Matthew 15

Chapter 15

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Read and summarize

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Q: What religious traditions did you grow up with? When are traditions good or bad ( 15:1-2 )

The Confrontation ( 15:1-2 )

( 15:1-2 ) Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

— Many traditions are not bad in themselves

— Certain traditions can add richness and meaning to life

— But we must not assume that because our traditions have been practiced for years they should be elevated to sacred standing

— God’s principles never change, and his law doesn’t need additions

— Traditions should help us understand God’s law better, not become laws themselves

The transgression

( 15:2 )“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?

— The OT has abundant laws with respect to ritual purity and cleanliness

— The priests were required to wash their hands and feet before ministering in the tabernacle ( Ex 30:20-21 )

— But no such command was given to the general public in connection with eating food

— In their minds tradition was superior to scripture

— Caution; remember the reason and meaning behind the tradition; better not to focus on the tradition itself and move away from the real meaning of said tradition. It is always about the heart (Matt 15:7), not adherence to rules or traditions. (Matt 15:8-9)

— Traditions can actually be “transgressions of the law” (Jesus own words, Matt 15:3)

Came to Jesus

— They came to Jesus with what purpose?

— These men were familiar with Jesus’ teachings and came to Him with the specific purpose of proving Him to be an offender against their tradition

Going Deeper

who were from Jerusalem — A delegation of scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus, bit it is significant that they were not from the local vicinity

— They had traveled all the way from Jerusalem

— An earlier delegation had been sent to observe John the Baptist ( John 1:19 )

— These men observed the men not following the tradition

( 15:2 ) They do not wash their hands

— The criticism of the Pharisees had nothing to do with hygiene

— The matter in dispute touched ceremonial purity, not dirt

— It had nothing to do with germs, about which the disciples nor their critics knew anything

The tradition

— Water was kept in jars ready for the ceremonial washing

— The water was first poured on both hands, held with fingers pointed upward; and it must run down the arm as far as the wrist and drop off the wrist

— The process was repeated with the fingers pointed downward

— Finally, each hand was cleansed by being rubbed with the fist of the other hand

Tradition superior to Scripture

— To the scribes and Pharisees tradition was superior to scripture in some cases

— By Jesus’ day, the tradition of the elders had for many years supplanted Scripture as the supreme religious authority

— The traditions even affirmed that “the words of the scribes are more lovely than the words of the law”

— In modern times, the Catholic church affirms that special revelation is found in Scripture and in the tradition of the church, a dual source of ultimate authority was confirmed as late as 1950 in the papal encyclical, Humani Generis (Of the Human Race)

Peter

— Peter says we were redeemed from our futile ( NASB), aimless ( NKJV ) , empty way of life handed down to us (NIV)

— “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ( 1 Pet 1:18-19 )

— vain, worthless existence

— Unredeemed men or women are living a futile life

— Religious tradition is a feature of sin’s bondage ( Matt 15:3, 6; Gal 1:14 )

The Condemnation ( 15:3-9 )

( 15:3-9 ) He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

— The Pharisees were teaching children that there was a way around the heavy burden of financially supporting their parents

— Anyone who made a Corban vow was required to dedicate money to God’s temple that otherwise would have gone to support his parents

— Corban had become a religiously acceptable way to neglect parents, circumventing the child’s responsibility to them

— These religious leaders were ignoring God’s clear command to honor their parents

— The prophet Isaiah also criticized hypocrites ( Is 29:13 ) and Jesus applied Isaiah’s words to these religious leaders

— The Pharisees knew a lot about God but they didn’t know God

— When we claim to honor God when our hearts are far form him, our worship means nothing

— It is not enough to study the bible or act religious; Our actions and attitudes must be sincere (without wax)

— If not, Isaiah’s words describe us too

— “Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” is a quotation from Isaiah accurately describing the real problem with these religious leaders. They elevated man’s tradition to an equal level with God’s revealed Word.

