Romans 15 closes out Paul’s letter, while Romans 16 offers a long list of personal greetings to specific believers, as well as Paul’s reminder not to have anything to do with those who cause trouble, and that God will soon crush Satan under His feet. In Romans 15 Paul reminds us to be watchful of our weaker brothers and sisters, and to help them grow in their faith. He reminds the Roman believers he has been sent by God as the minister to the Gentiles. While we take that for granted, the reality of God giving salvation to the Gentiles nearly split the early church (See Acts 15) and was an incredible task for a man who had been a Pharisee, and still considered himself to be one.
As we return to Matthew 15, we find Jesus again at odds with the religious leaders. They started the discussion this time by condemning Jesus’ disciples for not following the handwashing rituals. Jesus responded by condemning them for breaking the Law of God so they could keep their traditions. Jesus went on to say it isn’t what goes into the body that makes a person unclean, meaning no food or lack of washing our hands can cause sin in our lives, but it is what comes out of a person that makes the difference. He meant it is the attitudes and desires of our hearts that determine whether we are “clean” or “unclean. In the chapter, Jesus also performs a number of miracles. The first one might be the most significant, because he healed the child of a Gentile woman. Remember, Jesus came only to the “lost sheep of Israel.” His stepping across the ethnic boundary to heal the woman reminds us His commission to the apostles would be to take the Gospel to the entire world. This was a foreshadowing of that moment. Matthew tells us Jesus healed “many” people after the healing of the one child. The chapter ends with Jesus feeding four thousand men along with women and children. Again, Jesus shows us the Kingdom of God offers the fulfillment of all our needs whether spiritual, emotional, or physical. As we minister to people in Jesus’ name, we must always remember He cares about the whole person, and not only the spiritual aspect.