The Book of Matthew Lord of Jews and Gentiles

Lesson #7 for May 14, 2016

Scriptures: [Matthew 14:1-23; 15:1-28; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 29:13][i].

1.    In this lesson we will discuss the events connected with: 1) The feeding of the 5000 Jewish men not counting women and children, 2) The healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter, and then, 3) The feeding of the 4000 Gentile men plus women and children.

2.    Read Matthew 15:24ii. It is clear from the reading of the Gospels that Jesus spent most of His time working with the Jewish people themselves. All through Scripture, there are many hints that it was God’s intention that the Israelites become a witness to the whole world regarding the truth about God and His government.

3.    Read Isaiah 42:5-7iii. Clearly, even in the Old Testament, there are many passages suggesting that God wanted to reach out to all nations and not just to the Hebrews.

4.    The feeding of the 5000 men “besides women and children” (Matthew 14:21) is one of the better-known stories in the Bible. It also turned out to be a major turning point in the ministry of Jesus.

5.    Read Matthew 14:1-21iv. As we noted in a previous lesson, when John the Baptist was arrested and placed in prison in Herod’s palace at Machaerus, Jesus left His ministry in Judea and moved to Galilee. When John the Baptist was beheaded and it had been reported by John’s disciples to Jesus and His disciples, Jesus took His disciples away to be alone in a quiet place where they could be together for a short time. The Sea of Galilee is not that large. One can easily see all the way across it; so, the people watched the boat of Jesus and followed along on the shore. Soon, the crowds discovered where they had gone and joined them. Jesus ministered to the crowd for the whole day; and then, as evening approached, He suggested to the disciples that they should feed the people. Five loaves and two fishes from a small boy’s lunch provided the starter for a meal which fed about 20,000 people with the food that they were accustomed to eating. (See Desire of Ages 366.1-367.2; Counsels on Diet and Foods 87.2-3.)

The tradition arose within Judaism that the Messiah would come on a Passover and that along with His coming, manna would begin to fall again....

So when Jesus fed the 5000 just before Passover, it should not surprise anyone that the crowd might begin to speculate whether He was the Messiah and whether He was about to do an even greater miracle-feed everyone all the time by restoring the manna.—John Paulien, John: The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 1995), pages 139,140.

6.    Try to imagine the excitement among the people of Galilee who were present on that occasion. This was exactly the kind of Messiah they were looking for-Someone who would provide their daily physical needs without their having to work for those needs. They were ready to crown Jesus as king immediately. When Jesus refused to allow that to happen, they were very disappointed.

In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to crown Him king. They see that He makes no effort to attract attention or secure honor to Himself.

In this He is essentially different from the priests and rulers, and they fear that He will never urge His claim to David’s throne. Consulting together, they agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the king of Israel. The disciples unite with the multitude in declaring the throne of David the rightful inheritance of their Master. It is the modesty of Christ, they say, that causes Him to refuse such honor. Let the people exalt their Deliverer. Let the arrogant priests and rulers be forced to honor Him who comes clothed with the authority of God.

They eagerly arrange to carry out their purpose; but Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as they cannot, what would be the result of such a movement. Even now the priests and rulers are hunting His life. They accuse Him of drawing the people away from them. Violence and insurrection would follow an effort to place Him on the throne, and the work of the spiritual kingdom would be hindered. Without delay the movement must be checked. Calling His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat and return at once to Capernaum, leaving Him to dismiss the people.

Never before had a command from Christ seemed so impossible of fulfillment. The disciples had long hoped for a popular movement to place Jesus on the throne; they could not endure the thought that all this enthusiasm should come to nothing. The multitudes that were assembling to keep the Passover were anxious to see the new prophet. To His followers this seemed the golden opportunity to establish their beloved Master on the throne of Israel. In the glow of this new ambition it was hard for them to go away by themselves, and leave Jesus alone upon that desolate shore. They protested against the arrangement; but Jesus now spoke with an authority He had never before assumed toward them. They knew that further opposition on their part would be useless, and in silence they turned toward the sea.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages 378.1-3. [Bold type is added.]

7.    Read Matthew 14:22-33[v]. Try to imagine the thoughts of the disciples in that boat and what they had to say to each other. They were extremely disappointed when they were forced to leave Jesus and the crowds without making Him king. They departed in the boat, murmuring as they went. A great wind came up on the lake and opposed their progress. After dismissing the crowds, Jesus went up into the mountain to pray. Between 3 and 6 o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. At first the disciples were terrified, thinking that He was a ghost; and then, recognizing that it was Jesus, Peter asked to go to Him. Jesus bade him come, and we know the story of Peter’s failure and how he almost drowned.