— Note: Those who rely on tradition as a staple for worship and doctrine beware

The Principle Stated ( 15:10-11 )

( 15:10-11 ) When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

The Multitude

— Evidently the people had been standing at some distance away

— Probably out of respect for those who had come to question Jesus about the conduct of his disciples

— So Jesus, turning away from the critics, ask the people to come closer

— He has something of great importance to tell them, something that concerns the very essence of religion and ethics, that they may no longer allow themselves to be misled

Traditions

— Jesus was referring to the religious regulations concerning food and drink

— The physical has no way of defiling the spiritual

— Jesus was saying, “Don’t be deceived and misled by foolish traditions you have been taught. The practice of washing your hands before you eat has nothing to do with making you undefiled. What matters is in your heart. It is the evil in the heart, which eventually proceeds out of the mouth, that defiles the man.”

— Jesus was referring not simply to what a man says but what he thinks and does

Going Deeper

— In fairness to the Jews, many ceremonies and restrictions had been given to them by God as expressions of their covenant relation to Him

— If those ceremonial requirements and restrictions were entirely external, we might ask, why did God require them?

— God gave them to teach His children who had just come out of Egypt, a nation of pagan, idolatrous people

— The book of Hebrews is a commentary on the book of Leviticus, and the writer of Hebrews reminds the people that the OT sacrifices were but pictures of the real, true, perfect and complete sacrifice that Christ made on the cross

— From the time the Old Covenant was first given to them, God’s people were more concerned with outside ritual than with inside righteousness

— Ritual requires no change of heart, no forsaking sin, no repentance before God

— It allows a person to display symbols of religion while holding on to his sins

— It is a religion of form rather than faith, it is therefore empty and hypocritical

— Therefore, when God’s perfect Reality came to earth, His people were so enmeshed in their traditions and so far from His Word, they crucified God incarnate

Q: Are there lessons that we can learn about hypocrites from this passage or any of the previous passages ( 15:12-14 )?

The Principle Violated ( 15:12-14 )

( 15:12-14 ) Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

— Jesus told the disciples to leave the Pharisees alone because the Pharisees were blind to God’s truth

— Jesus is giving a warning about what happens to those who refuse to see

— Not all religious leaders clearly see God’s truth

— Make sure that you listen to and learn from those with good eyesight — they teach and follow the principles of scripture

Going Deeper

— God’s people may be viewed as a well-watered garden ( Is 58:11), as God’s field or acreage ( 1 Cor 3:9 ), as Jehovah’s vineyard ( Is 5:7 )

— The believer is at times compared to a luxuriant tree ( Ps 1:3; 92:12 )

— For planting to thrive God must be the Planter

— For us to fulfill our task to bring God Glory, we must be “one plant with” Christ, “grown together” ( Ro 6:5 ) in the likeness of His death and in the likeness of His resurrection

— Here, in this passage, Jesus speaks of a growth that His Father has not planted

Q: What does it take to have the Spiritual discernment to know true doctrine?

Lessons Learned

— The first truth about hypocrites is that they are offended by the truth

— People who live in spiritual and moral darkness cannot stand to be exposed to the light and he show for what they really are

— Second, hypocrites are destined for judgment because Jesus said,“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted”

— Hypocrisy is so reprehensible in God’s eyes that Jesus condemns the sinner along with the sin

— It is spiritually dangerous to stay around apostates and others who steadfastly reject and oppose the gospel of Christ

— If there is an opportunity to witness to them, it should be done with the greatest of caution, “snatching them of out of the fire”, as it were and not getting burned in the process ( Jude 23 )

— Third, hypocrites always lead others to disaster; they recruit others to their ungodliness, They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

The Principle Elucidated ( 15:15-20 )

( 15:15-20 ) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Peter

— Later Peter would be faced with the issue of clean and unclean food ( 15:11, Acts 10:12 )

— Then he would learn that nothing should be a barrier to proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles

— We work hard to keep our outward appearance attractive but what is in our heart is even more important

Came to Jesus

— In contrast to the scribes and Pharisees, the disciples came to Jesus to humbly learn from Him

— Having walked with the Lord for 2 years, one would think that they could finish each other’s sentences

