The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Matthew 15.1-9)1 Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. 2 They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands.
3 The Pharisees and many others obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way before eating. 4 None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls.
5 The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, “Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?”
6 Jesus replied:
You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,
“All of you praise me
with your words,
but you never really
think about me.
7 It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans.”
8 You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. 9 You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! 10 Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? 11 But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. 12 You won't let those people help their parents. 13 And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things just as bad.
What Really Makes People Unclean
(Matthew 15.10-20)14 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 15-16 The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”
17 After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant. 18 He answered, “Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. 19 It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body.” By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.
20 Then Jesus said:
What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. 21 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, 22 unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. 23 All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.
A Woman's Faith
(Matthew 15.21-28)24 Jesus left and went to the region near the town of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And at once she came and knelt down at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”
28 The woman replied, “Lord, even puppies eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”
29 Jesus answered, “That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Was Deaf and Could Hardly Talk
31 Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis. 32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.
33 After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue. 34 Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” 35 At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.
36 Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.”
1 Then gathered vnto him the Pharises, and certaine of the Scribes which came from Hierusalem. 2 And when they sawe some of his disciples eate meate with common hands, (that is to say, vnwashen) they complained. 3 (For the Pharises, and all the Iewes, except they wash their hands oft, eate not, holding the tradition of the Elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eate not: and many other things there be, which they haue taken vpon them to obserue, as the washing of cups, and pots, and of brasen vessels, and of beds.) 5 Then asked him the Pharises and Scribes, Why walke not thy disciples according to the tradition of the Elders, but eate meate with vnwashen hands? 6 Then hee answered and sayd vnto them, Surely Esay hath prophecied well of you, hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth mee with lippes, but their heart is farre away from me. 7 But they worship me in vaine, teaching for doctrines the commandements of men. 8 For ye lay the commandement of God apart, and obserue the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and of cups, and many other such like things ye doe. 9 And he sayd vnto them, Well, ye reiect the commandement of God, that ye may obserue your owne tradition. 10 For Moses sayd, Honour thy father and thy mother: and Whosoeuer shall speake euill of father or mother, let him die the death. 11 But yee say, If a man say to father or mother, Corban, that is, By the gift that is offered by mee, thou mayest haue profite, hee shall be free. 12 So ye suffer him no more to doe any thing for his father, or his mother, 13 Making the worde of God of none authoritie, by your tradition which ye haue ordeined: and ye doe many such like things. 14 Then he called the whole multitude vnto him, and sayd vnto them, Hearken you all vnto me, and vnderstand. 15 There is nothing without a man, that can defile him, when it entreth into him: but the things which proceede out of him, are they which defile the man. 16 If any haue eares to heare, let him heare. 17 And when hee came into an house, away from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he sayde vnto them, What? are ye without vnderstanding also? Doe ye not knowe that whatsoeuer thing from without entreth into a man, cannot defile him, 19 Because it entreth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught which is the purging of all meates? 20 Then he sayd, That which commeth out of man, that defileth man. 21 For from within, euen out of the heart of men, proceede euill thoughtes, adulteries, fornications, murthers, 22 Theftes, couetousnes, wickednes, deceite, vncleannes, a wicked eye, backbiting, pride, foolishnesse. 23 All these euill things come from within, and defile a man. 24 And from thence he rose, and went into the borders of Tyrus and Sidon, and entred into an house, and woulde that no man should haue knowen: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certaine woman, whose litle daughter had an vncleane spirit, heard of him, and came, and fell at his feete, 26 (And the woman was a Greeke, a Syrophenissian by nation) and she besought him that he would cast out the deuill out of her daughter. 27 But Iesus saide vnto her, Let the children first be fedde: for it is not good to take the childrens bread, and to cast it vnto whelpes. 28 Then shee answered, and saide vnto him, Trueth, Lord: yet in deede the whelpes eate vnder the table of the childrens crommes. 29 Then he said vnto her, For this saying goe thy way: the deuil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when shee was come home to her house, shee founde the deuill departed, and her daughter lying on the bed. 31 And hee departed againe from the coastes of Tyrus and Sidon, and came vnto the sea of Galile, through the middes of the coastes of Decapolis. 32 And they brought vnto him one that was deafe and stambered in his speache, and prayed him to put his hand vpon him. 33 Then hee tooke him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers in his eares, and did spit, and touched his tongue. 34 And looking vp to heauen, hee sighed, and said vnto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his eares were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and hee spake plaine. 36 And he commanded them, that they should tell no man: but howe much soeuer hee forbad them, the more a great deale they published it, 37 And were beyonde measure astonied, saying, Hee hath done all thinges well: he maketh both the deafe to heare, and the domme to speake.