THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapter 15
Then the Pharisees and scribes came up to Yeshua
from Jerusalem and asked, ‘Why do Your disciples violate the traditions of our
forefathers? For they do not wash their hands before they eat their meal.’ He
answered them, “Why do you, yourselves, violate the commandments of Elohei by
your traditions? For Elohei said, ‘Honor
your father and mother’ (Exodus 20:12),
and ‘He who curses his father or mother must be put to death’ (Exodus 21:17). But you say that you do
not have to honor your father or mother if you give as an excuse, ‘What I have
that might be of help to you, I have dedicated to Elohei’. You have thus by
your traditions made worthless the commandments of Elohei. You hypocrites! Isaiah spoke about you when
he said, ‘This people honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.’
And their worship is to no purpose, for they teach doctrines that are only
commandments of men’ (Isaiah 29:13).
Now, calling the people to Him, He said, “Listen,
and take heed! It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but what
comes out of it.” His disciples then came to Him and said, ‘Do You know that
the Pharisees took offense at what You just said?’ He answered, “Every plant
that My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Leave them alone.
They are only blind leaders of the blind. If one blind man leads another, they
will both fall into the ditch.” Simon (Peter) then said to Him, ‘Explain this
teaching to us.’ He answered, “Don’t you – even you – understand? Do you not
understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and then
on until it is eliminated? But whatever comes out of the mouth, that comes from
the heart, and that defiles a person. Wicked thoughts, murder, adultery, depravity,
theft, falsehood, cursing … these come out of the heart. Such things as these defile
a man, whereas eating a meal with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
Yeshua now went away, going back into the
districts of Tyre and Sidon. And there was a Cannanite woman from there who
came to Him and said, ‘Take pity on me, Adonai, Son of David! My daughter has a
demon, and is very miserable.’ But He
did not answer her. His disciples said to Him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps on
crying after us.’ In reply, He said, “I was not sent to anyone but to the lost
sheep of the House of Israel.” But she came and fell down before Him pleading, ‘Adonai!
Help me!’ He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw
it to the dogs.” But she said, ‘True, Adonai, and yet even the little dogs eat
the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Yeshua answered, “O
woman, your faith is great! You shall have what you want.” And from that moment
her daughter was healed.
Yeshua then went further away from there,
going back toward the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up into a mountain and sat
down there. Great crowds of people came, bringing with them the lame, the
blind, the deaf, the crippled and many others. They laid them at His feet and
He healed them. As the people noted that the dumb now talked, the lame walked,
and the blind could see, they marveled and praised the God of Israel. Then
Yeshua called His disciples together and said, “I feel pity for the crowd which
has been with Me 3 days with nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them home
fasting, for fear they might faint on the way.” But His disciples said to Him, ‘Where
can we get enough bread here in the wilderness to satisfy so great a crowd?’ “How
many loaves do we have?” Yeshua asked. They replied, ‘Seven, and a few small
fishes.’ He then ordered the people to sit down on the ground. And he took the
7 loaves and the fishes and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His
disciples, and His disciples handed them out to the people. Everyone ate and
was satisfied. And when they took up the leftovers, they had 7 baskets full.
4000 men were fed, besides women and children. Then He dismissed the crowd, got
into a boat, and came to the place called Magadan.
