1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” 6he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of 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.
9And they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
10He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. 11That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
12Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. 14Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.”
16So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? 17Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body? 18But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. 20These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”
21Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”
23But he answered her not a word.
His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”
24But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
27But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there. 30Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, 31so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.
32Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.”
33The disciples said to him, “Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”
34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; 36and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 37They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 38Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. 39Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.
The gospel according to Matthew has often been considered as a work that was written from a Jewish perspective and addressed to a Jewish audience, which is largely true. The initial verse connects Jesus as the son of David and Abraham, and the following genealogy that connects Jesus to these patriarchs gives us the first clue.
The listing of the genealogies, reference to fulfillments of Old Testament passages, and the mission of the disciples to the house of Israel in Matt 10, lends support to this thesis. Other tell-tale signs such as the use of the term "kingdom of heaven," rather than "kingdom of God," and the lone statement of Jesus, among the four gospels, which says "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" adds additional support. One finds in the Gospel more uses of "son of David" than the combined usage of the designation in the other gospels. Unlike Mark's gospel, which explains Jewish customs (e.g. Mark 7:2-4), Matthew gives various customs without any explanation (such as references to phylacteries and tassels (Matt 23:5), or the temple tax (Matt 17:24-27)).
It is like the primary focus of Matthew to explain to His Jewish readers, probably at Antioch, why the earthly Davidic reign did not begin with the coming of Jesus the Messiah, as the Jews had anticipated from Old Testament prophecies.
Yet, in spite of this obvious Jewish emphasis, Matthew also has an unusual Gentile focus. This is not unexpected since 1:1 introduces David the King and the patriarch Abraham, reflecting Yahweh's covenant with Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant is made up of three parts. First, it unconditionally guarantees that the land given to Abraham is conveyed to his physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Second, the kingdom rule of David and his posterity is confirmed, ultimately to be realized with the coming of Messiah Jesus, who will reign after His return to earth. Last of all is the promise that through this covenant the Gentiles would be blessed, what is often called the New Covenant.
After the introduction of the connection of Jesus the Messiah with King David and the patriarch Abraham, Matthew provides a genealogy from these two important ancestors of the Messiah Yeshua, which includes several Gentile women, namely Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba.
The introduction of several Gentile women into the genealogy is totally unexpected. The woman Tamar, in the story of Judah, is given first in 1:3. The woman of Jericho who protected the spies Joshua and Caleb was Rahab (1:5), who married Salmon; they were the parents of Boaz, who in turn was the man who married the Moabite woman, Ruth. They became the great-grandparents of David the King of Israel. Last of all is Bathsheba, married to Uriah the Hittite, and eventually became the mother of King Solomon, and finally ancestor of Mary the mother of Jesus, through Nathan son of David.
Another indication of his emphasis on the Gentile world is the coming of the Magi from Persia, found in chapter two of Matthew. It is uncertain what caused the Magi to pay attention to this mysterious star that led them to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish King of Kings.
Another example is that in Matthew's gospel (15:21-28) Jesus is approached by a Syro-Phoenician woman that asked for Him to heal her daughter who is demon-possessed. Due to her great faith (v 28), though she was not a Jew, to whom he said He was sent (v. 24), nonetheless He answered her prayer.
An important feature that is unique to Matthew is the statement by Jesus at Caesarea Philippi (Panias), in a Gentile area, that He was going to build His church (ἐκκλησία, ekklesia), a word that is never found in the other gospels. The reference to the church is found in Matthew 16 (founding of the new assembly of believers) and Matthew 18 (discipline of church members). This new body of believers began with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, which anticipates the growth of the new fellowship of believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit and what becomes known as the body of Christ. This was a clear departure from the synagogue in Israel, as the believers in Jesus spread throughout the world.
Last of all is the Great Commission to the Gentile world in Matthew 28. Early in the book Jesus gives His disciples a commission to the house of Israel (Matthew 10, especially vv 5-6), specifically telling them not to go to the Gentiles, yet in Matthew 28:19-20 He commands them to go to the nations (ἔθνη), a common designation for the non-Jewish world. This may also help us to understand why the command to baptize these nations in the name of the Trinity, since the Gentiles had not been instructed regarding true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the places that baptism is mentioned in the Acts it is always in the name of Jesus, since the Jews or Jewish proselytes were already instructed regarding the Father and the Spirit from the Father. Identification with Jesus the Messiah was the focus.