Matthew 15 Study Notes

15:1-2 The Mishnah devotes an entire tractate of Jewish law to a discussion on how the hands should be washed. Good Jews were expected to perform ritual hand washing before, during, and after each meal. A person would first pour water over his hands with the fingers pointing up and with the water reaching the wrist, then he would point the fingers down and pour the water again, this time allowing the water to drip off the fingers. If one mixed up this order or poured the water both times with the hands pointed down or up, the hands were still ritually unclean. Each hand had to be rubbed with the other, but this could not be done until the other hand was clean. To neglect the first or third washing was considered a serious sin, possibly a deadly one. Such washing was not prescribed by OT law, but was a tradition passed down to first-century Jews by their elders. Many teachers gave these human traditions an authority equal to that of OT commandments.

15:3-4 Jesus taught that the authority of the Scriptures trumps all human tradition, and he condemned the Pharisees and scribes for valuing human tradition above Scripture. For the Scripture quote see Ex 20:12; 21:17; Lv 20:9; Dt 5:16.

15:5-6 Jewish law required sons to care for their aging parents. However, corrupt priests allowed sons who were tired of caring for their parents to take a vow of corban. This vow dedicated to God and the Jerusalem temple the resources they would otherwise have used to support their parents. Since one’s obligation to God truly outweighs all other obligations, the priests taught that such a maneuver was righteous. Jesus strongly condemned it, however.

15:7-9 For the Scripture see Is 29:13 (LXX).

15:10-12 The laws regarding purification of the hands were concerned with ritual purity, not sanitation. After all, Jewish law permitted the water to be drawn from vessels made of cow manure. Further, it permitted the water to be so filthy that cattle refused to drink it (m. Ta‘an. 1). Jesus argued that food consumed with unpurified hands does not spiritually defile a person. The words that proceed from the mouth defile a person because they show the sinful condition of the heart (v. 18). That the Pharisees took offense at Jesus’s teaching suggests that they understood that he was referring to their hypocritical speech, which honored God even as their hearts refused to worship him (vv. 8-9).

15:13 Based on texts like Is 60:21 and 61:3, first-century Jews described themselves as the “plant of the Lord.” Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant represents national Jews who neither understood nor practiced true righteousness. Like the weeds in the parable of Mt 13:24-30, these imposters would be uprooted and destroyed.

15:14 Jewish teachers like the Pharisees and scribes prided themselves on being guides for the blind (Rm 2:19). In ironic reversal, Jesus claimed the guides themselves were blind.

15:15-20 Jesus taught that the human heart is innately corrupt, but he also described his followers as “pure in heart” (5:8). From this we conclude that following Jesus results in a transformation of the heart that greatly diminishes our love of sin.

15:21 Tyre and Sidon were port cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea north of Galilee. Because these cities were denounced in Is 23 and Ezk 28, first-century Jews viewed them as notoriously wicked and deserving of divine wrath (11:21).

15:22 By labeling the woman a Canaanite (cp. Mk 7:26), Matthew associates her with the most notorious pagan enemy of Israel. Like the magi of Mt 2, her role shows that Gentiles may follow Christ and be blessed by him (see note at 2:1). Her use of the title Son of David indicates that she recognized Jesus as the Jewish Messiah (see note at 1:1).

15:23 The disciples’ request to send her away could imply either that he would help her or he would not. The former was probably their intention because of Jesus’s reply in v. 24.

15:24 Matthew emphasized Jesus’s intention to include Gentiles in his kingdom, but he also stressed that Jesus focused his earthly ministry on Israelites who had been abused by their spiritual leaders (10:5-6).

15:25-27 Comparison of the Canaanite woman to a dog sounds like a racial slur to modern read-ers, but the word dogs (Gk kunarion) was a diminutive used as a term of endearment. It typically referred to house dogs that slept in the master’s lap. Jesus’s metaphorical statement merely implies that he had a higher obligation to serve his fellow Jews, not that he despised Gentiles. The woman replied that Jesus need not neglect Jews by meeting Gentile needs any more than children go hungry because crumbs that fall from their table are eaten by their pets.

15:28 The faith that Jesus most highly commended in Matthew was expressed by Gentiles (see notes at 8:7-10,11). The faith of the Canaanite woman even compared favorably to that of the twelve disciples (14:31).

15:29-31 The location is apparently the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, still in Gentile territory. The list of ailments that Jesus cured is reminiscent of Is 35:5-6 and identifies Jesus as Messiah (Mt 11:1-6). The people’s praise to the God of Israel shows that Jesus’s ministry pointed Gentiles to the one true God.

15:32-38 This miracle is similar to the previous feeding (Mt 14:13-21). In both cases Jesus was moved with compassion, used loaves and fish, and satisfied the people so completely that leftover pieces were collected. One notable difference is the audience. The first miracle was performed for Israelites, the second for Gentiles.

15:39 The Magadan mentioned here was probably ancient Magdala on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.