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Matthew 15 Devotional: Explore Jesus’ teaching on inner purity versus outward tradition. Witness the remarkable faith of the Canaanite woman and the miraculous feeding of the four thousand as Christ extends His mercy to all.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to Matthew Chapter 15. Today we find Jesus in a heated debate with religious leaders over tradition, only to watch Him travel to a foreign region to heal a desperate mother. It is a chapter that challenges our "religious" comfort zones and reminds us that God looks past our rituals to the very depths of our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to search our motives as we read.
Matthew Chapter 15 Introduction:
Matthew Chapter 15 Introduction:
Tradition, the Heart, and the Bread of Life
Matthew 15 begins with the Pharisees questioning why Jesus’ disciples do not follow the "tradition of the elders" regarding hand-washing. Jesus responds by exposing their hypocrisy, showing how they use human traditions to nullify the direct commands of God. He explains that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them, but what comes out of the heart—evil thoughts, murder, and slander. The scene then shifts to the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a Canaanite woman pleads for her daughter's healing. Despite her background, her persistent faith moves the heart of the Savior, leading to a miracle and a second mass feeding of four thousand people.
What can we learn from this today? In this chapter, we see the Final Authority of the Bible over human tradition. As your Statement of Faith affirms, the Scriptures are the final authority for all Christian faith and life. Jesus warns us that "worshiping in vain" happens when we prioritize man-made rules over God’s heart. We also see the beauty of Salvation as a gift of Grace. The Canaanite woman had no "religious" standing, yet her faith in Jesus Christ alone brought healing and restoration. It reminds us that humanity fell into sin and is separated from God, but through faith—not ritual—we are made clean from the inside out.
Bible Verse
Bible Verse
That Which Defiles
That Which Defiles
15 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? 4 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.’”
10 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.”
12 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.”
15 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.”
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 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.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
29 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.
32 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.
Prayer
Prayer
Jesus said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." As we enter prayer, let us bring our true, unfiltered hearts before the One who already knows them and loves us perfectly.
Prayer Theme: "A Heart for God"
Prayer Theme: "A Heart for God"
Dear Heavenly Father, We praise You for the clarity of Your Word, which cuts through our traditions and reveals the truth of our souls. We believe that Your Scriptures are inspired and without error, and we submit our lives to their authority today. Thank You for the gift of Your grace that reaches across every boundary to find those who call out in faith.
Lord, I ask that You would purify my heart. Forgive me for the times I have focused on outward appearances while harboring bitterness, pride, or selfishness within. Just as the Canaanite woman persisted in her plea for mercy, I come to You today with my own needs and the needs of those I love, trusting in Your goodness alone. Help me to be like the "good soil" we studied earlier, bearing fruit that comes from a heart truly surrendered to Your Spirit.
We pray for our local church, that we would never let our traditions or preferences become a barrier to the Gospel. We lift up those in our community who feel "unclean" or unwelcome in religious spaces; may they encounter the radical, healing love of Jesus through us. We pray for a world that is hungry—both physically and spiritually. As You multiplied the loaves and fish for the four thousand, we ask for Your miraculous provision for the poor and for the Church to be faithful in sharing the Bread of Life with every nation. Amen.
Daily Application Question
Daily Application Question
Jesus pointed out that our words and actions are simply "overflow" from our hearts. Looking back at your interactions over the last 24 hours, what do your words reveal about the current state of your heart?
Frequently Asked Questions about Matthew 15
Frequently Asked Questions about Matthew 15
Why was Jesus seemingly "rude" to the Canaanite woman? Jesus was likely testing her faith and demonstrating a point to His disciples. By using the term "dogs" (a common Jewish slur for Gentiles at the time), He allowed her to demonstrate her great humility and her belief that even a "crumb" of His grace was enough to heal.
What does it mean to "nullify the word of God for the sake of tradition"? This happens when we follow religious customs that actually make it harder to obey God's core commands, such as using "religious obligations" as an excuse to avoid caring for our aging parents or neighbors.
Is there a difference between the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000? Yes. The 5,000 happened in Jewish territory, while the 4,000 in Matthew 15 happened in a primarily Gentile region (the Decapolis). This shows that Jesus is the Bread of Life for both the Jew and the Gentile.
Thank you for joining us for Matthew 15. May your heart be cleansed and your faith be strengthened as you walk with the Savior today. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the pivotal confession of Peter in Matthew Chapter 16.
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