Matthew Chapter 15 | Best devotional materials, including: introduction, background, main content, Bible reading and prayer video, Scripture, and post-reading prayer to help you gain a deeper understanding of biblical truth.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to our One Chapter per day Bible reading time. 

By God’s grace, today we will read Matthew chapter 15.

In this chapter, Jesus confronts the Pharisees and teachers of the law about their traditions that contradict God’s commandments. He teaches that true defilement comes not from what goes into the mouth, but from what comes out of the heart. We also see the deep faith of a Canaanite woman, whose humble persistence moved Jesus to heal her daughter, and finally, Jesus feeds four thousand people, revealing His compassion and power once again.

This chapter reminds us that God looks at our hearts more than our outward actions, and that humble faith can move the heart of Christ. Let us now listen with reverence and gratitude to God’s Word together.

Matthew Chapter 15 Introduction:

Matthew chapter 15 centers on the themes of true purity, faith, and the heart of genuine worship. In this chapter, Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teaches that holiness is not determined by outward rituals but by the inner condition of the heart. He also performs miracles that reveal His compassion and divine authority, including healing many and miraculously feeding four thousand people.

Main Content of Matthew Chapter 15:

1. Jesus Confronts the Pharisees about Tradition (verses 1–20)
The Pharisees and scribes question Jesus because His disciples do not follow the traditional hand-washing ritual before eating. Jesus responds by exposing their hypocrisy—how they honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. He teaches that it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out from the heart—evil thoughts, words, and actions. This section emphasizes that true purity before God comes from within, not from human traditions or external observances.

2. The Faith of the Canaanite Woman (verses 21–28)
Jesus then travels to the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a Canaanite woman begs Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Though at first He seems to test her faith, her humble persistence and trust in Jesus move Him to grant her request. Her faith stands as a remarkable example of perseverance and humility, showing that God’s mercy extends beyond Israel to all who believe.

3. Jesus Heals and Feeds the Multitudes (verses 29–39)
Afterward, Jesus heals many who are lame, blind, mute, and crippled. The crowds glorify the God of Israel when they witness His mighty works. Then, moved with compassion, Jesus feeds four thousand men—besides women and children—with seven loaves and a few small fish. This second miraculous feeding highlights God’s abundant provision and Christ’s compassion for both Jews and Gentiles.

Spiritual Significance of Matthew Chapter 15:
Matthew 15 reminds us that genuine faith is a matter of the heart, not of empty rituals or outward appearances. God looks beyond religious customs to see the sincerity and humility within us. The Canaanite woman’s faith teaches us to approach God with persistence and trust, even when the answer seems delayed. The miraculous feeding of the multitude reassures us that Jesus not only cares for our spiritual needs but also provides abundantly for our physical ones.

Through Matthew chapter 15, we are reminded that God desires hearts that are humble, pure, and filled with faith. True worship flows from sincerity, not tradition, and true discipleship is shown through faith that perseveres. As we read this chapter, may our hearts be renewed to seek God with authenticity and trust in His unfailing compassion.

Matthew Chapter 15 YouTube Bible Reading and Prayer Video:

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’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 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.

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They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’[c]”

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.[d] 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

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

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.