8.    It is interesting to notice that while we do not have the actual words of Jesus which were, no doubt, in Aramaic, the Greek from Matthew says: “It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27) That expression, “It is I,” is a direct translation of the Greek phrase ego eimi which, in turn, is a translation of the Hebrew phrase Yahweh meaning “I AM,” the name of God Himself. (See Exodus 3:14vi.)

9.    This story and many others that we could mention clearly show us that our God is not a God of Deism who created the world and then left it to whatever consequences might come. Our God has repeatedly demonstrated His ability to control nature-from the days of the Noachian flood to these miracles of Jesus in which He repeatedly controlled the destructive forces of nature on the Sea of Galilee.

10.    What would happen if we were to try to fight against the forces of nature? Can we as humans stop wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes? Our only hope is a complete dependence upon our Friend, Jesus.

11.    When the Pharisees complained about what Jesus was saying and doing, Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 (GNB):

The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.”

12.    Matthew 15:7-9 (GNB) [Matthew was quoting the Greek Septuagint as opposed to the Hebrew of Isaiah 29:13.] is quoting Jesus:

“You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!

8    ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.

9    It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ ”

13.    What do you think God was trying to say to the ancient Hebrews in the Isaiah passage? What was Jesus trying to say to the Pharisees in His day? What might we need to learn for our day? What is the essence of true religion? Keeping the rules? Is it a matter of doing what we have been taught? Or, is God asking us to think about what we are doing and then to worship God with our heart and mind? How much of religion is what we have learned as a child?

14.    Read Matthew 15:1-20vii. Do we ever make the mistake that the Pharisees were making? Do we make a bigger deal over what people eat than over what they think? Or, say? What is it that really makes a person unclean and unsavable? Is it what s/he eats or what s/he thinks that is affecting who s/he really is?

15.    This story is about hypocrisy. Are we ever guilty of condemning others for doing things of which we ourselves are either openly or secretly guilty? It is so easy to see the faults in others, especially when we are aware of those faults in ourselves! Since we all hate hypocrisy in others, shouldn’t we be very careful about condemning those who are very much like we are?

16.    Read Matthew 15:21-28viii. After the beheading of John the Baptist and the feeding of the 5000, Jesus returned to Capernaum; the people wanted Him to continue feeding them. Jesus condemned them for not recognizing the truths He had been trying to teach. Unfortunately, many of the Jews rejected Jesus at that point because He did not seem to be fulfilling their ideal vision of a messiah. See John 6ix where the whole story is spelled out in more detail. At that point, Jesus realized that His ministry in Galilee was effectively over. He took His disciples with Him, and they left Galilee and headed for the pagan territories of Tyre and Sidon.

17.    It is hard for us to read and understand the story of Jesus’s reaction or interaction with this Canaanite woman. But, consider the following details which are spelled out in the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Wednesday, May 11:

First, it is true that at this time the Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs, bringing the image of mangy dogs running the streets. But Jesus uses the more affectionate Greek term, “small dog” (or “puppy dog”) here, conjuring up domestic dogs kept in the home and fed from the table.

Second, this Canaanite woman calls Jesus the “Son of David.” This shows her familiarity with Jesus’ Jewishness. Like a good teacher, Jesus dialogs with her and perhaps tests her. Craig Keener writes: “Perhaps he is requiring her to understand his true mission and identity, lest she treat him as one of the many wandering magicians to whom Gentiles sometimes appealed for exorcisms. Yet he is surely summoning her to recognize Israel’s priority in the divine plan, a recognition that for her will include an admission of her dependent status... One may compare Elisha’s requirement that Naaman dip in the Jordan despite Naaman’s preference for the Aramean rivers of Abana and Pharphar..., ultimately leading to Naaman’s acknowledgment of Israel’s God and land (2 Kings 5:17-18).”—The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, p. 417.

Finally, it’s likely this woman was an upper-class Greek woman who was part of a class that had “routinely taken the bread belonging to the impoverished Jews residing in the vicinity of Tyre.. Now. Jesus reverses the power relations, for the ‘bread’ Jesus offers belongs to Israel first.; this ‘Greek’ must beg help from an itinerant Jew.”—The Gospel of Matthew: A SocioRhetorical Commentary, p. 417.

