THE CHALLENGE FROM JERUSALEM (15:1-9). In Chapter s 11-12, after the discourse in chapter 10, Matthew had begun by drawing attention to the imprisonment of John (Matthew 11:2), spoke of the opposition of he Pharisees (Matthew 12:1), and led on to the approach of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying,' Pharisees and Scribes (learned Teachers of the Law) now come down from Jerusalem to check on Jesus' activities. It was in fact the responsibility of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin to check up on all who claimed to teach. Now it was J... [ Continue Reading ]
“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” The challenge of the deputation was immediately concerning what they saw as His most important failure, that of maintaining ritual purity among His disciples in accordance with the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” The Scribes had asked Him why He transgressed the traditions of the great elders of the past, the revered Teachers of old. As mentioned above these were, among other things, Rabbinic in... [ Continue Reading ]
“For God said, ‘Honour your father and your mother', and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death'.” He points out that God had declared that a man must honour his father and mother and must not say anything that might result in their harm. Indeed were they to do so they shou... [ Continue Reading ]
a “But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, ‘That by which you might have benefited from me is given to God', he need not honour his father.” He points to one ruling whereby a man could withhold his wealth from helping his father and mother. By dedicating his wealth to the Temple... [ Continue Reading ]
“And you have made void the word of God because of your tradition.” Thus, He declares, they have made God's clear word void by their own tradition. They have avoided a clear command of God, by making use of their tradition.... [ Continue Reading ]
“You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, “This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.” He then brings His verdict on them from the Scriptures. Once again it is Isaiah that is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he called to him the crowd, and said to them, “Hear, and understand.” ' Jesus first calls the crowd, who have been aware of His spat with the Pharisees and Scribes, but who had probably been standing back out of respect for them. After all these were the great Teachers of the Law. And He calls... [ Continue Reading ]
“It is not what enters into the mouth which defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” Genuine religious defilement in the eyes of God is not caused by what men eat, but by what is inside a man and comes out in what he says. As He has previously warned, ‘For every i... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?” ' The disciples then approached Jesus and explained to Him that He had ‘offended' the Pharisees. They had clearly not dared to face Him with it, for they could not confute what He... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he answered and said, “Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant, will be rooted up.” ' Jesus reply here may well have had the parable of the tares (darnel) in mind (Matthew 13:38). Every plant which has not been planted by His heavenly Father must be rooted up, (for those planted by t... [ Continue Reading ]
“Let them alone. They are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” In contrast the Pharisees must be left to themselves, for they are blind guides, and anyone who follows them will, with them, fall into a ditch. It would seem that the Pharisees did actually claim t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Peter answered and said to him, “Declare to us the parable.” ' That the disciples were wrestling with this problem was understandable. For years they had grown up believing that in general the Pharisees' way was the right way, even if they had nor fully followed it. They had grown up recognisi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “Are you also even yet without understanding?” ' Jesus words are a gentle rebuke to them all. Do they still not understand after all this time. Are they still so bound to ritualistic ideas? The cloak of ritualism is hard to throw off, for it gives comfort to men even when they do not... [ Continue Reading ]
“Do you not perceive that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the digestive system, and is cast out into the draught?” So His disciples need to recognise that when something is eaten it goes through the digestive system, and that what then remains, leaves their bodies as waste and goes into th... [ Continue Reading ]
“But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man.” On the other hand the things which can really defile a man religiously and morally (parallel ideas in those days) are the things that are revealed by what comes from the mouth in the words that a m... [ Continue Reading ]
“For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings.” Here ‘evil thoughts' is probably a summary of what is then given in detail. Thus the idea here is that evil thoughts come from the ‘heart' (that is, from the mind and will and inner b... [ Continue Reading ]
“These are the things which defile the man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” It is such things that really defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands (while not a good idea hygienically) cannot defile the inner man. Thus Jesus is saying that the Pharisees are concentrati... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.' Aware of opposition growing all around Jesus now withdrew again and moved into the areas around Tyre and Sidon. These were in non-Jewish territory to the north of Palestine, and outside the jurisdiction of Herod and the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, you son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon.” ' While Jesus was in the region of Tyre and Sidon a woman came from her home and approached the area where He was. The fact th... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS BEGINS TO MOVE TOWARDS THE GENTILES (15:22-28). Jesus now moves for safety and quiet towards Tyre and Sidon. There were many Jews in the area who had shown an interest in hearing Him (see Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17) and it may be that it was His intention to minister to them. But it may simply be tha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she continually calls after us.” ' Jesus did not answer her. We should note in this regard that she was not addressing Him face to face but calling from a distance, so that there was nothing impolite... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he answered and said, “I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ' Jesus then turned in response to His disciples' requests and gave the reason for His lack of response. He declared, “I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Compare for these words the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But she came and worshipped him, saying, “Lord, help me” ' But then He is put on the spot, for with great boldness, and no doubt a sense of despair at His not replying, she came close and fell before Him, worshipping Him, and crying, ‘Lord, help me.' This put her appeal in a different light. A per... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he answered and said, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” ' So He turns to the woman and says, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” The picture is vivid. The family is sitting at their meal with the family dogs lying under... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.” ' She knows precisely what He means. He is a Jewish prophet, and His ministry is to the Jews. They are the ‘children' of His God, and she acknowledges both this, and their right. What He says is tr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith. Be it done to you even as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.' Impressed by her faith, and aware that she has now acknowledged where any benefit will come from, Jesus replies with commendation. “O woman, great i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus departed from there, and came alongside the sea of Galilee, and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.' Having gone northwards through the regions of Sidon, Jesus then moved eastwards and made for the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, where He again ‘went up into the mountain'. P... [ Continue Reading ]
MINISTRY IN GENTILE TERRITORY (15:29-31). There is every reason to think that this is in Gentile territory, for Matthew usually makes a return to Jewish territory clear, and that does not occur until Matthew 15:39; Mark 7:31 also confirms that this return to the Sea of Galilee was via the environs o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there came to him great crowds, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they cast them down at his feet, and he healed them,' That much has happened during the period that has past since the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter becomes clear here, for there are... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Insomuch that the crowd wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.' And once these crowds saw the wonderful things that He was doing, the dumb speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking and the bl... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus called to him his disciples, and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat, and I would not send them away fasting, lest it happen that they faint on the way.” ' Jesus expresses His compassion for the crowd who have been l... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FEEDING OF FOUR THOUSAND IN GENTILE TERRITORY BY A MIRACLE (15:32-39). It was one thing for Jesus to preach and heal in Gentile territory where there were many Jews, while allowing Gentiles to share the fringe benefits, for the synagogues did the same (at least the preaching bit). Gentiles were... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the disciples say to him, “From where should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a crowd?” ' The disciples clearly did not consider that it was likely that there could be a miracle of bread from Heaven for Gentiles, and began to consider from where they could get suffi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fishes.” ' So Jesus asked them how many loaves they had, and learned that they had seven, and a few little fishes. The number is significant. Five had in Jewish eyes indicated the covenant, but seven was... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.' Once again He commands the crowd to sit down, although this time not ‘on the grass' but ‘on the ground'. They are to recognise that the food comes from Him.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and he gave thanks and broke, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.' Then taking the seven loaves and the few fishes He gave thanks, broke them and gave them to the disciples. In the previous incident He had ‘offered a blessing' fo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they all ate, and were filled, and they took up what remained over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full.' And as before all ate and were filled. There is no lack of sufficiency when Jesus feeds men and women with the bread of life. And even what was left over was a sufficiency of divine su... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.' Those who ate were about four thousand men, as well as women and children. Again the counting of ‘the men' suggests an assembly of ‘the congregation of Israel', those who had met before the Lord. As we have seen, they ‘glorifie... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he sent away the crowds, and entered into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.' After the feeding the crowds are sent away and He enters a boat with His disciples and come to the borders of Magadan, which is in fact unknown. But that it is on the west shore is confirmed by the scene... [ Continue Reading ]