Matthew 15:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

NIV: Then the disciples came to him and asked, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?'

NASB: Then the disciples came and *said to Him, 'Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?'

CSB: Then the disciples came up and told him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said? "

NLT: Then the disciples came to him and asked, 'Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?'

KJV: Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

NKJV: Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

Jesus has just said to the people gathered around Him that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth that defiles him or her. Mark's writing includes the detail that Jesus and the disciples went into a house before having this conversation (Mark 7:17). This exchange does not take place within hearing of the people or the Pharisees.

The disciples ask Jesus if he knows that the Pharisees were offended by His comments. Clearly, the disciples are beginning to understand how significant the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees is. That would have been uncomfortable for them. Pharisees were highly respected in ancient Jewish culture. They were seen as standards for righteous living and the final word on what was acceptable and what was not. The fact that the Pharisees were offended by the teaching of Jesus may have bothered some of the disciples. They cannot yet know that the offense of the Pharisees will eventually lead to their participation in Jesus' murder (Matthew 26:14–16; John 11:53).

It's not surprising the Pharisees took issue with what Jesus said. He was challenging the very basis of their teaching and rulemaking. Most faithful Israelites would likely have believed that putting the wrong food or unwashed hands in one's mouth was exactly what defiled a person before God. Jesus has just denied that idea, consistent with His prior explanations that a person's intents mean just as much as their actions (Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28).

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.