18.    Ellen White commented:

Behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Matthew 15:22, R. V. The people of this district were of the old Canaanite race. They were idolaters, and were despised and hated by the Jews. To this class belonged the woman who now came to Jesus. She was a heathen, and was therefore excluded from the advantages which the Jews daily enjoyed. There [400] were many Jews living among the Phoenicians, and the tidings of Christ’s work had penetrated to this region. Some of the people had listened to His words and had witnessed His wonderful works. This woman had heard of the prophet, who, it was reported, healed all manner of diseases. As she heard of His power, hope sprang up in her heart. Inspired by a mother’s love, she determined to present her daughter’s case to Him.

It was her resolute purpose to bring her affliction to Jesus. He must heal her child. She had sought help from the heathen gods, but had obtained no relief. And at times she was tempted to think, What can this Jewish teacher do for me? But the word had come, He heals all manner of diseases, whether those who come to Him for help are rich or poor. She determined not to lose her only hope.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages 399.2. [Bold type is added.]

19.    Remember that as a Canaanite this woman’s ancestors were supposed to have been eliminated completely by the Jews when they entered Canaan 1400 years earlier. But, although she came from a very pagan background, here was the case of a woman who had developed faith in Jesus because of what she had heard about Him. Would you describe what this woman did for her daughter as intercessory prayer?

20.    Read Matthew 15:29-39[x] and compare Matthew 14:13-21xi. Many people, including many biblical scholars, think that these two accounts are the same story. A more careful reading will point out several very important differences. The Matthew 15 account took place after Jesus had completed His Galilean ministry. It is a gathering of Gentiles in the area of Decapolis north and east of the sea of Galilee. This was the same area where Jesus had previously cast the legion of demons out of the two (or one) demon-possessed men (or man) and sent them into the 2000 pigs. (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)xii

These two men had gone back to their homes and to the surrounding towns and villages and had told their story-they had been missionaries to their fellow Gentiles.

21.    Sometime later, when Jesus returned to that territory, everyone wanted to see the Man that they had been told about. The witness of those two first Gentile missionaries had an enormous impact; after hearing their accounts, thousands upon thousands of Gentiles were eager to hear the words of Jesus. After speaking to the people for three full days, He fed them, 4000 men-probably including Jews and Gentiles-not counting women and children.

22.    The earlier encounter recorded in Matthew 14:13-21xiii involved feeding a group of Jews after they had been with Jesus only one day. The number of loaves is different in the two accounts; the baskets which were used to gather up the fragments were distinctly different as well. In that six-month period among the Gentiles, Jesus was trying to impress upon His disciples the fact that the gospel must be taken not only to Jewish people but also to the whole world.

23.    Read Amos 9:7xiv (GNB). It is very clear from passages like this one that God cares about all people and not just the Jewish people.

24.    Read Romans 4:1-12xv. This passage is just one of several places where Paul made it clear that all who believe in Jesus are the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham and are, thus, eligible for salvation. Read [Galatians 3:28. Compare Romans 8:1]xvi.

Caste is hateful to God. He ignores everything of this character. In His sight the souls of all men are of equal value. He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.” Without distinction of age, or rank, or nationality, or religious privilege, all are invited to come unto Him and live. “Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference.” “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free.”

“The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the Maker of them all.” “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 17:26, 27; Galatians 3:28; Proverbs 22:2; Romans 10:11-13xvii.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages 403.3. [Bold type is added.]

25.    Read Matthew 16:1-12xviii. Before Jesus could convince His disciples and other followers to reach out to all the peoples of the world, He had to disabuse them of their dependence upon the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. Repeatedly, He also condemned the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their failure to understand the teachings of the Old Testament and especially to recognize Him as the Messiah.

26.    Are there widely accepted teachings from Christian groups in our day and that are commonly believed by Seventh-day Adventists but which are, in fact, false teachings? Are there any “Pharisees” or “Sadducees” in our day leading us into misunderstanding the truths of Scripture?

27.    Review Matthew 14:1-12xix. Think of the stories of each of the main players in that passage. There was John the Baptist, the fearless prophet who did not fail to call sin by its right name. There was the weak and vacillating Herod Antipas who had stolen his brother’s wife, the evil Herodias, who was willing to sacrifice morality and common decency in order to get her revenge against John. Finally, there was Salome who allowed herself to be a pawn in the power game that led to the beheading of John.

