by Stan Feldsine (www.tojesusbeallglory.com)
Matthew 15:1-3 - Traditions and Commands
Mat 15:1-3 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, (2) "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" (3) Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Jesus here is continuing His ministry to the people around Gennesaret. He had fed the 5000, walked on water to the the boat where the disciples were encountering weather resistance in reaching the other side.
Peter had walked out to Jesus on the water, after which Jesus entered the boat and they all found themselves in Gennesaret, thus concluding the lessons taught by the feeding the 5000, storms at sea, and walking on water. The lesson was that the disciples would need to depend on and trust Jesus for every aspect of all of their needs.
As He continued, He was confronted by some Pharisees that had come up from Jerusalem. No doubt Pharisee headquarters in Jerusalem had sent these out with the the mission to confront and discredit Jesus. The opposition to Jesus as the Messianic King is increasing and the Pharisees are traveling to where Jesus is now to try and bring doubt regarding His authority.
In addition to recording the parabolic discourse by Jesus on physical versus spiritual defilement, Matthew reveals the contrast between the faith of the Pharisees and that of a Canaanite (Gentile) woman in this chapter. Jesus would again marvel at the unbelief of the Jewish people, and the belief of the Gentile Canaanite woman.
Significantly, the Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking the "tradition of the elders", not of breaking the Law of Moses. The "elders" were great rabbis of the past, and their oral teachings had come to be viewed as almost equal in authority to the Law of Moses. These Pharisees were quite aware that what they were accusing Jesus of was breaking their traditions, not the actual law.
The oral law (traditions of the elders) regarding the washing of hands is not a matter of hygiene, but spiritual defilement. The purpose of the "washing of hands" was religious purification. The synagogues provided supplies of water for this ritual. Omitting this ritual would lead to temporal destruction and poverty, and the departure of God's divine presence. Pharisees elevated the study of the oral law above that of the Law of Moses, and it was the Pharisaical method of maintaining control of the Jewish nation.
According to the Pharisees, Jews who contradicted the Law were not considered rebels, but those who contradicted a rabbi were, hence Jesus charge against them because their traditions invalidated God's law..
There were a lot of other ritual traditions based on ritual washings, including that of cups, pitchers, kettles, etc.
Mar 7:3-4 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. (4) When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
Jesus counters with an accusation that they are elevating their traditions over the law.
Mar 7:8-9 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." (9) And he continued, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Matthew 15:4-9 - Honoring Mother and Father
Mat 15:4-9 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' (5) But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is 'devoted to God,' (6) they are not to 'honor their father or mother' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (7) You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: (8) "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (9) They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'"
What Jesus is bringing up in His counter argument is that the Pharisees were more interested in honoring their traditions than they were about being obedient to the Law of Moses.
Mar 7:6-9 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (7) They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' (8) You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." (9) And he continued, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
The example that Jesus brings up to illustrate their error involves the 5th commandment.
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Eph 6:2-3 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- (3) "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
This is a part of the Law of Moses, not a tradition. It states that children, adult or otherwise, should "honor" our parents. "Honor" means to "place value upon", "revere", "show the value of someone or something". In the Jewish understanding, it meant that the Jewish people were to care for the welfare of their parents as they aged and were not able to care for themselves. This law was serious enough that it provided for the death penalty for insolent children who cursed their parents.
Although the Law stated that we should honor our parents, the oral law provided ways to "opt out" of this care. It stated that giving money to the temple was more important than caring for ones parents. The term "corban" meant "a gift set apart to God". If a person had a parent in need, that person could escape from the responsibility to care for their parents by declaring the gift set apart to God.
Mar 7:10-13 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' (11) But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)-- (12) then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. (13) Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
The intricacies of this tradition allowed the person who declared what might have been used to help the parent to either give it to the synagogue, or keep it themselves as something set apart to God.
In this way the traditions of the elders conflicted with the Law of Moses and the people had to choose which to follow. The Pharisees were rightly called hypocrites and rebuked.
The Ritual
The "tradition of the elders" in this case involved ceremonial cleansing in the form of the washing of hands. It was believed that evil spirits were present all the time and that the frequent ritual of washing of hands and various implements cleansed the individual and removed the evil spirits from their presence.
