Matthew 15:17-21:46 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach, and is cast out into a latrine?

CAB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach, and is cast out into a latrine? ¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." ²¹ And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a Canaanite woman coming forth from that region cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." ²³ But He answered her not a word. And His disciples approached and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." ²⁴ But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" ²⁶ But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and to throw it to the little dogs." ²⁷ But she said, "Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat from the crumbs falling from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. ²⁹ And moving on from there, Jesus came alongside the Sea of Galilee, and going up into a mountain, He sat down there. ³⁰ And great crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they put them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. ³¹ So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Now Jesus, having summoned His disciples, He said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been remaining with Me three days, and they do not have anything to eat. And I do not desire to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." ³³ Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get so many loaves of bread in this deserted place, so as to satisfy so great a crowd?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵ So He commanded the crowds to recline on the ground. ³⁶ And He took the seven loaves and the fish, having given thanks, He broke them, and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the crowd. ³⁷ So they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what they had left of the fragments, seven hampers full. ³⁸ Now those who ate were four thousand men, apart from women and children. ³⁹ And having dismissed the crowds, He went up into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. ¹⁶ ¹ Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven. ² He answered and said to them, "When evening comes you say, 'Fine weather, for the sky is red'. ³ And in the morning, 'Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' Hypocrites! Indeed you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And leaving them behind He went away. ⁵ Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they forgot to take bread. ⁶ Then Jesus said to them, "Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ⁷ But they were reasoning among themselves, saying, "We did not take bread." ⁸ But Jesus, knowing about it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why are you reasoning among yourselves, because you did not take bread? ⁹ Do you not yet perceive, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many hampers you took up? ¹¹ How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" ¹² Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was questioning His disciples, saying, "Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?" ¹⁴ So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others say Elijah, and yet others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." ¹⁵ He said to them, "But who do you pronounce Me to be?" ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven." ²⁰ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go off to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day. ²² And taking Him aside, Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, "God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You!" ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block unto Me, because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." ²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of Me shall find it. ²⁶ For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give as an exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will render to each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who will by no means taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." ¹⁷ ¹ Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain in private; ² and He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You desire, let us make here three tents: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ⁵ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" ⁶ And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and they were greatly afraid. ⁷ But Jesus approached and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." ⁸ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus only. ⁹ And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." ¹⁰ And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" ¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, " Elijah truly does come first, and shall restore all things. ¹² But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they desired. Thus also the Son of Man is about to suffer by them." ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. ¹⁴ And when they came to the crowd, a man approached Him, kneeling to Him, and saying, ¹⁵ "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is moonstruck and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they were not able to heal him." ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, "O unfaithful and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out from him; and the boy was healed from that very hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Be moved from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." ²² And while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill Him, and on the third day He shall be raised." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. ²⁴ When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" ²⁵ He said, "Yes." And when he entered into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" ²⁶ Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, and cast in a hook, and take the first fish coming up. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a coin; taking that, give it to them for Me and you." ¹⁸ ¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?" ² Then Jesus called a little child, and set him in their midst, ³ and said, "Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever receives one such little child in My name, receives Me. ⁶ "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone be hanged on his neck, and he be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man through whom the offense comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut them off and cast them from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, than having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be thrown into the fiery hell. ¹⁰ "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. ¹² What do you think? If a certain man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one gone astray? ¹³ And if he happens to find it, assuredly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray. ¹⁴ Thus it is not the will before your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ "And if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not hear, take along with you one or two more, so that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' ¹⁷ But if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the assembly. But if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, assuredly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." ²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy- seven times. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ And when he began to settle up, one debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But since he had nothing with which to repay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. ²⁶ Therefore falling down before him, the servant said, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will repay everything to you.' ²⁷ "And having compassion, the master of that servant released him, and forgave him the loan. ²⁸ But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. And taking hold of him, he was choking him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' ²⁹ "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and kept begging him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.' ³⁰ "But he was not willing, but going off, he cast him into prison till he should pay back what was owed. