New Testament Commentary - Matthew 15

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 15 The scribes and Pharisees contend against Jesus—He heals the daughter of a Gentile woman—He feeds the four thousand.
1 THEN came to Jesus ^ascribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the ^atradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your ^atradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ^aHonour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, ^blet him die the death.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a ^agift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me^a; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.	5^a a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me The attitude that the child owes their parents nothing and have no responsibility unto them and if they do anything for their parents it is a non-required 'gift', is but a concept which violates the commandment to honour one's father and mother. A part of this 'honouring' is to care for them and not to cast them off as one to whom no oblation of obligation is owed in the honouring of them. The Polynesian and Asian people do so honour their mothers and fathers. They do not abandon them, but they do continue to care for them always.	1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their ^amouth, and ^bhonoureth me with their lips; but their ^cheart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do ^aworship me, teaching for ^bdoctrines the ^ccommandments of men.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
10 ¶ And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth ^adefileth a man; but that which cometh out of the ^bmouth, this defileth a man.
12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?^a 13 But he answered and said, Every ^aplant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be ^ablind ^bleaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.	12^a Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? Part out of traditional respect to the traditional Jewish leaders and part in a fear of them because of their power over the people, does Peter confront the Lord over this matter. But it was full will the very point of the Lord's confrontation of them to so stir them up because of their 'priestcraft' wickedness in the manner in which they did rule over the people and disregard God in truth. For certainly Jesus had no fear of the Pharisees in and of himself, especially over a matter of but 'Jewish Tradition' in comparison to the Laws of God, But rather Christ had contempt for the wickedness of the Pharisees for placing such 'rules' of tradition upon the same if not greater basis than the law of God's righteousness.
15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the ^amouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the ^aheart proceed evil thoughts, ^bmurders, ^cadulteries, ^dfornications, thefts, ^efalse witness, ^fblasphemies: 20 These are the things which ^adefile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
21 ¶ Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the ^acoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not ^asent but unto the lost sheep of the house of ^bIsrael^a. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to ^adogs.	24^a I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Who are the 'lost' sheep of the house of Israel? And how was it determined that this woman was not of such in the eyes of the disciples? What test did the Lord put unto the woman in perhaps determining that she was of Israel, if not by blood at least by spirit? Certainly the woman considered herself under the Christ's umbrella of mastership, for she would even beg the scraps from 'her master's' table.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy ^afaith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 ¶ Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness^a, as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.	33^a Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness Now the Lord had feed 5,000 before in such a like manner. Why would the disciples question the Lord here in the wilderness? Did they not really think the prior feeding of the 5,000 a miracle. Or had they supposed that the people had contributed to the lot in that first instance? But here in the wilderness and after having fasted for three days, they knew that such 'contribution from the congregation' to the supply would not be so forth coming. Did they suppose that to have been the case before? Certainly it is so considered to be such by some gospel scholars. But indeed again the miracle was performed and this time with no other possible source but the Lord's miracle to so provide it.
35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven ^aloaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they ^atook up of the ^bbroken meat that was left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. 39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.