28.    In considering the feedings of the 5000 and then the 4000, it is interesting to note that in both cases Jesus had compassion on the crowds. There are 13 other times in the Gospels all related to Jesus and His ministry (Matthew 9:36; 15:32; 18:27, 33; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 8:2; 9:22; Luke 7:13; 10:33; 15:20)xx in which the Greek word for compassion is used. These passages provide an excellent view of a God of love, caring, and approachability. What a contrast to the polytheistic gods of the Greeks and the Romans who cared little or nothing about human problems or human needs.

29.    The woman at the well in Sychar was a Samaritan. In the story of the Canaanite woman in the area of Tyre and Sidon which was associated with the feeding of the 4000 men in Decapolis as well as His six months of ministry in Perea on the other side of the Jordan, Jesus tried to enlarge His followers views to include working for Gentiles. A review of the events recorded in the book of Acts helps us to realize that despite all these efforts, God had to work several more years after the death of Jesus before He could finally convince the disciples to reach out to Gentiles. See Acts 11:19-26xxi. The bigotry of the Pharisees and the Sadducees almost squelched the spread of the gospel.

i-Matthew 14:The Death of John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus. 2 “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

3 For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!” 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet.

6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased 7 that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!”

8 At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

9 The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted. 10 So he had John beheaded in prison. 11 The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. 14 Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.

15 That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!”

17 “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.

18 “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. 19 He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over. 21 The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. 23 After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone;

15:The Teaching of the Ancestors

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, 2 “Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!”

3 Jesus answered, “And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching? 4 For God said, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’ 5 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This belongs to God,’ 6 they do not need to honor their father.[a] In this way you disregard God's command, in order to follow your own teaching. 7 You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!

8 ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words,

but their heart is really far away from me.

9 It is no use for them to worship me,

because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’”

The Things That Make a Person Unclean

10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand! 11 It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees had their feelings hurt by what you said?”

13 “Every plant which my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up,” answered Jesus. 14 “Don't worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch.”

15 Peter spoke up, “Explain this saying to us.”

16 Jesus said to them, “You are still no more intelligent than the others. 17 Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body. 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. 19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. 20 These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should—this doesn't make you unclean.”

A Woman's Faith

21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”

23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”

24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”

25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.

26 Jesus answered, “It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”

27 “That's true, sir,” she answered, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.”

28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.

Exodus 3:14 God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: ‘The one who is called I AM[a] has sent me to you.’

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.

ii-Matthew 15:24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”

iii-Isaiah 42:5 God created the heavens and stretched them out;

he fashioned the earth and all that lives there;

he gave life and breath to all its people.

And now the LORD God says to his servant,

6 “I, the LORD, have called you and given you power

to see that justice is done on earth.

Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples;

through you I will bring light to the nations.

7 You will open the eyes of the blind

and set free those who sit in dark prisons.

iv-Matthew 14:The Death of John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus. 2 “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

3 For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!” 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet.

6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased 7 that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!”

8 At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

9 The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted. 10 So he had John beheaded in prison. 11 The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. 14 Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.

15 That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!”

17 “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.

18 “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. 19 He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over. 21 The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.

v-Matthew 14:Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. 23 After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone; 24 and by this time the boat was far out in the lake, tossed about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it.

25 Between three and six o'clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. 26 When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. “It's a ghost!” they said, and screamed with fear.

27 Jesus spoke to them at once. “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!”

28 Then Peter spoke up. “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”

29 “Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried.

31 At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?”

32 They both got into the boat, and the wind died down. 33 Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. “Truly you are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

vi-Exodus 3:14 God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: ‘The one who is called I AM[a] has sent me to you.’

vii-Matthew 15:The Teaching of the Ancestors

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, 2 “Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!”

3 Jesus answered, “And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching? 4 For God said, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’ 5 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This belongs to God,’ 6 they do not need to honor their father.[a] In this way you disregard God's command, in order to follow your own teaching. 7 You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!

8 ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words,

but their heart is really far away from me.

9 It is no use for them to worship me,

because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’”

The Things That Make a Person Unclean

10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand! 11 It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees had their feelings hurt by what you said?”

13 “Every plant which my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up,” answered Jesus. 14 “Don't worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch.”

15 Peter spoke up, “Explain this saying to us.”

16 Jesus said to them, “You are still no more intelligent than the others. 17 Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body. 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. 19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. 20 These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should—this doesn't make you unclean.”

viii-Matthew 15:A Woman's Faith

21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”

23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”

24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”

25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.

