Matthew 15:21-39 Lesson 31

Matthew 15:21-39
Lesson 31

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this Lesson

The Canaanite girl and the demon (15:21-28).

Jesus feeds four thousand (15:21-39).

Jesus feeds 4,000
By the Italian baroque painter Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647)

Study Tip:

It helps to read more than one Bible translation. As you read, scroll back and forth between the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation" below.

Also, check the margin notes in blue and click on the links.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 15:21-39
The crowd marvels

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

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

30 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:

31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

Margin notes:

"And departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon." (15:21) - "And (Jesus) left for the area of Tyre and Sidon."

"A woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts." (15:22) - "A Canaanite woman from that area came out (to meet Jesus)." This woman was a Gentile, not a Jew.

"Besought him." (15:23) - "Begged Jesus."

"The lost sheep of the house of Israel." (15:24) - This is not the first time Jesus referred to Jews as "lost sheep" (Matthew 10:6).

"It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." (15:26) - "It is not meet" means "It is not right." The "children" are the children of Israel, Jews. The "dogs" represent Gentiles. Jews frequently referred to Gentiles in this despairing manner.

"She said, Truth, Lord." (15:27) - "She said, that is true, Lord."

"As thou wilt." (15:28) - "As you wish." Jesus is granting the womans request that He free her daughter from the demon that possessed her.

"Came nigh." (15:29) - "Came near."

"And cast them down at Jesus' feet." (15:30) - "And laid them at Jesus' feet."

"The multitude wondered." (15:31) - "The crowd was astonished."

"I will not send them away fasting." (15:32) - "I will not send them away hungry."

"Whence should we have so much bread." (15:33) - "Where would we get that much bread."

"They took up of the broken meat." (15:37) - "They picked up the leftovers."

"Took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala." (15:39) - "(Jesus) boarded a ship and sailed to the area of Magdala." Magdala was a small-town west of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Tiberias. It was Mary Magdalene's hometown, sometimes called Dalmanutha (Mark 8:10).

Mark also tells the story of the mother and her possessed daughter in Mark 7:24-30. Mark's report on Jesus feeding the multitudes can be found in Mark 8:1-9.

New Living Translation

Matthew 15:21-39
The Faith of a Gentile Woman

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely."

23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep-the people of Israel."

25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord, help me!"

26 Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."

27 She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters' table."

28 "Dear woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.

Jesus Heals Many People

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

30 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.

31 The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way."

33 The disciples replied, "Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?"

34 Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?"

They replied, "Seven loaves, and a few small fish."

35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground.

36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.

37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.

38 There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.

39 Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.

The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Questions:

1. Why did Jesus go to Gentile cities? (15:21)

2. Why didn't Jesus want to help the Gentile woman? (15:23-26)

Strengthen your relationship with God by reading your Bible every day.

Answers: (Do you agree?)

1. Jesus visited Gentile cities to show His disciples that non-Jews must also be ministered to. The Messiah's divine message of salvation is meant for everyone.

2. At first, Jesus declined to help the Gentile woman to teach His disciples a valuable lesson. God's plan of salvation is meant for everyone, but Jesus opened the door to Jews first (Romans 1:16), and they were to spread the good news to the rest of the world (Genesis 12:2-3). Jesus' disciples, who showed no compassion for the tears of this non-Jew (15:23), would soon be called on to spread God's word to all the world. They needed to learn that Christ's message is for everyone, Jew and Gentile (Isaiah 25:6; 56:3-7; Malachi 1:11; Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 3:29-30; Galatians 3:28).

Application thought for the day:

In verses 15:29-31, we see Jesus healing the blind, the mute, and the handicapped. If He can heal them, He can heal us.

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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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