Matthew Chapter Fifteen Poem by Day Williams

1 Some Pharisees and teachers of the law
Came from Jerusalem and questioned Jesus,
2 "Why do your followers destroy our old

Traditions? They don't wash their hands before
They eat! " 3 "Tell me, " asked Jesus, "why do you
Break God's command for your tradition's sake?

4 Because God said, ‘Revere your father and
Your mother' and ‘Whoever curses his
Father or mother must be put to death, '

5 But you say if a man says to his father
Or mother, ‘Help you otherwise might have
Received from me is now a gift to God, '

6 He is not to ‘revere his father' with
It, so you nullify the word of God
For your tradition's sake.7 You hypocrites!

Well did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8 "‘These people honor me with their lips, but
Their hearts are far from me.9 They worship me

In vain; their teachings are but man-made laws, '"
10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said,
"Listen and understand: 11 What goes into

A man's mouth does not make him ‘unclean, ' but
What comes out of his mouth, that's what
makes him
‘Unclean, '" 12 then the disciples came to him

And asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees
Were outraged when they heard this? " 13 He replied,
"Each plant my heavenly Father has not planted

Will be uprooted.14 Leave them; they're blind guides.
If a blind man leads a blind man, they'll both
Fall in a pit." 15 "Explain the parable

To us, " said Peter.16 "Are you still so dull? "
Jesus asked.17 "Don't you see whatever goes
Into the mouth goes in the stomach, then

Out of the body? 18 But the things that come
Out of the mouth come from the heart, and these
Can make a man ‘unclean, ' 19 for from the heart

Come evil thoughts, lust, murder, slander, theft,
Adultery, false testimony.20 These are
What make a man ‘unclean'; but eating with

Unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.'" 21 Jesus
Then left that place, retiring into Tyre
And Sidon's district.22 A woman from that

Vicinity, a Canaanite, approached
Him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have
Mercy on me! My daughter's suffering

Horribly, for a demon has possessed
Her." 23 Jesus made no answer, and so his
Disciples came to him and urged, "Send her

Away, for she keeps crying after us."
24 Jesus replied, "I was sent only to
The lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord,
Help me! " she said.26 He answered, "It's not right
To take the children's bread and toss it to

Their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord, " she said, "but even dogs
Beneath the master's table are allowed
To eat the crumbs that fall, " 28 then Jesus said,

"Woman, you have great faith, and your request
Is granted, " and her daughter was restored
That moment.29 Jesus left that place and went

Along the Sea of Galilee. He then
Went up a mountainside and sat down.30 Huge
Crowds came to him and brought the lame,
the blind,

The crippled, those who could not speak and many
Others, and put them at his feet; and he
Healed them.31 The people were amazed when they

Saw dumb men speak, the crippled well, the lame
Walking about and blind men seeing. They
Marveled and praised the God of Israel,

32 Then Jesus called his followers to him
And said, "I have compassion for these people;
They have already been with me three days and

Have nothing left to eat. I do not want
To let them go home hungry, or they may
Collapse along the way." 33 His followers

Replied, "Where could we get sufficient bread
In this deserted place to feed a crowd
Like this? " 34 "How many loaves do you have? " Jesus

Asked. "Seven, and a few small fish, " they said.
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground,
36 Then he picked up the seven loaves and fish,

And when he'd given thanks, he broke them and
Gave them to the disciples, who in turn
Gave pieces to the people.37-38 Everyone ate

‘Til satisfied—four thousand men, besides
Women and children. Afterward the men
Collected seven basketfuls of pieces

Left over.39 After Jesus had dismissed
The crowd, he went aboard the vessel and
Crossed to the area of Magadan.