The ritual itself required that in groups of people, there was an order that the ritual was to be completed, starting with the most important person, and ending with the least. The ritual ended with a benediction recited by the person who began the ritual.
If a Jew despised the washing of hands, then they were excommunicated, and when he died, a large rock was placed on his grave, and the rock was stoned. A Jew who despised the washing of hands would be rooted out of the world, and would fall into poverty.
There were even traditions for situations when there was no water to wash in. If water was within 4 miles of where the party was, then they were to travel to that location to perform the ritual. If the distance was greater than 4 miles, then they were to wipe their hands with shavings, sand or a board, then they could proceed with the prayer.
Jesus's Dealing and Response to Rabbinic Ritualism
Jesus did not follow this tradition, and neither did His disciples. That was the whole point of the Pharisees questioning Him about this. The Pharisees that were questioning Jesus had traveled for three days to question Him about something that was not even a matter of the Mosaic Law.
The Pharisees were never able to accuse Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses, which He was obedient to down to the last jot and tittle. They could only accuse Him of breaking their traditions.
Jesus responded to Pharisaic traditionalism by pointing out that they were hypocrites, that they were setting up a tradition that allowed for passively ignoring the commandments of God (Law of Moses) and allowing their traditions to outright reject the commands of God.
Isa 29:13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Mar 7:6-7 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (7) They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'
The Pharisees believed that they were honoring and worshiping God with their man made rules, but in truth their worship was empty and vain and elevated their man made rules above the rules that God gave them in His law.
Mar 7:9 And he continued, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Corban
As mentioned above, Jesus illustrated the truth of what He was saying about their hypocrisy, and elevating their traditions above the Law of Moses.
"Many Such Like Things"
Mar 7:13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
Jesus judged the Pharisees for elevating their traditions above the Law of Moses in many other things. Another example has to do with the principle of "Eruv".
The Law of Moses contains a command for the Sabbath day of rest in which the individual Jew is not permitted to travel more than .57 miles. The Pharisees devised a way to get around this and travel further. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum quotes a source (b.Shabbath, p. 27, n. 9.. See also y. Shebiit 9:1):
On the Sabbath one may not go more than two thousand cubits out of the town. This, however, may be extended by placing some food (called an 'erub) at any spot within the two thousand cubits on Friday; by a legal fiction that spot becomes the Sabbath abode, since he can now eat his meal there, and from there he is premitted to walk a further two thousand cubits in any direction. This food must so be placed that it is permissable to take it on the Sabbath."
Matthew 15:10-11 - What Defiles a Person Parable
Mat 15:10-11 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. (11) What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."
Jesus calls the entire crowd to hear what He has to say. He is going to use a parabolic method to explain what is going on by showing that defilement is a heart issue, not a physical issue.
In the following passage we see that the Pharisees were only concerned with outward ritual.
Mar 7:1-4 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus (2) and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (3) (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. (4) When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
Jesus contradicts the traditional teachings of the Pharisees by stating that it is not what is done outside physically, I.E. ritual, that determines if one is "clean" or not, rather, it is the expression proceeding forth from the heart that determines if one is "clean" or not.
One is physical cleanliness, the other is spiritual cleanliness. The Pharisees were concerned with physical cleanliness and ignored spiritual cleanliness.
Mat 15:11 What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."
Mar 7:15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them."
Matthew 15:12-14 - The Offense to the Pharisees
Mat 15:12-14 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" (13) He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. (14) Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
The people held the Pharisees in high regard, even the disciples respected them. It is in this spirit that the disciples wanted to know why Jesus was speaking in a way that offended them.
The passage that "every plant ... that the Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots" hearkens back to the parable of the Wheat and Tares. The pulling up of the weeds occurs between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom. They are to be left to spread their false teachings until that time.
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares:
Mat 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. (25) But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. (26) When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. (27) "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' (28) "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' (29) "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares Explained:
Mat 13:36-42 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." (37) He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. (38) The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, (39) and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (40) "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. (41) The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (42) They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The righteous people are referred to as a plant the Lord has planted, I.E. wheat.
