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1 The Pharisees and religious leaders who had come down from Jerusalem to meet Jesus 2 noticed that some of his disciples ate with “unclean” (meaning unwashed) hands. 3 (The Pharisees and all Jews don't eat until they wash their hands, following the tradition of their ancestors. 4 In the same way, they don't eat when they return from the market until they have had a wash. They observe many other rituals, like the washing of cups, pots, and pans).* While hygienic, the focus was on making sure everything was ceremonially clean.
5 So the Pharisees and religious leaders asked Jesus, “Why don't your disciples follow the tradition of our ancestors? They eat food† Literally, “bread.” with unclean hands.”
6 Jesus replied, “Isaiah was right about you hypocrites when he said, ‘These people claim they honor me, but in their thinking they are far from me. 7 There's no point in their worship of me, for what they teach as doctrines are merely human rules.’‡ Isaiah 29:13. 8 You disregard God's law, and instead you carefully observe human traditions,” he told them.
9 “How cleverly you set aside God's law so you can support your traditions! 10 Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses their father or mother should die.’§ Exodus 20:12; 21:17. 11 But you say, ‘If someone tells their father or mother, “Anything you might have received from me is now Corban,” ’ (that means dedicated to God), 12 then you don't permit them to do anything further for their mother or father. 13 By means of this tradition of yours that you pass down, you make God's word null and void. You do many other things like this.”
14 Jesus called the crowd to him again and told them, “Please, everyone listen to me and understand. 15 It's not what's on the outside and goes into you that makes you unclean. It's what comes out that makes you unclean.” 16 * The earliest manuscripts do not have verse 16.
17 Then Jesus went inside to escape the crowd, and his disciples asked him about his illustration.
18 “Don't you understand it either?” he asked them. “Don't you see that what you eat doesn't make you unclean? 19 It doesn't go into your mind, but into your stomach, and then passes out of the body. So all foods are ceremonially ‘clean.’† Some scholars believe this sentence is a later addition.
20 It's what comes out of you that makes you unclean. 21 It's from the inside, from people's minds, that evil thoughts come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, thoughtlessness— 23 all these evils come from inside and defile people.”
24 Then Jesus left and went to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know he was staying in a house there, but he couldn't keep it a secret. 25 As soon as a woman, whose little daughter had an evil spirit, heard about him she came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek, born in Syrophoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive out the demon from her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat until they're full,” Jesus replied. “It's not right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”‡ Or puppies, small dogs.
28 “True, sir,” she said, “but even the dogs under the table eat the scraps the children leave.”
29 Jesus told her, “For such an answer you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, the demon gone.
31 Leaving the region of Tyre, Jesus passed through Sidon and then on to the Sea of Galilee and the territory of the Ten Cities. 32 There they brought him a deaf man who also could not speak properly. They asked Jesus to touch the man with his hand and heal him. 33 After Jesus took him aside from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers in the deaf man's ears. Then he touched the man's tongue with spit. 34 Jesus looked up to heaven and with a sigh he said, “Ephphatha,”§ This is the Aramaic word meaning “cause to be open.” which means, “Open!” 35 The man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was gone, and he began speaking properly. 36 Jesus gave strict orders not to tell anyone, but the more he said this, the more they spread the news. 37 They were totally amazed and said, “Everything he does is marvelous. He even makes the deaf hear, and the dumb speak.”

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*7:4 While hygienic, the focus was on making sure everything was ceremonially clean.

†7:5 Literally, “bread.”

‡7:7 Isaiah 29:13.

§7:10 Exodus 20:12; 21:17.

*7:16 The earliest manuscripts do not have verse 16.

†7:19 Some scholars believe this sentence is a later addition.

‡7:27 Or puppies, small dogs.

§7:34 This is the Aramaic word meaning “cause to be open.”

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher