Day Fifteen – Tuesday, January 21, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Matthew 15

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Debate Over Tradition

Mark 7:1–23 (Parallel)

15 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ² “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—⁶ then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:⁸ ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,And honor Me with their lips,But their heart is far from Me.⁹ And in vain they worship Me,Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”¹⁰ When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: ¹¹ Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”¹³ But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”¹⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”¹⁶ So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 15:1–20.

Points to Ponder:

• In this section of chapter 15, the Pharisees again pit themselves against Jesus by questioning Him about His disciples neglect to wash their hands before eating.
• Seems like a big ado about not much. Sure, we usually wash our hands before eating today due to hygiene considerations. But the Pharisees’ concerns were more ceremonial in nature, a matter of tradition.
• Jesus responded with a similar question about the Pharisees’ ignoring tradition when dealing with their parents. Instead of financially supporting a parent, they could declare part of their possessions or money as dedicated to the Lord and avoid giving it to their parents for assistance. This invalidates the law to honor one’s father and mother.
• Jesus went on to call them hypocrites who honor God with their words, but not their hearts. He also condemns their tendency to make traditions equal to Scripture, which is not valid.
• Jesus then explains His contentions to the people by saying that what goes into the mouth does not defile, because it is eventually expelled from the body. What truly defiles is what comes out of one’s mouth, our words, because they reveal the true condition of the heart.
• Jesus calls the Pharisees blind guides who will lead all who follow them into the ditch.
• He then further explains the saying about unwashed hands and defilement by identifying foul things that come from the heart: evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, blasphemies.

Jesus Heals the Gentile Woman’s Daughter

Mark 7:24–30 (Parallel)

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”²³ But He answered her not a word.And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”²⁵ Then she came and worshiped 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 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 15:21–28.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus and His disciples left Gennesaret and went to Tyre and Sidon to minister.
• A Canaanite woman came to Jesus with a request for her demon-possessed daughter, but Jesus ignored her.
• His disciples asked Him to send her, a Gentile, away. Instead, He engaged her and told her that He was only sent to the Israelites. She persisted in her request and worshipped Jesus.
• Jesus then told her that she was the equivalent of a little dog, and was not allowed to eat from the children’s table. She answered with great wisdom and cunning, undeterred by His apparent insults. She said that she was one of the little dogs who would eat of the crumbs from the master’s table.
• Jesus honored her faith and healed her daughter immediately.

Jesus Heals Many

Mark 7:31–37 (Parallel)

²⁹ Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. ³⁰ Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. ³¹ So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 15:29–31.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus left Tyre and Sidon, passed by the coast of Galilee, and went up to a mountain. Great multitudes came to him there with many crippled and sick people. Jesus healed them all.
• The people marveled at Jesus’ power and ability to heal.
• Lord, let us marvel at the greatness of the Savior Messiah, Jesus Christ!

Jesus Feeds 4,000

Mark 8:1–10 (Parallel)

³² Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”³³ Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”³⁴ Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”³⁵ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. ³⁷ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. ³⁸ Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 15:32–39.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus again felt compassion for this great crowd and their lack of food. They had followed Him for days and were hungry.
• Jesus’, as he had just days before, asked the disciples how much food they had. This time they had seven small loaves of bread and a few fish (very similar to the amount found in Chapter 14).
• Again, Jesus’ blessed the food, broke it, and the disciples distributed the food, and they all ate and were filled. They disciples took up seven baskets of fragments this time.
• About four thousand men, plus woman and children, ate at this divinely-provided feast.
• After this miracle, He sent the crowds home and the disciples got into a boat and sailed form Magdala.
• God, help us to marvel not only at your power, but also at your provision.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page.