Matthew 15:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

NIV: Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."

NASB: Peter said to Him, 'Explain the parable to us.'

CSB: Then Peter said, "Explain this parable to us."

NLT: Then Peter said to Jesus, 'Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.'

KJV: Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

NKJV: Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

Peter is the boldest of the disciples. He is the one who asked to walk on water (Matthew 14:28). He is the one who often says what others are thinking but unwilling to speak (Mark 8:29; Luke 18:28). Every group of students needs someone like Peter: the one brave enough to introduce good questions and show the teacher what level of understanding the group has reached.

On behalf of the group, Peter asks for explanation of Jesus' comments. Earlier, Jesus had said one reason He taught in parables was their obscurity (Matthew 13:13). Since they don't grasp His current point, they seem to think He's speaking in poetic or symbolic terms. He is not.

Peter's question refers to Jesus' words in verse 11: that only what comes out of the mouth defiles, not what goes in (Matthew 15:11). The disciples had been raised to believe that what they ate absolutely could defile them, spiritually. This was the main reason for the Pharisees' manmade rule about ritual handwashing. This process sought to remove any chance that your hand may carry a speck of something ritually unclean, causing you to unknowingly break the law about eating prohibited foods.

In refuting their manmade rule, one which never appears in Scripture, Jesus seems to have taught that nothing you eat could make you unclean. A faithful Jewish person would ask, "How can this possibly be true?"

Matthew 15:10–20 describes Jesus' expanded answer to a challenge from the Pharisees. Their concern is not about washing hands for health, but to follow religious rituals. He says these Pharisees will be uprooted and that they are blind guides. When asked, Jesus tells the disciples it's not what goes into a person's mouth that defiles him; it's the words that come out that reveal the sin in his heart. The defilement is already there, including all kinds of sin. He tells them flatly that eating with unwashed hands does not spiritually defile anyone.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.