Isa 60:21 Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
The unrighteous are referred to as a plant that will be destroyed for it's lack of fruit, I.E. tares.
Isa 5:1-6 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. (2) He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. (3) "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. (4) What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? (5) Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. (6) I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."
The Pharisees considered themselves to be guides to the spiritually blind, but they themselves were blind.
Rom 2:19-21 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, (20) an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- (21) you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
Matthew 15:15-20 - What Defiles a Person Explained
Mat 15:15-20 Peter said, "Explain the parable to us." (16) "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. (17) "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? (18) But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. (19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (20) These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them."
Peter and the disciples referred to the statement Jesus made in Mat 15:10-11 as a parable. Parables were designed so that no one understood what He was talking about.
Mat 15:10-11 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. (11) What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."
Mar 7:14-15 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. (15) Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them."
Peter and the disciples asked Jesus to explain this short parable. Even the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying.
Mat 15:15 Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
Mar 7:17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.
The Pharisees only say defilement as something external to themselves. I.E. they ate pork, they were defiled. They touched a dead man, they were defiled, etc.
Jesus was teaching them that defilement was not something caused externally, but originated internally, in the heart. That is where defilement originated. Remember from the beginning the law was concerned not about external cleanliness, but was concerned about circumcision, or regeneration of the heart.
Deu 10:15-16 Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations--as it is today. (16) Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.
Deu 30:6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it.
In the example of eating pork, Jesus is wanting the disciples to understand that the decision to eat pork originates in the heart and that is where defilement occurs. Their behavior proceeds from their heart. Cleanliness is a matter of the heart, not ritual. The washing of hands was a worthless ritual created by the "wise rabbis" to be a tradition that was not a part of the Law of Moses. It did not deal with the thoughts in the mind or the heart from whence defilement originated.
The Pharisees were hard hearted, focused on worthless tradition, and resistant to change. They were not allowing God's word to change their heart through regeneration. They did not understand the real Law of Moses that called on them to be circumcised of heart, which is to be regenerated in their minds.
Mark adds a detail that should not be overlooked.
Mar 7:19 For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
The Pharisees were only concerned with external cleanliness. This is most likely because they were devoid of the Spirit, and could not perceive thus not understand the concept of internal cleanliness. The prohibition against eating pork was in the Law of Moses, not a tradition.
A part of Jesus' mission was to eliminate the distinction between clean and unclean in the realm of food. In the realm of the physical, Jesus is saying that nothing can defile us:
Mar 7:15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them."
Jesus here is teaching that defilement occurs in the heart, not physically.
Mar 7:20-23 He went on: "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. (21) For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come--sexual immorality, theft, murder, (22) adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (23) All these evils come from inside and defile a person."
So Mark is applying this to foods that previously had been considered unclean to eat. If nothing physically outside a person can defile them, and pork is something eaten physically, then pork cannot defile a person who eats it. Thus, Jesus made pork clean for those who understand what this parable is teaching.
Other writers confirmed this the change in the nature of unclean meat. Luke writing in Acts states this:
Act 10:9-15 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. (10) He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. (11) He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. (12) It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. (13) Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." (14) "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." (15) The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
The context of what Luke is recording here is Peter's rejection of Gentiles. Jesus is teaching him, using the metaphor of unclean meats becoming clean to illustrate that Peter should not consider Gentiles to be unclean. In the metaphor, all meats are necessarily clean, or the metaphor would not be a valid illustration indicating that Gentile were now to be considered clean.
Act 10:28 He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.
Paul also shows that all meats are considered clean now:
Rom 14:6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
1Ti 4:1-5 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (2) Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (3) They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. (4) For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, (5) because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
The "truth" that Paul is referring to in this letter to Timothy is that external things are not the source of defilement, our heart and mind is. Guard our hearts and minds, and our behavior will be protected as well.
Matthew 15:21-28 - The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
Mat 15:21-28 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. (22) A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly." (23) Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." (24) He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (25) The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. (26) He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." (27) "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." (28) Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment.
The region of Tyre and Sidon were predominantly Gentile. Jesus would retreat to Gentile lands to escape the threats of the Pharisees and their followers. Jesus was seeking a private place to speak to His disciples about their lack of spiritual discernment.
Mar 7:24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.
