Matthew 15:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there.

NIV: Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

NASB: Departing from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, He was sitting there.

CSB: Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there,

NLT: Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down.

KJV: And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.

NKJV: Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.

In the preceding passage, Jesus was in the thoroughly Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon with His disciples. He left Israel for a time to withdraw from the crowds and the religious leaders (Matthew 15:21). Now He returns to Israel. Matthew simply says that Jesus went on and walked by the Sea of Galilee. We know from Mark's additional details that He traveled north through Sidon, returning south along the east side of the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Decapolis.

Jesus and the disciples may have taken that long way around to keep out of the territory controlled by Herod the tetrarch, which included Galilee and land to the east of the Jordan River. Perhaps they did so to avoid conflict with the religious leaders. Or maybe they were simply avoiding the ever-present crowds in Galilee.

It would have also brought Jesus back near to the place where He had sent some demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28–34) and kept Him in a Gentile region instead of a Jewish area.

Jesus finds an elevated spot on a "mountain"—what most other cultures would think of as a high hill—and sits there. Then the crowds find Him.

Matthew 15:29–31 follows Jesus and the disciples back to the Sea of Galilee, this time to the southeastern side near the Decapolis, a mostly Gentile region. Jesus positions Himself on a mountain, and crowds come with sick and afflicted people. Jesus heals them, and the people glorify God. This adds context to the prior passage, which depicted His encounter with a Gentile woman begging for healing. That conversation, and this healing work, seem to be ways in which Jesus prepares His followers to spread the gospel beyond the nation of Israel.

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.