A Deeper Look at Matthew:  An End Times Bible Study
Copyright 2012
 
 
Matthew 15
 
            The self-righteous, nitpicking scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem approach Jesus and ask Him why his disciples transgress "the tradition of the elders" and do not wash their hands when eating bread.  So Jesus asks them why they transgress the commandment of God by their tradition about the way to treat parents.  He says to them in 15:4, "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.  But ye say, 'Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, 'It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 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.''"
            Jesus goes on to say that Isaiah prophesied about these people in Isaiah 29:13, where it says, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
            Evidently, the scribes and Pharisees taught bad doctrine.  They said it is a gift to one's father and mother if they might be benefited by their child.  This is nothing less than disrespect to parents and is what these religious leaders taught as doctrine.  Remember, Jesus prophesied about people that do this in Matthew 5:19, where it says that those who break the commandments and teach men to do so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
            Jesus says in 15:9, "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."  Evidently, these "religious" leaders thought that it was more important to wash hands before eating than to honor one's parents.
            Jesus teaches the people in 15:11 that it is not what goes INTO a man that defiles him, but what comes OUT of a man that defiles him.  The disciples then ask Jesus, "Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?"  Jesus replies and says, "Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."  This is reminiscent of the parable of the tares in Matthew 13 - God plants the wheat and the enemy plants the tares.  If God hasn't planted you, then the enemy has and you end up in hell.
            Jesus tells the disciples in 15:14 to leave these religious leaders alone, for they are the blind leading the blind, and if this happens, both end up in the ditch.  What does this mean?  Well, these religious leaders were spiritually blind and they lead people that are also spiritually blind.  When this happens, both end up in the ditch (ultimately, hell).
            Peter tells Jesus to declare (the meaning) of the parable to them.  So, Jesus asks them if they are yet without understanding.  Jesus tells them that what goes into a person goes to the belly and is eventually cast out of them through the draught [bowel movement].  However, He goes on to say that the things which proceed out of a man come from the heart (Matthew 12:34). and these are what defile a man.  He says this includes: evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies - these defile a man but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.  Parents need to teach their children this same parable - especially that it is more important to obey God's commandments than to eat with unwashed hands.
            So, in 15:21, Jesus departs to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.  A woman of Canaan comes out of the same coasts and says to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."  But Jesus doesn't say anything to her and His disciples tell Him to send her away, for she cries after them.
            Jesus answers and says to them that He has not been sent but to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  What is this?  It is probably a person who belongs to one of the twelve tribes of Israel but has strayed off the path, spiritually speaking.  They have lost touch with what it takes to go to heaven and Jesus is sent to people like this to point them to the saving work He has been sent to accomplish.
            Well, in 15:25, this woman comes and worships Jesus and says, "Lord, help me."  Jesus says to her that it is not good for her to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.  Here, the woman says something peculiar - she says, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  For some reason, Jesus finds great faith in this statement - a statement I do not understand.  Jesus has pity on the woman and grants her what she desires; her daughter was healed that very hour.
            So Jesus departs, comes to the sea of Galilee, and goes up a mountain and sits down.  Great multitudes come to Jesus - "the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others," and Jesus heals them.  It says in 15:31 that the multitude "wondered" when they see the miraculous healings performed right before their very eyes.
            Jesus calls His disciples to Himself and says to them that He has compassion on them because they have been with Him for three days and have had nothing to eat.  He goes on to say He does not want to send them away without food because they might faint along the way.
            The disciples respond, asking where they might get some food, being in the wilderness among so many people.  So Jesus asks them how many loaves they have and they respond, "Seven, and a few little fishes."
            Jesus commands the multitude to sit down and DOES ANOTHER MIGHTY MIRACLE!  He gives thanks for the food, breaks it, gives to the disciples, and they give it to the people.  Seven baskets of food were left over.  The number of people that ate were four thousand, beside women and children.
            Matthew 15 ends with Jesus sending the multitude away, getting in a ship, and coming to the coasts of Magdala.