26 Jesus answered, “It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”

27 “That's true, sir,” she answered, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.”

28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.

ix-John 6:Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

6 After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias, as it is also called). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick. 3 Jesus went up a hill and sat down with his disciples. 4 The time for the Passover Festival was near. 5 Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?” (6 He said this to test Philip; actually he already knew what he would do.)

7 Philip answered, “For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins[a] to buy enough bread.”

8 Another one of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter's brother, said, 9 “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.”

10 “Make the people sit down,” Jesus told them. (There was a lot of grass there.) So all the people sat down; there were about five thousand men. 11 Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted. 12 When they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit.” 13 So they gathered them all and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten.

14 Seeing this miracle that Jesus had performed, the people there said, “Surely this is the Prophet[b] who was to come into the world!” 15 Jesus knew that they were about to come and seize him in order to make him king by force; so he went off again to the hills by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water

16 When evening came, Jesus' disciples went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat, and went back across the lake toward Capernaum. Night came on, and Jesus still had not come to them. 18 By then a strong wind was blowing and stirring up the water. 19 The disciples had rowed about three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the water, coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 “Don't be afraid,” Jesus told them, “it is I!” 21 Then they willingly took him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached land at the place they were heading for.

The People Seek Jesus

22 Next day the crowd which had stayed on the other side of the lake realized that there had been only one boat there. They knew that Jesus had not gone in it with his disciples, but that they had left without him. 23 Other boats, which were from Tiberias, came to shore near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they got into those boats and went to Capernaum, looking for him.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25 When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles. 27 Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him.”

28 So they asked him, “What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?”

29 Jesus answered, “What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent.”

30 They replied, “What miracle will you perform so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus said. “What Moses gave you was not[c] the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread that God gives is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they asked him, “give us this bread always.”

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “Those who come to me will never be hungry; those who believe in me will never be thirsty. 36 Now, I told you that you have seen me but will not believe. 37 Everyone whom my Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me, 38 because I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And it is the will of him who sent me that I should not lose any of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last day. 40 For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last day.”

41 The people started grumbling about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 So they said, “This man is Jesus son of Joseph, isn't he? We know his father and mother. How, then, does he now say he came down from heaven?”

43 Jesus answered, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me; and I will raise them to life on the last day. 45 The prophets wrote, ‘Everyone will be taught by God.’ Anyone who hears the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 This does not mean that anyone has seen the Father; he who is from God is the only one who has seen the Father. 47 I am telling you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. 50 But the bread that comes down from heaven is of such a kind that whoever eats it will not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you will live forever. The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live.”

52 This started an angry argument among them. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

53 Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them to life on the last day. 55 For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and because of him I live also. In the same way whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then later died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.”

59 Jesus said this as he taught in the synagogue in Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

60 Many of his followers heard this and said, “This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to it?”

61 Without being told, Jesus knew that they were grumbling about this, so he said to them, “Does this make you want to give up? 62 Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was before? 63 What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit. 64 Yet some of you do not believe.” (Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones that would not believe and which one would betray him.) 65 And he added, “This is the very reason I told you that no people can come to me unless the Father makes it possible for them to do so.”

66 Because of this, many of Jesus' followers turned back and would not go with him any more. 67 So he asked the twelve disciples, “And you—would you also like to leave?”

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.”

70 Jesus replied, “I chose the twelve of you, didn't I? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For Judas, even though he was one of the twelve disciples, was going to betray him.

x-Matthew 15:Jesus Heals Many People

29 Jesus left there and went along by Lake Galilee. He climbed a hill and sat down. 30 Large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb, and many other sick people, whom they placed at Jesus' feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed as they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without feeding them, for they might faint on their way home.”

33 The disciples asked him, “Where will we find enough food in this desert to feed this crowd?”

34 “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven loaves,” they answered, “and a few small fish.”

35 So Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 They all ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. 38 The number of men who ate was four thousand, not counting the women and children.

39 Then Jesus sent the people away, got into a boat, and went to the territory of Magadan.

xi-Matthew 14:Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. 14 Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.

15 That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!”

17 “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.

18 “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. 19 He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over. 21 The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.

xii-Matthew 8:Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

28 When Jesus came to the territory of Gadara on the other side of the lake, he was met by two men who came out of the burial caves there. These men had demons in them and were so fierce that no one dared travel on that road. 29 At once they screamed, “What do you want with us, you Son of God? Have you come to punish us before the right time?”