— But without the Holy Spirit (which came at Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection), they could not discern spiritual things

Defilement

— People might defile themselves (under the Old Covenant) by eating something unclean

— But that external unfitness was never called sin

— It needed ceremonial cleansing but not divine forgiveness

— But they would morally defile themselves by saying something sinful (cf. James 3:6 )

— Ceremonial defilement could be dealt with through ceremonial means, but it could not deal with moral issues

— Spiritual health should be a higher priority than physical health ( 1 Tim 4:8)

Going Deeper

—Ceremonial uncleanness illustrated in a practical way the spiritual defilement of sin

— In a similar way, circumcision illustrated the for a heart to have the sin “cut away”

— Mark also tells us that, in overturning this superficial, unscriptural tradition of hand washing, Jesus “declared all foods clean” ( Mark 7:19 )

Q: This section contains the second reference in Matthew’s gospel that speaks of great faith. What does it ( 15:21-28 ) have in common with Matthew 8:10?

The Quality of Great Faith ( 15:21-28 )

— The bible has much to say about faith

— It speaks of weak faith, strong faith, bold faith, rich faith, abiding faith, steadfast faith, precious faith, common faith, dead faith, unfeigned faith, working faith and great faith

— Of the Roman centurion Jesus said, “I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel” ( 8:10 )

— In both cases the person expressing great faith as a Gentile

— And in this second instance the context seems to imply that the women’s faith was not only for the deliverance of the daughter but was also for personal salvation

Q: Why do you think the women’s faith was called great ( 15:21-27 )? Was she better informed than the Jews who received Christ? Or is this a relative term?

The Qualities of Great Faith ( 15:21 - 27 )

( 15:21-27 ) Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

— Again the compassion of Jesus is put on display. He attended to a “gentile woman’s” need even though He came “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.

— Did this Gentile woman know who Jesus was even though Jesus countrymen knew Him not?

—Great faith, of course, is a relative term

— The women’s faith was not great because it was stronger or more sincere than many Jews who believed in Christ

— It was great because she believed and had so little light

Going Deeper

Gentile Ministry

— Jesus withdraws Himself to a definitely Gentile territory ( Tyre & Sidon)

— We don’t know why Jesus left the ancient borders of Isreal and went to a pagan land — maybe He simply wanted the anonymity, if so, He didn’t find it!

— This is the only time during Jesus’ ministry that He left Isreal

— This time it is not a case of “outsiders” coming to Him ( 4:24, 25 ); He himself goes to them

— Peter was a Jew and had the heritage of God’s Word

— More than that, he lived nearly two years in intimate fellowship with the Son of God

— He saw every miracle and heard every word spoken by the Lord

— He had saving faith and left everything to follow the Lord

— But when he was sinking in the water, Jesus said that he had “little faith” ( 14:31 )

— His great privilege and advantage was no guarantee that, under severe testing, his faith might not be reduced to relatively little

— The Canaanite women was raised in a pagan culture that was renowned for its wickedness and vileness

— God had commanded Israel to conquer and utterly destroy her people ( Deut 7:2 )

— She had no heritage of God’s Word, His blessing, or of His Tabernacle, Temple, priesthood, or sacrifices

— Because she believed so much relative to so little revelation, Jesus called her faith great

— From her story we can propose five general qualities that mark great faith: It is repentant, properly directed, reverent, persistent, and humble

Q: What did the women cry out and ask of Jesus ( 15:22a )? Why is that significant and what lesson is there for us?

Repentant ( 15:22a )

( 15:22a ) And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!

— The mere fact that He spoke with the women was remarkable ( Jn 4:27 )

— The women’s plea is further proof of her penitence

— This woman came to intercede for her daughter, and she provided a picture of an effective intercessor – her great need taught her how to pray. When she came to Jesus, she made her daughter’s needs her own.

