Matthew 15:1-39 NET

[1] Then Pharisees and experts in the law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and said, [2] "Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat." [3] He answered them, "And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? [4] For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.' [5] But you say, 'If someone tells his father or mother, "Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God," [6] he does not need to honor his father.' You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. [7] Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, [8] 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, [9] and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" [10] Then he called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. [11] What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person." [12] Then the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?" [13] And he replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. [14] Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit." [15] But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." [16] Jesus said, "Even after all this, are you still so foolish? [17] Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer? [18] But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. [19] For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. [20] These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person." [21] After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. [22] A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!" [23] But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, "Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us." [24] So he answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [25] But she came and bowed down before him and said, "Lord, help me!" [26] "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs," he said. [27] "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." [28] Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you." And her daughter was healed from that hour. [29] When he left there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a mountain, where he sat down. [30] Then large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. [31] As a result, the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel. [32] Then Jesus called his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way." [33] The disciples said to him, "Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?" [34] Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven-and a few small fish." [35] After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, [36] he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. [37] They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. [38] Not counting children and women, there were 4,000 men who ate. [39] After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.