NLT -- Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus. They came from Jerusalem and asked Jesus, "Why do your followers not obey the rules given to us by our great people that lived before us? Your followers don't wash their hands before they eat!"

Moving Out
Illustration of Matthew 15:39 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 15:39 NLT -- After they ate, Jesus told the people they could go home. Jesus got into the boat and went to the area of Magadan.

Cross References for Matthew 15

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.