— She knew that she didn’t deserve help and her only hope for undeserved forgiveness was in His gracious mercy

— Saving faith is repentant faith; she falls down and worships Him ( 15:25 )

Rightly Directed and Reverent ( 15:22b )

— Real faith must be directed at the right thing

— To say, “I believe in Love” or “I believe in believing” is not faith, it is pointless and powerless

— For faith to make sense and to have power it must be placed in a trustworthy object; and the Canaanite women turned her back on her idols and she placed her faith in the Lord, the Son of David

— Like the Thessalonian believers, she had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” ( 1 Thess 1:9 )

— As a gentile women she would not have had the benefit of a Jewish education, and scripture and yet she recognized Jesus as the Christ, Lord, the Son of David

— She must have heard of Jesus’ healings and now places her faith in Him

Desperation

— We can almost hear her desperation in asking the Lord for mercy

— Many people come to a point of utter desperation and are drawn to the Lord

— She knew she didn’t deserve help, and her only hope was for undeserved forgiveness and God’s mercy

Q: Jesus did not answer the women. This puzzled the disciples. Why did He say nothing ( 15:23-24 )? Why did He delay so long in giving this poor women the help she needed so desperately?

Persistent ( 15:23-24 )

( 15:23-24 ) But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

RC Sproul

While the woman’s initial appeal was remarkable, Jesus initial response was even more so: But He answered her not a word.

— How unlike Jesus

— There was a common pattern throughout His earthly ministry — whenever someone looked for help, He stopped in His tracks and dealt with the person’s need

— His ministry was marked, above all, by compassion

— However, it seems at first glance that He ignored this Canaanite women

— One answer is that Jesus changed His mind

— Another commonly heard answer is “to test her faith”

Christ’s “delay” in granting the women’s request is not unique

— Abraham and Sarah had to wait a long time before Isaac was born ( Gen 21:1-5; Ro 4:18-21)

— David expressed dismay that the Lord did not immediately answer prayers ( Ps 22:2 )

— Jesus knew what He would do to feed the hungry but did not immediately tell Philip ( Jn 6:5,6)

— Jesus did not immediately go to Lazarus; raising Lazarus was more effective in strengthening then healing him

He strengthened her faith

— Jesus delay was

— not because He changed His mind;

— not because He wanted to test her faith,

— but because He wanted to strengthen her faith

— Great faith does not give up; it is not deterred by obstacles, setbacks, or disappointments

( 15:24 ) But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

— Jesus words do not contradict the truth that God’s message is for all people ( Ps 22:27; Isa 56:7; Matt 28:19; Ro 15:9-12 )

— After all, when Jesus said these words, He was in Gentile territory on a mission to the Gentile people

— He was simply telling the women that Jews were to have the first opportunity to accept Him as the Messiah because God wanted them to present the message of salvation to the rest of the world ( Gen 12:3 )

— Jesus was not rejecting the Canaanite women

Amazing Response

— The women’s response to Jesus is amazing

— She accepted His assessment of her; this is how we come to know Jesus, we accept Christ’s assessment of ourselves, that we are sinners and separated from Him

Going Deeper

— Whatever effect Jesus’ response had on the disciples, it must have been a painful blow to the women

— Most people would have indignantly said, “So much for your God of love, your message of compassion, and your narrow, bigoted religion. I want nothing to do with a God or religion like that”

— But this women had no resentment or bitterness, only an abiding love for her afflicted little girl and a determination to have her freed from her demonic torture

— She knew Jesus was her only hope; she said in effect what Peter had said not long before: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” ( Jn 6:68 )

Q: Was Jesus degrading the women by referring to her as a dog ( 15:25-28 )?

Humble ( 15:25-27 )

( 15:25-27 ) Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

— Dog was a term the Jews commonly applied to Gentiles because the Jews considered the pagan people no more likely than dogs to receive God’s blessing

— Jesus was not degrading the women by using this term, he was reflecting the Jew’s attitude as to contrast it with his own; it may sound harsh but we don’t know Christ’s intonation, but we do know Christ’s love for the lost

— The women did not argue

— Instead, using Jesus’ choice of words, she agreed to be considered a dog as long as she could receive God’s blessing for her daughter

— She worshiped Him and Christ did not stop her

— Ironically, many Jews lose God’s blessing and salvation because they rejected Jesus, and many Gentiles would find salvation because they recognized and accepted Him

Q: What was the result of that great faith ( 15:28 )? What attitude of the sermon on the Mount did she demonstrate ( 5:3-6 )?

