Matthew 15:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them,

NIV: Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.

NASB: And large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.

CSB: and large crowds came to him, including the lame, the blind, the crippled, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he healed them.

NLT: A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.

KJV: And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

NKJV: Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.

Jesus' trip out of Galilee has brought Him and His disciples to the mostly Gentile region of the Decapolis, southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Few people in the region of Tyre and Sidon may have known Him, though at least one woman knew exactly who He was (Matthew 15:21–23). The public in the Decapolis area seems familiar with Him. Crowds form and come to where He is sitting on a mountain.

These crowds are likely composed mostly of Gentiles: non-Jews, those not part of God's chosen people. Still, there are many among them who are lame, blind, crippled, mute, or burdened with other afflictions. Knowing of Jesus' power to heal, they bring them to Him and put them at His feet. Jesus heals them.

Jesus had told the Canaanite woman with the demon-oppressed daughter that He had been sent to Israel and not to the Gentiles (Mathew 15:24–26). And yet, He did heal her daughter (Matthew 15:27–28). In the context of this event, the Canaanite woman's encounter looks even more like a teaching moment for the sake of the disciples. He does not hesitate to heal all who come to Him, giving a glimpse to nearby Israel of God's compassion for the Gentiles, as well. In fact, the same Christ who referred to bread and crumbs when speaking to the Canaanite woman will soon provide miraculous food for this Gentile population (Matthew 15:32–39), echoing His miracle on behalf of the people of Israel (Matthew 14:13–21).

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.