Chapter 15
Verses 1-20 Read the Bible verses
The Jewish church leaders wanted to know why the disciples did not follow the Jewish rules.
Jewish traditions were acts and behaviors that the Jews did to act holy. Most of these rules were made by the Jewish leaders. They were not the laws of God. There were hundreds of these rules.
One rule was to wash their hands in a special way before they ate. This washing of hands was not like we do to make our hands clean from germs. They did it as a show that they were holy.
Jesus told the leaders that they were very careful to keep their “rules” that made them look holy, but in keeping some of the rules they disobeyed God’s rule.
God said that people were to show honor to their parents. That means we should help them when they need it.
In Bible days, it was important for families to take care of each other. There was no government money to help people back then.
Many of the Jewish leaders were selfish. They told people that if they gave the money to the church—the money became “holy” money—then they didn’t have to give it to their parents.
The church leaders got more money this way, but the poor parents didn’t get any. The church leaders were already rich. Jesus saw what the leaders were doing and said that their “rule” was disobeying what God told them to do about helping their parents.
Jesus told them that they were not “holy” men, but they were pretenders and hypocrites. They put a show on the outside “holy”, but inside in their hearts they were selfish, proud, and did not care to please God.
Jesus said that a man is not made “defiled” (unholy) by what is put in his mouth. You are made unholy by what you think, say and do.
No matter how much the church leaders washed their hands, it was not going to make them holy inside. It was their heart or spirit that was
dirty.
Jesus said the Jewish church leaders were blind and they were leading people who were blind. Jesus meant they were blind in their spiritual understanding. They did not understand true holiness. The spiritually blind leaders were leading spiritually blind people.
Jesus explained that it was not dirty food that made you dirty on the inside–food just goes through your body and out—it was evil thoughts that made you evil. When you speak you show you are dirty in your heart and mind. Sin, selfishness, pride—are in your heart and mind.
Chapter 15 verses 21-28 Read the Bible verses
A woman asked Jesus to make a demon go out of her daughter.
Jesus did not answer her.
She kept asking. Jesus said that he was sent to be with the Jewish people, not to the Gentiles (not Jewish).
The woman would not give up.
Then Jesus said something really hard to her. “It isn’t right to give the children’s bread to dogs.”
The Jewish people were God’s special chosen group of people. They were God’s children. They were the ones who had the word of the true God. They were the ones to whom the promised Messiah had come. The Messiah had not come to the Gentiles. Jesus had not come to preach to the Gentiles.
The word of God and healings and blessings were for God’s children, the Jews.
Often the Jewish people were proud. They called the Gentiles “dogs”.
The woman said something that made Jesus stop. She said, “But the dogs get to eat the crumbs from the table.”
Jesus stopped. The woman overlooked the insult. She had such a great need, that she kept on asking—even if Jesus didn’t answer at first, even if Jesus said an insult–she kept on asking and believing. She knew Jesus could heal her daughter and she was not going to give up until she got an answer.
Jesus said, “I have not seen such great faith in all of the Jewish land. Jesus healed her daughter and made the evil sprit come out of the girl.
Chapter 15 verses 29-29 Read the Bible verses
Jesus healed many.
The group of people had been in that place with him for 3 days. Jesus said, “Let’s feed them.”
The had 7 loaves of bread and a few fish.
Jesus blessed the food and broke it. He kept breaking it until there was enough to feed 4,000 people. There were 7 baskets of food left over.