Mar 7 | ISV | STEP | Jesus Challenges the Tradition of the Elders The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.

Mark 7

1 Jesus Challenges the Tradition of the Elders Matthew 15:1-20

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. ^{▼▼Lit. him}Matt 15:1 2 They noticed that some of his disciples were eating ^{▼▼Lit. eating bread} with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees and indeed all the Jewish people don't eat unless they wash their hands properly, ^{▼▼Lit. with a fist} following the tradition of their elders. 4 They don't eat anything from the marketplace unless they dip it in water. They also observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables.) ^{▼▼Other mss. lack and dinner tables}

5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, ^{▼▼Lit. him} “Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat ^{▼▼Lit. eat bread} with unclean hands.”Matt 15:2

6 He told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written,Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8

‘These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

7 Their worship of me is empty,

because they teach human rules as doctrines.’ ^{▼▼Isa 29:13}

8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

9 Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ ^{▼▼Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16} and ‘Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.’ ^{▼▼Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9}Exod 20:12; 21:17; Lev 20:9; Deut 5:16; Prov 20:20; Matt 15:4 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me is Corban,”’ (that is, an offering to God)Matt 15:5; 23:18 12 you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that.”

14 Then he called to the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand!Matt 15:10 15 Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It is what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!” ^{▼▼Other mss. lack this verse.}Matt 11:15

17 When he had left the crowd and gone home, his disciples began asking him about the parable.Matt 15:15 18 He said to them, “Are you so ignorant? Don't you know that nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and is expelled as waste.” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) ^{▼▼Lit. he cleansed all foods} 20 He continued, “It is what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean. 21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come, as well as sexual immorality, stealing, murder,Gen 6:5; 8:21; Matt 15:19 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander, ^{▼▼Or blasphemy} arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these things come from within and make a person unclean.”

24 The Faith of a Woman from Syria Matthew 15:21-28Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. He} left that place and went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon. ^{▼▼Other mss. lack and Sidon} He went into a house, not wanting anyone to know he was there. However, it couldn't be kept a secret.Matt 15:21 25 In fact, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman happened to be a Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She kept asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 But he kept telling her, “First let the children be filled. It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the puppies.”

28 But she answered him, “Yes, ^{▼▼Other mss. lack Yes} Lord. Yet even the puppies under the table eat some of the children's crumbs.”

29 Then he said to her, “Because you have said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home and found the child lying in bed, and the demon was gone. 31 Jesus Heals a Deaf Man with a Speech ImpedimentThen Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} left the territory of Tyre and passed through Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the territory of the Decapolis. ^{▼▼Lit. the Ten Cities, a loose federation of ten cities strongly influenced by Greek culture}Matt 15:29 32 Some people ^{▼▼Lit. They} brought him a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. They begged him to lay his hand on him.Matt 9:32; Luke 11:14 33 Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. He} took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. Putting his fingers into the man's ^{▼▼Lit. his} ears, he touched his tongue with saliva.Mark 8:23; John 9:6

34 Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” ^{▼▼Ephphatha is Heb./Aram. for Be opened!} that is, “Be opened!”Mark 6:41; John 11:33, 38, 41; 17:1 35 At once the man's ^{▼▼Lit. his} ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to talk normally.Isa 35:5-6; Matt 11:5 36 Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. He} ordered the people ^{▼▼Lit. them} not to tell anyone, but the more he kept ordering them, the more they kept spreading the news.Mark 5:43

37 They were amazed beyond measure, saying, “He does everything well! He even makes deaf people hear and mute people talk!”