Matthew 15; Lesson 16

John's study this week:

Content (Summarize 10 – 15 statements on the passage)

Matthew 15

1. Matthew 15:1 – 3 Pharisees question Jesus about His disciples breaking the law to which Jesus rebukes them with his classic quote, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

2. Matthew 15:4 – 6 Jesus teaches Pharisees using the commandment to honor father and mother and that it is not the Pharisees’ position to as Jesus said,’ nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” 
3. Matthew 15:7 – 9 Jesus quotes Isaiah’s prophesy:
"‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
4. Matthew 15:10 – 11 ^Jesus teaches the crowd listening to him saying, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth that is what defiles them.”
5. Matthew 15:12 – 14 When His disciples tell Jesus that Jesus statement offended the Pharisees, Jesus gives his parable about defilement: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
6. Matthew 15:15 – 20 When Peter asks what He means, Jesus replies with a story about what goes into the body through the mouth does not defile, but what come out does. The same is true of what evil the heart may express outward through the mouth defiles. But eating without washing does not defile. Note: Jesus explicitly lists: evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 
7. Matthew 15:21 – 23a Jesus then withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon where a Canaanite woman came to him crying out for Jesus to have mercy and heal her daughter of demon possession and suffering, to which Jesus initially does not reply.
8. Matthew 15:23b – 24 When the disciples urge Jesus to send her on her way, Jesus teaches them saying  “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” which is controversial.
9. Matthew 15:25 - 28 When the woman came, knelt before Jesus as asked “Lord, help me,” Jesus uses the moment to teach asking “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” to which she replied, “Yes it is, Lord, Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” so which Jesus replied, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” and her daughter was healed at that moment.
10. Matthew 15:29 – 31 Jesus the traveled along the Sea of Galilee and nearby mountains healing people, amazing the crowds and all praising the God of Israel.
11. Matthew 15:32 – 36 Jesus demonstrates his compassion for people and wishing to feed them demonstrating again his sovereignty over our world, who after asking the crowd to sit, gave thanks and took the 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish and broke them, gave them to the disciples who in turn gave them to the people.
12. Matthew 15:37 – 38 After the four thousand men, besides women and kids, had eaten and were satisfied, the disciples up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 
13. Matthew 15:39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Divisions (Two – three main summaries of passage being studied)

1. Matthew 15:1 – 20 Jesus corrects and denounces religiously held traditions as ‘truth’ as opposed to scriptural truth and the heart.

Application: How do we best prepare ourselves to discern truth from falsity and what is my response to be?

2. Matthew 15:21 - 28 Jesus answers a Canaanite women’s request

Application: How is your compassion demonstrated when facing the needs of someone you may feel may not be ‘worth my time’?

3. Mathew 14:29 – 39 Jesus and disciples feed the 4000.

Application: 4000 or 7 billion, Jesus’ compassion is for all people. How is your compassion playing out here in the Silicon Valley?

Subject Sentence (Ten words or less)

Jesus corrects Pharisees, ministers to Gentiles and feeds the 4000.

AIM (Single / main point of teaching for the passage)

TCTATS that Jesus ‘s desire is to reach others with the truth will meet people where they are at, at church, on the street, even at outdoor revivals.