The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Mark 7.1-13)1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, 2 “Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!”
3 Jesus answered, “And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching? 4 For God said, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’ 5 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This belongs to God,’ 6 they do not need to honor their father. In this way you disregard God's command, in order to follow your own teaching. 7 You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!
8 ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words,
but their heart is really far away from me.
9 It is no use for them to worship me,
because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’”
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
(Mark 7.14-23)10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand! 11 It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees had their feelings hurt by what you said?”
13 “Every plant which my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up,” answered Jesus. 14 “Don't worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch.”
15 Peter spoke up, “Explain this saying to us.”
16 Jesus said to them, “You are still no more intelligent than the others. 17 Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body. 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. 19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. 20 These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should—this doesn't make you unclean.”
A Woman's Faith
(Mark 7.24-30)21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”
23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”
24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”
25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.
26 Jesus answered, “It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
27 “That's true, sir,” she answered, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.”
28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.
Jesus Heals Many People
29 Jesus left there and went along by Lake Galilee. He climbed a hill and sat down. 30 Large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb, and many other sick people, whom they placed at Jesus' feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed as they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
(Mark 8.1-10)32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without feeding them, for they might faint on their way home.”
33 The disciples asked him, “Where will we find enough food in this desert to feed this crowd?”
34 “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven loaves,” they answered, “and a few small fish.”
35 So Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 They all ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. 38 The number of men who ate was four thousand, not counting the women and children.
39 Then Jesus sent the people away, got into a boat, and went to the territory of Magadan.
1 Then came to Iesus the Scribes and Pharises, which were of Hierusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders? for they wash not their hands when they eate bread. 3 But he answered and said vnto them, Why doe yee also transgresse the commandement of God by your tradition? 4 For God hath commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoeuer shall say to father or mother, By the gift that is offered by me, thou maiest haue profite, 6 Though hee honour not his father, or his mother, shalbe free: thus haue ye made the commandement of God of no aucthoritie by your tradition. 7 O hypocrites, Esaias prophecied well of you, saying, 8 This people draweth neere vnto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with the lips, but their heart is farre off from me. 9 But in vaine they worship me, teaching for doctrines, mens precepts. 10 Then hee called the multitude vnto him, and said to them, Heare and vnderstand. 11 That which goeth into the mouth, defileth not the man, but that which commeth out of the mouth, that defileth the man. 12 Then came his disciples, and saide vnto him, Perceiuest thou not, that the Pharises are offended in hearing this saying? 13 But hee answered and saide, Euery plant which mine heauenly Father hath not planted, shalbe rooted vp. 14 Let them alone, they be the blinde leaders of the blinde: and if the blinde leade ye blinde, both shall fall into the ditche. 15 Then answered Peter, and said to him, Declare vnto vs this parable. 16 Then said Iesus, Are ye yet without vnderstanding? 17 Perceiue ye not yet, that whatsoeuer entreth into the mouth, goeth into the bellie, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those thinges which proceede out of the mouth, come from the heart, and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come euil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, slaunders. 20 These are the things, which defile the man: but to eat with vnwashen hands, defileth not ye man. 21 And Iesus went thence, and departed into the coastes of Tyrus and Sidon. 22 And beholde, a woman a Cananite came out of the same coasts, and cried, saying vnto him, Haue mercie on me, O Lord, the sonne of Dauid: my daughter is miserably vexed with a deuil. 23 But hee answered her not a worde. Then came to him his disciples, and besought him, saying, Sende her away, for she crieth after vs. 24 But he answered, and said, I am not sent, but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel. 25 Yet she came, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, helpe me. 26 And he answered, and said, It is not good to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to whelps. 27 But she said, Trueth, Lord: yet in deede the whelpes eate of the crommes, which fall from their masters table. 28 Then Iesus answered, and saide vnto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it to thee, as thou desirest. And her daughter was made whole at that houre. 29 So Iesus went away from thence, and came neere vnto the sea of Galile, and went vp into a mountaine and sate downe there. 30 And great multitudes came vnto him, hauing with them, halt, blinde, dumme, maymed, and many other, and cast them downe at Iesus feete, and he healed them. 31 In so much that the multitude wondered, to see the dumme speake, the maimed whole, the halt to goe, and the blinde to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Then Iesus called his disciples vnto him, and said, I haue compassion on this multitude, because they haue continued with mee already three dayes, and haue nothing to eate: and I wil not let them depart fasting, least they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples saide vnto him, Whence should we get so much bread in the wildernes, as should suffice so great a multitude! 34 And Iesus said vnto them, How many loaues haue ye? And they said, Seuen, and a few litle fishes. 35 Then he commanded the multitude to sit downe on the ground, 36 And tooke the seuen loaues, and the fishes, and gaue thankes, and brake them, and gaue to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eate, and were sufficed: and they tooke vp of the fragments that remained, seuen baskets full. 38 And they that had eaten, were foure thousand men, beside women, and litle children. 39 Then Iesus sent away the multitude, and tooke ship, and came into the partes of Magdala.