Greek New Testament: Matthew: Matthew Chapter 15

This is a passage of Koine Greek scripture, specifically Matthew 15 from the New Testament, presenting three distinct episodes in narrative-gospel form. The chapter opens with a controversy between Jesus and Pharisees from Jerusalem over ritual handwashing, in which Jesus counter-argues that their oral traditions (like the Corban practice of dedicating wealth to God to avoid supporting parents) allow them to nullify the written commandments of God; he quotes Isaiah to accuse them of honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from him. Jesus then articulates a sharp theological principle to the crowd: it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the heart — specifically listing evil thoughts, murder, adultery, and false witness as the true sources of moral impurity. The chapter's most distinctive episode follows: a Canaanite (gentile) woman persistently begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter, and despite his initial silence and his stated mission being limited to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," her clever reply about dogs eating crumbs from the master's table earns his praise for her great faith and the healing of her daughter. The passage closes with mass healings beside the Sea of Galilee and the feeding of four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish, with seven basketfuls of fragments remaining.

Greek New Testament: Matthew: Matthew Chapter 15

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