1Scribes and Pharisees then came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying: 2”Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the presbyters? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3Jesus answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’208 and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother should be put to death.’209 5But you say, ‘Anyone may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever support210 you might otherwise have received from me is now a gift devoted to God,” and is not bound to honor his father or mother.’211 6Thus, you have made the commandment212 of God void because of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaias prophesied about you quite well when he said:
8These people draw near to me with their mouth,213
and honor me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me!
9In vain do they express adoration to214 me,
teaching as doctrine rules made by men.215
10Jesus216 gathered the crowds and said to them, “Hear, and understand. 11What enters into the mouth does not defile a person, but what comes out of the mouth, this is what defiles a person.”
12Then his disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13But Jesus answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14Leave them alone! They are blind guides of the blind;217 and if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16And so, Jesus answered, “Do you still fail to understand? 17Do you not yet understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the person. 19Indeed, it is from the heart that evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies come forth. 20These are the things which defile a person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not make anyone impure.”
The faith of a Canaanite woman—Crumbs from their masters’ table
21Jesus then left that area and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David! My daughter is severely demonized!”
23But Jesus did not answer her a word.
His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away! She is shouting after us!”
24However, Jesus answered, “I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25Still, the woman218 came forward and expressed adoration to219 him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26But he answered, “It is not right220 to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
27But she replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Other healings—Feeding of the four thousand
29Jesus departed and came near the sea of Galilee. He went up into the mountain and sat there. 30Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others; and they put them down at his feet. So he healed them, 31and the crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have remained with me for three days now and they have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they might faint on the way.”
33His disciples said to him, “But where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place in order to satisfy such a great multitude?” 34Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35Jesus then told the people to sit down on the ground 36and took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples distributed [the food] to the multitudes. 37Everyone ate and was satisfied. They gathered up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 38Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39Then Jesus sent the people away, got into the boat, and came to the borders of Magdala.221
Seeking after a sign—The yeast or leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
- Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
- Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9
- Or “help, assistance”
- CT omits “or mother”
- CT reads “word” and another variant is “law”
- CT omits “draw near to me with their mouth” which may have been added to harmonize with the OT LXX quotation (see note below)
- proskuneo can also be translated “worship (in the broad sense),” “venerate,” “fall down in reverence,” “do obeisance” (see NT introduction regarding proskuneo)
- Isaias 29:13. NT agrees with LXX against MT.
- Greek “he”
- CT omits “of the blind”
- Greek “she”
- proskuneo can also be translated “worship (in the broad sense),” “venerate,” “fall down in reverence,” “do obeisance” (see NT introduction regarding proskuneo)
- Or “appropriate”
- Other manuscripts read “Magadan/Magedan” and “Magdalan”
Text: The Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible, New Testament (EOB). Used with permission.