30 Not far away there was a large herd of pigs feeding. 31 So the demons begged Jesus, “If you are going to drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

32 “Go,” Jesus told them; so they left and went off into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

33 The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and went into the town, where they told the whole story and what had happened to the men with the demons. 34 So everyone from the town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.

Mark 5:Jesus Heals a Man with Evil Spirits

5 Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa. 2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him 3 and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more; 4 many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.

6 He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him, 7 and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!” (8 He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)

9 So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’—there are so many of us!” 10 And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.

11 There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. 12 So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.” 13 He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd—about two thousand pigs in all—rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

14 The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened, 15 and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.

17 So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, “Let me go with you!”

19 But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”

20 So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.

Luke 8:Jesus Heals a Man with Demons

26 Jesus and his disciples sailed on over to the territory of Gerasa,[a] which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who had demons in him. For a long time this man had gone without clothes and would not stay at home, but spent his time in the burial caves. 28 When he saw Jesus, he gave a loud cry, threw himself down at his feet, and shouted, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? I beg you, don't punish me!” 29 He said this because Jesus had ordered the evil spirit to go out of him. Many times it had seized him, and even though he was kept a prisoner, his hands and feet tied with chains, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon out into the desert.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is ‘Mob,’” he answered—because many demons had gone into him. 31 The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss.[b]

32 There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he let them. 33 They went out of the man and into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

34 The men who had been taking care of the pigs saw what happened, so they ran off and spread the news in the town and among the farms. 35 People went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the man had been cured. 37 Then all the people from that territory asked Jesus to go away, because they were terribly afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus, “Let me go with you.”

But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Go back home and tell what God has done for you.”

The man went through the town, telling what Jesus had done for him.

xiii-Matthew 14:Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. 14 Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.

15 That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!”

17 “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.

18 “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. 19 He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over. 21 The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.

xiv-Amos 9:7 The LORD says, “People of Israel, I think as much of the people of Ethiopia[a] as I do of you. I brought the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir, just as I brought you from Egypt.

xv-Romans 4:The Example of Abraham

4 What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience? 2 If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about—but not in God's sight. 3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 4 A person who works is paid wages, but they are not regarded as a gift; they are something that has been earned. 5 But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself. 6 This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:

7 “Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven,

whose sins are pardoned!

8 Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of!”

9 Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 10 When did this take place? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? It was before, not after. 11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of faith that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.

xvi-Galatians 3:28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

xvii-Acts 17:26 From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live.

Galatians 3:27 He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us;

Proverbs 22:28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD made them both.

xviii-Matthew 16:The Demand for a Miracle

16 Some Pharisees and Sadducees who came to Jesus wanted to trap him, so they asked him to perform a miracle for them, to show that God approved of him. 2 But Jesus answered, “When the sun is setting, you say, ‘We are going to have fine weather, because the sky is red.’ 3 And early in the morning you say, ‘It is going to rain, because the sky is red and dark.’ You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerning these times![a] 4 How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah.”

So he left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 When the disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake, they forgot to take any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Take care; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7 They started discussing among themselves, “He says this because we didn't bring any bread.”

8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he asked them, “Why are you discussing among yourselves about not having any bread? What little faith you have! 9 Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? 10 And what about the seven loaves for the four thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? 11 How is it that you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

12 Then the disciples understood that he was not warning them to guard themselves from the yeast used in bread but from the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

xix-Matthew 14:The Death of John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus. 2 “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

3 For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!” 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet.

6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased 7 that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!”

8 At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

9 The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted. 10 So he had John beheaded in prison. 11 The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

xx-Matthew 9:36 As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

15:32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without feeding them, for they might faint on their way home.”

18:27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.

33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.’

20:34 Jesus had pity on them and touched their eyes; at once they were able to see, and they followed him.

Mark 1:41 Jesus was filled with pity,[a] and reached out and touched him. “I do want to,” he answered. “Be clean!”

5:19 But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”

6:34 When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

8:2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat.

9:22 “Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him by throwing him in the fire and into water. Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!”

Luke 7:13 When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, and he said to her, “Don't cry.”

10:33 But a Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with pity.

15:20 So he got up and started back to his father.

“He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him.

xxi-Acts 11:The Church at Antioch

19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20 But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles[a] also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 The news about this reached the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

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