Mark 7
7
What Makes People Unclean?
1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who’d come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2They saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were unclean, that is, not ceremonially washed. 3The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat until they’ve washed their hands to make them clean. Their elders teach that they have to do that. 4When they come home from the market, they have to take a bath before they can eat anything. And they follow many other teachings too. For example, they wash cups, pitchers, and kettles in a special way.
5So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples follow what the elders teach? Why do they eat their food with unclean hands?”
6Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites! He said,
“ ‘These people honor me by what they say,
but their hearts are far away from me.
7Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me,
because they’re only teaching human rules.’
8You’ve let go of God’s commands, and instead you’re holding on to teachings that people have passed down.”
9Jesus continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commands so that you can follow your own teachings. 10Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ He also said, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother must be put to death.’ 11But you tell people that if they have money that they could use to help their parents, they can say instead that it’s Corban. (That means ‘a gift set apart for God.’) 12So you no longer allow them to do anything for their parents anymore. 13You make the word of God useless by putting your own teachings in its place. And you do this a lot.”
14Jesus called the crowd to him again and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15-16Nothing that’s outside of a person can make them unclean by going into them. It’s what comes out of a person that makes them unclean.”
17When he left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him what he’d meant by that. 18“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make them unclean? 19It doesn’t go into their heart, but into their stomach, and then it passes right back out of the body.” This meant that all foods were clean.
20He went on to say, “What comes out of a person is what makes them unclean. 21It’s from the inside, from a person’s heart, that bad things come: sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22adultery, greed, hate, cheating, impurity, jealousy, lying, pride, and foolishness. 23All these bad things come from inside a person, and that’s what makes them unclean.”
Jesus Honors a Greek Woman’s Faith
24Jesus went from there to a place near Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 25There was a woman whose little daughter had an evil spirit. As soon as the woman heard that Jesus was nearby, she came and bowed down at his feet. 26She was a Greek woman who’d been born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her. “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28“Lord,” she answered, “even the dogs eat the children’s crumbs under the table.”
29“That’s a good answer,” Jesus told her. “Go on home, the demon has left your daughter.”
30So she went home and found her child lying quietly in bed, because the demon had gone.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Can’t Hear or Speak
31Then Jesus left the area of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee, and into the area known as the Ten Cities. 32There some people brought a man to Jesus who was deaf and could hardly speak. They begged Jesus to place his hands on the man.
33Jesus took the man to one side, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34Jesus looked up to heaven and said to the man with a deep sigh, “Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!” 35The man’s ears were opened, his tongue was freed up, and he began to speak clearly.
36Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he did, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed and amazed and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes deaf people able to hear, and he makes those who can’t speak able to talk.”
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Mark 7
7
Hearts Harden
1Now the Pharisees and some of the Torah scholars who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Yeshua.
2And they saw that some of His disciples were eating bread with unclean hands, that is, not washed.
3(For the Pharisees and all Jewish people do not eat unless they wash their hands up to the elbow, keeping the tradition of the elders.
4And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing. There are many other traditions they have received and hold, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels.)
5The Pharisees and Torah scholars questioned Yeshua, “Why don’t Your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders? Why do they eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.
7And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8Having left behind the commandment of God, you hold on to the tradition of men.”
9He was also telling them, “You set aside the commands of God, in order that you may validate your own tradition.
10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.’
11But you say if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have gained from me is korban (that is, an offering to God),’
12then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,
13making void the word of God with your tradition that you’ve handed down. And you do many such things.”
14Then Yeshua called the crowd again and began saying to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand.
15There is nothing outside the man that can make him unholy by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of the man that makes the man unholy.”
16[footnote: Some mss. Add: If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.]
17When He had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18And He said to them, “Are you then also lacking understanding? Don’t you grasp that whatever goes into the man cannot make him unholy?
19For it does not enter into the heart but into the stomach, and then goes out into the sewer, cleansing all foods.”
20And He continued, “It is what comes out of the man that makes the man unholy.
21For from within, out of the heart of men, come evil intentions, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
22adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustfulness, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
23All these evil things come from within and make the man unholy.”
Miracles Touch Gentile Lives
24Yeshua got up and left from there to the region of Tyre. When He had entered a house, He didn’t want anyone to know; but He couldn’t escape notice.
25A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him. She came immediately and fell at His feet.
26The woman was a Greek, from Syrophoenicia. And she kept begging Yeshua to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27He was telling her, “First let the children get their fill, for it’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28“Yes, Master,” she said to Him, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29Then He said to her, “Because of this word, go your way! The demon has left your daughter.”
30She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31Again He left the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.
32They bring Him a deaf man who had a speech impediment, and they beg Him to lay His hand on him.
33Yeshua took him aside from the crowd to a private place, and He put His fingers in the man’s ears. After spitting, He touched the man’s tongue.
34Looking up to heaven, He says to the man, “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened!”
35Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly.
36Yeshua ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more they continued proclaiming it.
37People were completely astounded, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
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