Matthew 15:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?

NIV: "Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

NASB: Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?

CSB: "Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

NLT: Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

KJV: Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

NKJV: Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?

The law of Moses labeled many edible things as unclean. Consuming those things made the person ceremonially unclean, as well, requiring specific actions be declared "clean" again. The Pharisees' traditions included a series of strict rules meant to prevent even unknowingly contacting these unclean items. Thus, they required a hand-washing ritual before eating (Matthew 15:1–2). According to their interpretation, if someone unknowingly touched something unclean, washing your hands according to specific guidelines would keep you from accidentally eating that bit of uncleanness.

Jesus has completely rejected that idea, saying it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person; it's what comes out of the mouth that does that (Matthew 15:11). The disciples asked Jesus to explain this; Peter suggested Jesus was speaking in a parable (Matthew 15:15). Perhaps they were wondering about all the dietary restrictions that were included in the Law.

Jesus asks them to understand that what a person eats—the physical substance itself—simply travels through the body and out the other side. His point is that this is merely a physical process. The morsel of food, all by itself, doesn't touch the spirit or soul of a person. It can't cause a person to become sinful.

This explanation is not meant to dismiss the dietary requirements of the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17–19). Jesus kept those laws perfectly. He obeyed all the commands, and He did so according to both their letter and their intent (Matthew 12:1–8). Those restrictions were about the heart of Israel in submission to God, keeping Israel set apart for God as a holy people. The point Jesus makes here is like those presented in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). The material, physical contents of those restricted foods were not the danger, in and of themselves. They were just food. Unknowingly swallowing something unclean did not add to a person's sinfulness. The food itself was not the issue, it was whether a person sought to obey God's command. That is is why ritual handwashing did not keep anyone from sinning.

In other words, those who knowingly ate unclean foods did become ceremonially unclean; that uncleanliness was due to their actions and intentions, not mere contact with a physical object.

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.