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15
1 Then some Pharisees and religious teachers from Jerusalem came to Jesus and asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of our forefathers by not washing their hands before they eat a meal?”
3 “Why do you break God's commandment because of your tradition?” Jesus replied. 4 “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Those who curse their father or mother should be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if someone tells their father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have expected to get from me is now a gift to God,’ then 6 they don't have to honor their father. In this way you've annulled God's word for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! How well Isaiah described you when he prophesied: 8 ‘These people say they honor me but in their minds they don't care about me.* Or, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are a long way from me.” 9 Their worship of me is pointless. What they teach are just man-made requirements.’ ”
10 He called the crowd over and told them, “Listen, and understand this: 11 it's not what goes into you through your mouth that defiles you. It's what comes out of your mouth that defiles you.”
12 Then Jesus' disciples came to him and said, “You do realize that the Pharisees were offended by what you said.”
13 “Every plant my heavenly Father didn't plant will be uprooted,” Jesus replied. 14 “Forget about them—they are blind guides.† Referring to the Pharisees. If a blind man leads another blind man, then they'll both fall into a ditch.”
15 Then Peter asked, “Please tell us what you mean by this illustration.”
16 “Haven't you understood this yet?” replied Jesus. 17 “Don't you see that whatever goes in through the mouth then passes through the stomach, and then leaves the body as waste?‡ Literally, “discharged into the sewer.” 18 But what comes out through the mouth comes from the mind, and that's what defiles you. 19 For what comes from the mind are evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and blasphemy 20 and those are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands doesn't defile you.”
21 Jesus left and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that area came, shouting out, “Lord, son of David! Please have mercy on me, because my daughter is suffering badly because she's possessed by a demon!” 23 But Jesus didn't reply at all. His disciples came to him and told him, “Tell her to stop following us. All her shouting is really annoying!”
24 “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” Jesus said to the woman. 25 But the woman came and kneeled before him, and said, “Lord, please help me!”
26 “It's not right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs,§ The word used for dogs indicates pet dogs, or puppies.” Jesus told her.
27 “Yes, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat crumbs that fall from their master's table,” she replied.
28 “You have great trust in me,” Jesus answered. “Your wish is granted!” And her daughter was healed immediately.
29 Jesus returned, passing by the Sea of Galilee. He went into the mountains nearby where he sat down. 30 Huge crowds came to him, bringing those who were lame, blind, crippled, dumb, and many others who were sick. They laid them on the ground at his feet, and he healed them. 31 The crowd was astounded at what they saw happen: the deaf could speak, the crippled were healed, the lame could walk, and the blind could see. They praised the God of Israel.
32 Jesus called his disciples over and told them, “I feel really sorry for all these people, because they've been with me now for three days, and they have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, in case they faint on their way home.”
33 “Where could we find enough bread here in this desert to feed such a huge crowd?” the disciples responded.
34 “How many loaves of bread do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven, and a few small fish,” they replied.
35 Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after blessing the food he broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples, and the disciples gave it to the crowds. 37 Everybody ate until they were full, and then they collected the leftovers, filling seven baskets. 38 Four thousand men ate the food, not counting women and children. 39 Then he sent the crowds away, got into a boat, and went to the Magadan region.

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*15:8 Or, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are a long way from me.”

†15:14 Referring to the Pharisees.

‡15:17 Literally, “discharged into the sewer.”

§15:26 The word used for dogs indicates pet dogs, or puppies.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher