• Followers of Tradition

  • 1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came from Jerusalem,
  • 2 and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unholy hands, that is, unwashed.
  • 3 (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the tradition of the elders;
  • 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and copper pots.)
  • 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unholy hands?”
  • 6 But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
  • 7 ‘And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
  • 8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
  • 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
  • 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is certainly to be put to death’;
  • 11 but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is, given to God),’
  • 12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother;
  • 13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

  • The Heart of Mankind

  • 14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:
  • 15 there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person.”
  • 17 And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him about the parable.
  • 18 And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him,
  • 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thereby He declared all foods clean.)
  • 20 And He was saying, “That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person.
  • 21 For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery,
  • 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
  • 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”

  • The Syrophoenician Woman

  • 24 Now Jesus got up and went from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know about it; and yet He could not escape notice.
  • 25 But after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.
  • 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician descent. And she repeatedly asked Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
  • 27 And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
  • 28 But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”
  • 29 And He said to her, “Because of this answer, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
  • 30 And after going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
  • 31 Again He left the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.
  • 32 And they *brought to Him one who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they *begged Him to lay His hand on him.
  • 33 And Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers in his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva;
  • 34 and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He *said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
  • 35 And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.
  • 36 And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.
  • 37 And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even those who are deaf hear, and those who are unable to talk, speak.”