Verses 1-9: Tradition Tested by God’s Command

¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ² “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” ⁶ he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of 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 do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’ ”

• God’s commandments must govern religious practice:

  Jesus does not condemn all tradition as such, but he exposes a deadly inversion: “disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition.” The theological point is that God’s revealed will has final authority over customs, interpretations, and religious habits—especially when those habits provide cover for disobedience.

• True piety strengthens, not evades, moral duty toward others:

  By contrasting “Honor your father and your mother” with the loophole that withholds care under the guise of devotion, Jesus teaches that worship cannot be used to cancel love of neighbor. Faithfulness to God expresses itself in concrete obedience, including costly responsibilities in family life.

• Hypocrisy is possible when words of worship outrun the heart:

  The quotation—“These people draw near to me with their mouth… but their heart is far from me”—teaches that external religious speech can coexist with internal alienation from God. This warns the Church that sincerity and inward reverence matter, and that God evaluates worship at the level of the heart, not mere verbal orthodoxy or public performance.

• Doctrines of men cannot replace the doctrine of God:

  “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men” underscores that worship becomes empty when human rules are elevated to divine status. The theological concern is not only moral failure but spiritual distortion: when man-made requirements are preached as God’s will, God’s word is functionally displaced.

Verses 10-20: The Heart as the Source of Defilement

¹⁰ He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹ That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” ¹² Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³ But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷ Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”

• Jesus calls for understanding, not mere conformity:

  “Hear, and understand” shows that Christ’s teaching aims at more than behavior management; it seeks spiritual perception. The life of faith is not reducible to rule-keeping, but involves receiving God’s truth with the mind and heart so that obedience flows from understanding.

• Sin’s deepest problem is internal, not ceremonial:

  By distinguishing what “enters into the mouth” from what “proceeds out of the mouth,” Jesus teaches that defilement is fundamentally moral and spiritual, arising from within. This guards the Church from confusing holiness with external compliance while also intensifying the call to repentance at the level of desires, thoughts, and intentions.

• Words reveal the heart’s condition before God:

  “The things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart” teaches that speech is diagnostic. While believers may be tempted to focus on external markers, Jesus directs attention to what we say—because it exposes what we cherish, fear, resent, or worship within.

• Humanity’s need is deeper than reform; it requires heart-cleansing:

  The catalog—“evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies”—locates the fountain of many sins in the heart. The theological implication is that spiritual restoration must reach the inner person; it is not enough to adjust habits while leaving the heart unchanged.

• Religious offense is not a reliable measure of truth:

  The disciples note that the Pharisees were “offended,” yet Jesus does not retract his teaching. This highlights that doctrinal or moral clarity may confront cherished systems, and that faithfulness sometimes provokes opposition—even from religious leaders.

• God will finally judge and uproot what he did not plant:

  “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted” affirms God’s decisive authority over what is truly of him. This comforts believers that error and hypocrisy do not have the last word, and it warns teachers that spiritual influence is accountable to God’s planting, not human prestige.

• Spiritual leadership without sight brings communal ruin:

  “They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit” teaches that false guidance harms both leaders and followers. This presses the Church toward discernment, humility, and dependence on God’s revelation so that leaders guide with clarity and the people follow wisely.

Verses 21-28: Persistent Faith and Expanding Mercy

²¹ Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” ²³ But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.” ²⁴ But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

• Mercy is sought rightly when we come to Jesus as Lord and Messiah:

  The woman’s plea—“Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David!”—models a faith that approaches Jesus with both need and reverence. Theologically, she testifies (as far as she understands) that Israel’s promised King is also the merciful deliverer for the afflicted.

• God’s redemptive plan has order, yet his compassion overflows its boundaries:

  Jesus’ statement, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” affirms a real historical priority in the Messiah’s mission. Yet the narrative also shows that this priority does not imprison mercy; in response to faith, Jesus grants deliverance to a Gentile household, hinting at the widening reach of God’s saving work.

• Faith persists through silence and testing, clinging to grace:

  Jesus “answered her not a word,” and his saying about “the children’s bread” tests her posture. Her reply does not demand entitlement; it pleads for mercy: “even the dogs eat the crumbs.” The theological point is that genuine faith perseveres, humbly appealing to God’s goodness rather than personal merit.

• Jesus honors “great… faith” with real deliverance:

  “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire” connects faith to answered prayer, while keeping the emphasis on Christ’s authority to grant what is asked. The healing—“from that hour”—shows that divine mercy is not abstract; it meets concrete suffering with decisive power.

Verses 29-31: The Kingdom’s Healing and the Glory of God

²⁹ Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. ³⁰ Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, ³¹ so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

• Christ’s compassion restores what is broken:

  The crowds bring every kind of weakness “at his feet,” and “He healed them.” Theologically, this portrays Jesus as the one with authority over the disorders of the fallen world, giving the Church warrant to seek him in need and to recognize healing as a sign of God’s kingdom kindness.

• Miracles aim at worship, not celebrity:

  The result is not merely amazement but doxology: “they glorified the God of Israel.” This teaches that God’s mighty works are meant to direct attention to God himself, cultivating gratitude, reverence, and faith rather than mere fascination with power.

Verses 32-39: Compassionate Provision and Abundant Bread

³² Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.” ³³ The disciples said to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵ He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; ³⁶ and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. ³⁷ They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. ³⁹ Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.

• Jesus’ compassion attends to both spiritual pursuit and bodily need:

  “I have compassion on the multitude” because they have stayed with him and are hungry shows that God’s care is not limited to “religious” concerns. Theologically, this reveals the goodness of the Creator toward embodied people and teaches the Church to hold together devotion to Christ and merciful care for practical needs.

• God often begins with what we have, then supplies what we lack:

  Jesus asks, “How many loaves do you have?” and receives the small inventory—“Seven, and a few small fish.” The disciples’ question highlights human limitation, but the scene teaches that the Lord draws disciples into participation: what is placed in his hands becomes sufficient for the service he commands.

• Thanksgiving and distribution portray ordered, communal grace:

  He “gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.” Theologically, provision is shown as gift (received with thanks) and as mediated through the community’s ministry. God remains the source, yet he dignifies disciples as instruments of his generosity.

• Christ provides abundantly—enough to satisfy and overflow:

  “They all ate, and were filled… seven baskets full… left over” teaches not mere adequacy but abundance. This strengthens faith that God’s resources are not fragile, and it encourages believers to trust Christ’s provision for the mission and for daily bread.

Conclusion: Matthew 15 calls believers to submit tradition to God’s commandments, to seek true purity of heart rather than external religion, and to beware spiritual blindness that misleads. It also displays the wideness of Christ’s mercy—welcoming humble, persistent faith—and the depth of his compassion, as he heals the afflicted and provides bread in abundance, leading God’s people to glorify the God of Israel.