Mark 7
7
Obey God’s Law Not Men’s
1Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. 2They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean. (“Not clean” means that they did not wash their hands in the way the Pharisees said people must. 3The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the teaching given to them by their great people who lived before them. 4And when the Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules of their great people who lived before them. They follow rules about the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.# Some Greek copies continue, “and dining couches.”)
5The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the rules given to us by our great people who lived before us. Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?”
6Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you. Isaiah wrote,
‘These people show honor to me with words.
But their hearts are far from me.
7Their worship of me is worthless.
The things they teach are nothing
but human rules they have memorized.’ Isaiah 29:13
8You have stopped following the commands of God. Now you only follow the teachings of men.”# Some Greek copies continue, “You wash pitchers and jugs and do many other such things.”
9Then Jesus said to them: “You think you are clever! You ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! 10Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’# Quotation from Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16. Then Moses also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’# Quotation from Exodus 21:17. 11But you teach that a person can say to his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ 12You are telling that person that he does not have to do anything for his father or mother. 13So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow your own rules, which you teach people. And you do many things like that.”
14Jesus called the people to him again. He said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. 15There is nothing a person puts into his body that makes him unclean. A person is made unclean by the things that come out of him. 16[Let those with ears use them and listen!]”# Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
17When Jesus left the people and went inside, his followers asked him about this story. 18Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean. 19Food does not go into a person’s mind. Food goes into his stomach. Then that food goes out of his body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that there is no food that is unclean for people to eat.)
20And Jesus said, “The things that come out of a man are the things that make him unclean. 21All these evil things begin inside a person, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, 22selfishness, doing bad things to other people, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, saying bad things about people, pride, and foolish living. 23All these evil things come from within a person. These things make a person unclean.”
Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman
24Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre.# Some Greek copies continue, “and Sidon.” He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. But Jesus could not stay hidden. 25A woman heard that he was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit in her. So the woman quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. 26She was not Jewish. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter.
27Jesus told the woman: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.”
28She answered, “That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don’t eat.”
29Then Jesus said, “That is a very good answer. You may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
30The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed. The demon was gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns.# In Greek, called “Decapolis.” It was an area east of Lake Galilee that once had ten main towns. 32While he was there, some people brought a man to him. This man was deaf and could not talk. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.
33Jesus led the man away from the crowd, to be alone with him. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34Jesus looked up to heaven and took a deep breath. He said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”) 35When Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was also able to use his tongue, and he spoke clearly.
36Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it. 37They were really amazed. They said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk—Jesus makes them able to speak.”
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Mark 7: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Mark 7
7
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
1One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. 2They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. 3(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands,#7:3 Greek have washed with the fist. as required by their ancient traditions. 4Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands#7:4a Some manuscripts read sprinkle themselves. in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.#7:4b Some manuscripts add and dining couches.)
5So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ # 7:7 Isa 29:13 (Greek version).
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’#7:10a Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16. and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’#7:10b Exod 21:17 (Greek version); Lev 20:9 (Greek version). 11But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’#7:11 Greek ‘What I would have given to you is Corban’ (that is, a gift). 12In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
14Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.#7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16, Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Compare 4:9, 23.”
17Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18“Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
20And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
The Faith of a Gentile Woman
24Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre.#7:24 Some manuscripts add and Sidon. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 25Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil#7:25 Greek unclean. spirit, 26and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.
Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, 27Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.#7:27 Greek Let the children eat first. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
28She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29 “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.#7:31 Greek Decapolis. 32A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.
33Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. 34Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 35Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!
36Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. 37They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
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