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and they came and narrated to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then summoning him, his master said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, as I also had compassion on you?' ³⁴ "And being angered, his master handed him over to the tormentors until he should pay all that was owed to him. ³⁵ Thus also My heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive each one his brother their trespasses, from your hearts." ¹⁹ ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, that He with from Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² And great crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. ³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" ⁴ And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' ⁵ and He said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." ⁷ They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" ⁸ He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been thus. ⁹ And I say to you, that whoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marrying a divorcee commits adultery." ¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry." ¹¹ But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but it is for those to whom it has been given: ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it." ¹³ Then little children were brought to Him, that He might put His hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, "Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ¹⁵ And having put His hands on them, He departed from there. ¹⁶ And behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" ¹⁷ So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸ He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' ¹⁹ ' Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " ²⁰ The young man said to Him, "All these have I kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you desire to be perfect, go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." ²² But when the young man heard the word, he went away grieved, for he had many possessions. ²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly I say to you, that with difficulty a rich man shall enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." ²⁵ And when His disciples heard, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then is able to be saved?" ²⁶ And looking on them, Jesus said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. What then shall we have?" ²⁸ So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the Regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first. ²⁰ ¹ "For the kingdom of heaven is like a certain landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² And having agreed with the workers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. ⁴ And said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever may be right I will give you.' So they went. ⁵ Again going out about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did likewise. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour, going out he found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' ⁷ "They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you shall receive.' ⁸ "So when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' ⁹ "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they also received each a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they began grumbling against the landowner, ¹² saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' ¹³ "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am not wronging you. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. But I want to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' ¹⁶ "Thus the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen." ¹⁷ And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took aside the twelve disciples privately on the road, and He said to them, ¹⁸ "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, ¹⁹ and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He shall rise again." ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, worshipping Him, and asking something from Him. ²¹ And He said to her, "What do you desire?" She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and one on Your left, in Your kingdom." ²² But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." ²³ So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father." ²⁴ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus, having summoned them, said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, shall be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." ²⁹ Now as they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed Him. ³⁰ And behold, two blind men sitting alongside the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have pity on us, O Lord, Son of David!" ³¹ But the crowd warned them that they should be silent; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have pity on us, O Lord, Son of David!" ³² And having stood still, Jesus called them, and said, "What do you desire that I should do for you?" ³³ They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." ³⁴ And Jesus, having compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. ²¹ ¹ Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, towards the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied up, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. ³ And if anyone asks you anything, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he sends them." ⁴ Now all this took place so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ⁵ "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " ⁶ So the disciples went, and did just as Jesus ordered them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their clothes on them, and they set Him on them. ⁸ And a very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; but others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading them on the road. ⁹ Then the crowds who went before, and those following were crying out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" ¹⁰ And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" ¹¹ And the crowds were saying, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." ¹² Then Jesus went into the temple of God and He cast out all those buying and selling in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. ¹³ And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" ¹⁴ Then the lame and the blind came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonders which He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant ¹⁶ and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" ¹⁷ And having left them, He went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. ¹⁸ Now in the early morning, returning to the city, He became hungry. ¹⁹ And seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "May fruit no longer come from you ever again." And immediately the fig tree withered away. ²⁰ And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" ²¹ So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you should say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. ²² And all things, as many as you may ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." ²³ Now as He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" ²⁴ But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: ²⁵ The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they were arguing among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ²⁶ "But if we should say, 'From men,' we fear the crowd, for all consider John as a prophet." ²⁷ So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁸ "But what do you think? A man had two children. And having come to the first, he said, 'Child, go, work today in my vineyard.' ²⁹ "But he answered and said, 'I will not,' but later he regretted it and went. ³⁰ And having come to the other, he said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I am going, sir,' but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; but you, having seen, did not repent afterwards, that you might believe him. ³³ "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers and went on a journey. ³⁴ Now when harvest time of fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, that they might collect his fruits. ³⁵ And the farmers took his servants, they beat one, and one they killed, and another they stoned. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise. ³⁷ And at last he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.' ³⁸ "But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us gain possession of his inheritance.' ³⁹ "And taking him, they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?" ⁴¹ They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other farmers, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." ⁴² Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? ⁴³ "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. ⁴⁴ And he who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." ⁴⁵ Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And seeking to seize Him, they feared the crowds, since they considered Him as a prophet.