< Matthew 15 >

Jesus proved that, while they worshipped God with their lips, their heart was far from him. For example, God commanded them to “honour father and mother” but they released people from this obligation upon paying money into the temple coffers! Consequently Jesus, quoting Isaiah 29:13,Isaiah 29:13XWaiting for response declared that their worship of God was unacceptable. Unfortunately, this type of mistake is all too common, with religious leaders giving every appearance of being true worshippers of God but in reality being “blind leaders of the blind”, leading their followers “into the ditch” i.e. the grave. This serves as a dire warning to all of us not to “put our trust in man” but to study God’s word for ourselves and to ensure our feet are on a path that leads to life, rather than to death.

The scribes and Pharisees insisted that the people keep the religious traditions they themselves had established, whereas Jesus kept, and taught his disciples to keep, the actual commandments of God. These religious leaders therefore charged Jesus and his disciples with breaking the tradition of the elders, and one particular complaint concerned the washing of hands and of pots and pans. This cleanliness, of course, has its place, but while concentrating on it the Pharisees neglected the immensely more important requirement for men to cleanse themselves of moral defilement.

The translation here gives the wrong impression. The disciples requested that Jesus release [Gk. 430] the woman’s daughter from her from her mental affliction, not send the mother away because they found her behaviour annoying. Jesus’ response corresponds with this, for he told them he was sent to “the lost sheep of Israel” only, and these women were Gentiles. Nevertheless, he did heal her when the mother showed her great faith.

The disciples made a similar compassionate request, and used the same word, when they were concerned for the multitude in the wilderness who had no food. They requested Jesus release them so they could go and buy food, and Jesus again used his power to resolve the situation, by multiplying sufficient bread from five loaves and two fishes. (Matthew 14:15).Matthew 14:15XWaiting for response

Jesus was sent only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” but in the purpose of God the gospel would later be preached to the Gentiles and, while the miraculous feeding bread to the Jews represented feeding them the word of God (Matthew 14:15-21,Matthew 14:15-21XWaiting for response Matthew 15:32-39),Matthew 15:32-39XWaiting for response the Canaanite woman eating, as it were, “the crumbs falling from the master’s table” represented Gentiles being permitted to feed on the bread of life rejected by the Jews.