Matthew 15

₁About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, ₂“Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don't even wash their hands before they eat.”

₃Jesus answered:

₁₀Jesus called the crowd together and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. ₁₁The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”

₁₂Then his disciples came over to him and asked, “Do you know that you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?”

₁₃Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. ₁₄Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch.”

₁₅Peter replied, “What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?”

₁₆Jesus then said:

₂₁Jesus left and went to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. ₂₂Suddenly a Canaanite woman from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” ₂₃Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.

₂₄Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

₂₅The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”

₂₆Jesus replied, “It isn't right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”

₂₇“Lord, that's true,” the woman said, “but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table.”

₂₈Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.

₂₉From there, Jesus went along Lake Galilee. Then he climbed a hill and sat down. ₃₀Large crowds came and brought many people who were crippled or blind or lame or unable to talk. They placed them, and many others, in front of Jesus, and he healed them all. ₃₁Everyone was amazed at what they saw and heard. People who had never spoken could now speak. The lame were healed, the crippled could walk, and the blind were able to see. Everyone was praising the God of Israel.

₃₂Jesus called his disciples together and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home.”

₃₃His disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?”

₃₄Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread and a few little fish.”

₃₅After Jesus had told the people to sit down, ₃₆he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks. He then broke them and handed them to his disciples, who passed them around to the crowds.

₃₇Everyone ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.

₃₈There were four thousand men who ate, not counting the women and children.

₃₉After Jesus had sent the crowds away, he got into a boat and sailed across the lake. He came to shore near the town of Magadan.