The Lord’s Response ( 15:28 )

( 15:28 ) Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

— Without having heard the Sermon on the Mount, she came with the humble, mourning, meek, and seeking heart that God requires for kingdom entrance ( 5:3-6 )

— Because of her great faith her daughter was healed in that very hour

— Observation: Her faith was great because it concerned a need right in front of her, and a real need at that. Many people have faith for everything except those things that are right in front of them.

— Greatest faith can come at the most desperate moments!

Spurgeon

“The Lord of glory surrendered to the faith of the women”

— She kept asking until she received, seeking until she found, and knocking until it was opened to her ( 7:7 )

Going Deeper

— After putting up a barrier of silence and then a double barrier of seeming rejection, Jesus heard what He wanted to hear

—Her seeking heart would not give up

— Like Abraham, she grew strong in faith through God’s testing ( Ro 4:20 ), and like Jacob wrestling with the Lord ( Gen 32:26 ), she would not let go until He blessed her

Compassion for the Outsider ( 15:29-39 )

( 15:29-39 ) Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 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. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” 35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

He Healed them ( 15:30 )

— A great crowd was brought to Jesus to be healed, and he healed them all

— There is nothing at all to indicate whether the handicapped individual had already accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior ( which seems improbable )

— All that mattered was that this individual needed help, and Jesus was able and eager to help

— Jesus is still able to heal broken lives, and we can be the ones who bring suffering people to him

— These are the exact signs that Isaiah prophesied; what He did in Israel He now does in Gentile territory

— He says I have compassion on these people who are not of Isreal; the inference is that we should have compassion as well; you who are my followers carry that compassion out

— Who do you know that needs Christ’s healing touch?

— You can bring them to Jesus through prayer or through explaining to them the reason for the hope that you have ( 1 Pet 3:15 ); then let Christ do the healing

Q: Jesus had earlier feed 5,000. Why would the disciples ask how will we feed such a great crowd ( 15:33 )?

( 15:33-34 ) Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

— Jesus had already fed more than 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish

— They knew that the Lord could satisfy such a multitude but they could not; He had no less power than before, and they no more

— The Lord could have distributed the food as easily as He created it, but He was teaching the disciples as well as feeding the multitude

— He wanted them to learn the practical as well as the theological reality of His compassion

— When facing a difficult situation, remember how God cared for you and trust him to work faithfully again

Alfred Edersheim

“The Lord ended each phase of His ministry with a feeding. He ended the ministry in Galilee with the feeding of the five thousand. He ended the ministry in the Gentile area with the feeding of the four thousand. And He ended the Judean ministry before His death on the cross with the feeding of His own in the upper room.”

Food for thought:

In Matthew chapter 14:14-21 Jesus feeds the 5000 in Galilee. The feeding of the predominately Jewish crowd showed Jesus fulfilling two foundations of the Jewish religion:

1. God miraculously fed Moses and the Hebrews with manna in the wilderness.

2. The prophet Elisha fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread.

The feeding of the 4000 in Matthew chapter 15:32-39 took place in a Gentile area (Tyre and Sidon Matt 15:21). Another indication that what was promised to God’s people Israel, was to be made available to the Gentiles (The future church).

Going Deeper

— The God of scripture is the God of compassion

— He suffers with people; He feels their pain and their sorrow and seeks to alleviate it, because He deeply cares for their welfare and happiness

— Jeremiah declared “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.” ( Lam 3:22 )

— The Lord’s compassion restricts his judgment and extends His mercy, giving fallen mankind opportunity to repent and be saved

— From the earliest part of His ministry, Jesus felt compassion for the multitudes “because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd” ( 9:36 )

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church. https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/1988

J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2015%20Continued.html

William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.