Tyndale Open Study NotesMatthew 15

Jesus accused the Pharisees of disobeying God's law because of their focus on preserving traditions.

The temple was in Jerusalem, which made it the center of authority in Judaism. This gave these ambassadors from the Pharisees and scribes more influence in their discussions with Jesus.

• Jewish teachers developed long-standing traditions to explain how the written Torah should guide daily life. These traditions were memorized and passed from teacher to student by word of mouth(see 1 Corinthians 11:23; 15:1–5).

• break the tradition of … wash their hands (see Mark 7:2–4; Luke 11:38): The tradition of hand washing was seen as important. Ignoring this practice was considered disobedience to the Torah and unfaithfulness to God’s will for Israel (see Matthew 23:25–26).

A gift devoted to God: The people would probably donate a gift like this at the temple (see Mark 7:11; see also Proverbs 28:24) but it served as a way to avoid financially providing for one's parents.

Nullify: The Pharisees valued their traditions so much that they ignored God's law, turning their devotion into sinful disrespect for God's word.

You hypocrites! See study note on Matthew 23:13.

• What enters his mouth: Jesus may have been speaking about foods that the law did not allow (such as pork or shellfish) or food made unclean by unwashed hands (Matthew 15:20).

• What makes a person defiled also makes them unfit to be with God. Jesus moved the focus from outward rules of purity to the true purity of the heart (see 15:18–19; 23:25–26; Acts 10:1–48; Romans 14:14).

• A person’s words show their true character (see Matthew 15:18–20; James 3:1–12).

My heavenly Father has not planted: These Pharisees did not belong to the true people of God (see 3:9–12; Isaiah 5:1–7; Jeremiah 45:4). God will remove them at the final judgment (see Matthew 3:10; 8:12).

This encounter brings up another debated issue. It is about whether Gentiles (non-Jews) can share in the kingdom of the Messiah (see Matthew 8:11).

• Canaanite woman: Matthew uses this old expression to describe the woman as a pagan.

• Lord, Son of David: The woman seemed to understand that Jesus was the Messiah (see Matthew 1:1; 9:27; 17:15; 20:30).

Did not answer a word: Jesus stayed silent to test the woman's faith (Matthew 5:28; compare 8:24; 14:16).

Jews often referred to pagans as dogs, which were considered ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 11:27). When Jesus spoke to the woman, he was speaking of her condition as a Gentile. She was seen as ceremonially unclean and separated from God (see Matthew 7:6).

• Jesus returned to an area with mostly Gentiles (non-Jews) and performed many miracles. Although God mainly sent Jesus for Israel (Matthew 15:21–28), Jesus also started a new era for Gentile salvation (1:3, 5–6; 2:1–12; 4:12–16; 8:5–13; 15:21–28; 28:16–20).

• These healings show that God's kingdom began with the work of Jesus (8:1–9:34; 11:5–6; 12:28).

• the God of Israel: This suggests that the crowd (15:30) was mostly Gentile.

The earlier feeding miracle (see Matthew 14:13–21) was for the Jews. This miracle extended the blessing to the gentiles. It continues the theme found in Matthew 15:27. By this miracle, Jesus showed that he is the true "bread of life" (see 16:5–12; John 6).

Magadan is a place whose location is unknown. It may be the same as Magdala, as some Greek manuscripts say (see also Mark 8:10).