Jesus was becoming quite well known throughout the land and it was quite difficult at this point to maintain secrecy about where He was. During this trip to this region, he encountered a Gentile woman who was a Greek from the area of Syria Phoenicia. This woman was well aware of who Jesus was and cried out to Him for help.
Mar 7:25-26 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. (26) The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Of significant note is that the woman addressed Jesus as "Son of David".
Mat 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."
By calling Jesus the "Son of David" the woman revealed that she understood Jesus to be the Messianic King who had come to establish His Kingdom and reign over earth from the throne of David.
But Jesus did not answer her, basically ignoring her. This distressed the disciples who were probably embarrassed and asked Jesus to send her away.
Mat 15:23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
Jesus responded by telling her that He had not come but for the lost sheep of Israel, meaning the Jewish people. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and had come for the Jews only. At this point the Gentiles were still without hope and without God in the world.
Eph 2:11-12 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)-- (12) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
The Gentile would not be welcomed into the new man until Jesus's resurrection.
Eph 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (14) For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, (15) by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, (16) and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Gal 3:24-29 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (25) Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (26) So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, (27) for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The woman accepted what Jesus said about His coming only for the Israelites, and changed her approach to one of worship. She came based on her personal need. Jesus's response this time was that it was not proper to give her what was not hers, I.E. the blessings of the Kingdom were for those in the house of the Jews.
Consider that Jesus had been going to the Jews and many were unreached, others had rejected Him. If Jesus were to redirect His efforts at this time and turn to the Gentiles He would never reach all the Jewish people that needed to hear him. The mission to the Gentiles would come later.
The term dogs in this context referred to puppies, or house pets, not the mangy dogs of the street. "Dogs" as used in this context was not a derogatory term, it just showed that even as house pets the dogs did not get to eat what belonged to the children of the household. Never the less they did get to eat of the crumbs. As such the dogs were allowed in the house, they just were not allowed to eat the children's food and thus leave the children with nothing to eat.
Mat 15:26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
Finally the woman approached Jesus as one with great faith would. In spite of the rejections so far she persisted. She understood that the dogs could not eat the children's portion, but nevertheless they could eat of the table food as it fell.
Mat 15:27 "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."
Jesus saw in the woman great faith. She believed and was persistent, and it is based on the faith that she had that Jesus granted the woman's wish of healing for her daughter.
Mat 15:28 Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Matthew 15:29-31 - Jesus Heals Many
Mat 15:29-31 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. (30) Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. (31) The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus left the area of Tyre and Sidon and traveled to the Decapolis. This is the area in which Jesus cast the legion into the pigs, and was primarily a Gentile region. While the residents asked Jesus to leave after the encounter with the Legion, this time they welcomed Him.
Mar 7:31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
Jesus again has compassion on the crowds of sick, blind, mute and deaf people, and heals them all. These healings are on the basis of compassion and not signs of the Kingdom. The people are amazed, and even as Gentiles they praised the God of Israel, even as the Israelites were rejecting Him.
Mat 15:31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Mark includes the account of a deaf and nearly mute man. This man is likely a Jew from one of the small Jewish communities in the area based on the details of the healing. Interestingly, Jesus took him aside away from the crowd. This seems to represent a shift in Jesus's ministry where He no longer performed healing in the sight of the general population.
Mar 7:33-35 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. (34) He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means "Be opened!"). (35) At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Matthew 15:32-39 - Jesus Feeds the 4000
Mat 15:32-39 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." (33) His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" (34) "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish." (35) He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. (36) Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. (37) They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (38) The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. (39) After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
The feeding of the 4000 men is a similar event to the feeding of the 5000, but with some distinct differences. The feeding of the 5000 was primarily Jews, while the feeding of the 4000 are primarily Gentiles.
The motivation driving Jesus to feed the 4000 is again, compassion.
The primary lesson though is for the disciples, again emphasizing their need to depend on the Lord for meeting the needs of others. It seems apparent that the disciples were needing to hear the lesson again as they spoke up asking Jesus once again how they were going to feed so many people.
Mat 15:33 His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
After feeding the people, Jesus sent them away, and traveled to Magadan by boat.
Mat 15:39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
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