Matthew 15:15-18
Matthew 15:15-18 | |
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← 15:14 15:19 → | |
Book | Gospel of Matthew |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 15:15-18 is a set of verses in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
Content
In the original Greek according to
- 15:Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην.
- 16:Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Ἀκμὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε;
- 17:Οὔπω νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν χωρεῖ, καὶ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκβάλλεται;
- 18:Τὰ δὲ ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχεται, κἀκεῖνα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- 15:Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
- 16:And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
- 17:Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
- 18:But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
The New International Version translates the passage as:
- 15:Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
- 16:"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.
- 17:"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
- 18:But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
Analysis
We again see the ardent faith of Peter looking for an answer, who is clearly acting as the spokesman for the disciples, from the words "to us." From Mark 7:17 as well, it is clear that the disciples were perplexed about Jesus teaching concerning food and how it could be reconciled with the law of Moses concerning food, because they call it a parable. In verse 16, according to MacEvilly Jesus seems to be saying, "You, who have so long walked in the light of My doctrine, and have been familiar and intimate friends, to whom had been already frequently explained, in what real purity of soul consists." In explaining the parable Jesus makes clear that food merely enters the stomach and not the heart. Rather the evil expressed by the mouth is what defiles and makes one unclean. [1][2]
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Saint Remigius: "The Lord was used to speak in parables, so that Peter when he heard, That which entereth into the mouth defileth not a man, thought it was spoken as a parable, and asked, as it follows; Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And because he asked this on behalf of the rest, they are all included in the rebuke, But he said, Are ye also yet without understanding?"[3]
Jerome: "He is reproved by the Lord, because He supposed that to be spoken parabolically, which was indeed spoken plainly. Which teaches us that that hearer is to be blamed who would take dark sayings as clear, or clear sayings as obscure."[3]
Jerome: "Some cavil at this, that the Lord is ignorant of physical disputation in saying that all food goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught; for that the food, as soon as it is taken, is distributed through the limbs, the veins, the marrow, and the nerves. But it should be known, that the lighter juices, and liquid food after it has been reduced and digested in the veins and vessels, passes into the lower parts through those passages which the Greeks call ‘pores,’ and so goes into the draught."[3]
Jerome: "The principle therefore of the soul is not according to Plato in the brain, but according to Christ in the heart, and by this passage we may refute those who think that evil thoughts are suggestions of the Devil, and do not spring from our proper will. The Devil may encourage and abet evil thoughts, but not originate them. And if he be able, being always on the watch, to blow into flame any small spark of thought in us, we should not thence conclude that he searches the hidden places of the heart, but that from our manner and motions he judges of what is passing within us. For instance, if he see us direct frequent looks towards a fair woman, he understands that our heart is wounded through the eye."[3]
References
- ^ Robert Witham, Annotations on the New Testament of Jesus Christ. Dublin: 1730.
- ^ John MacEvilly, An Exposition of the Gospel of St. John consisting of an analysis of each chapter and of a Commentary critical, exegetical, doctrinal and moral, Dublin Gill & Son 1879.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas". Oxford, Parker. 1874. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
- Other translations of Matthew 15:15 at BibleHub
- Other translations of Matthew 15:16 at BibleHub
- Other translations of Matthew 15:17 at BibleHub
- Other translations of Matthew 15:18 at BibleHub
Preceded by Matthew 15:14 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 15 |
Succeeded by Matthew 15:19 |