Mark 7
7
What contaminates a life?
1The Pharisees and some legal experts from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2They saw some of his disciples eating food with unclean hands. (They were eating without first ritually purifying their hands through washing. 3The Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat without first washing their hands carefully. This is a way of observing the rules handed down by the elders. 4Upon returning from the marketplace, they don’t eat without first immersing themselves. They observe many other rules that have been handed down, such as the washing of cups, jugs, pans, and sleeping mats.) 5So the Pharisees and legal experts asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples not living according to the rules handed down by the elders but instead eat food with ritually unclean hands?”
6He replied, “Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you hypocrites. He wrote,
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away from me.
7 Their worship of me is empty
since they teach instructions that are human words. # 7.7 Isa 29:13
8 You ignore God’s commandment while holding on to rules created by humans and handed down to you.” 9Jesus continued, “Clearly, you are experts at rejecting God’s commandment in order to establish these rules. 10Moses said, Honor your father and your mother,#7.10 Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16 and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death.#7.10 Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9 11But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother,“Everything I’m expected to contribute to you is corban (that is, a gift I’m giving to God),” 12then you are no longer required to care for your father or mother.’ 13In this way you do away with God’s word in favor of the rules handed down to you, which you pass on to others. And you do a lot of other things just like that.”
14Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.”#7.15 7:16 is omitted in most critical editions of the Gk New Testament Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!
17After leaving the crowd, he entered a house where his disciples asked him about that riddle. 18He said to them, “Don’t you understand either? Don’t you know that nothing from the outside that enters a person has the power to contaminate? 19That’s because it doesn’t enter into the heart but into the stomach, and it goes out into the sewer.” By saying this, Jesus declared that no food could contaminate a person in God’s sight. 20“It’s what comes out of a person that contaminates someone in God’s sight,” he said. 21“It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, 22adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. 23All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.”
An immigrant’s daughter is delivered
24Jesus left that place and went into the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had entered a house, but he couldn’t hide. 25In fact, a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him right away. She came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was Greek, Syrophoenician by birth. She begged Jesus to throw the demon out of her daughter. 27He responded, “The children have to be fed first. It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28But she answered, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29“Good answer!” he said. “Go on home. The demon has already left your daughter.” 30When she returned to her house, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.
A deaf man is healed
31After leaving the region of Tyre, Jesus went through Sidon toward the Galilee Sea through the region of the Ten Cities. 32Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and they begged him to place his hand on the man for healing. 33Jesus took him away from the crowd by himself and put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34Looking into heaven, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Open up.” 35At once, his ears opened, his twisted tongue was released, and he began to speak clearly.
36Jesus gave the people strict orders not to tell anyone. But the more he tried to silence them, the more eagerly they shared the news. 37People were overcome with wonder, saying, “He does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak.”
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Mark 7: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Mark 7
7
1 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes, arriving from Jerusalem, gathered together before him.
2 And when they had seen certain ones from his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, with unwashed hands, they disparaged them.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat without repeatedly washing their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4 And when returning from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other things which have been handed down to them to observe: the washings of cups, and pitchers, and bronze containers, and beds.
5 And so the Pharisees and the scribes questioned him: "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with common hands?"
6 But in response, he said to them: "So well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, just as it has been written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 And in vain do they worship me, teaching the doctrines and precepts of men.'
8 For abandoning the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men, to the washing of pitchers and cups. And you do many other things similar to these."
9 And he said to them: "You effectively nullify the precept of God, so that you may observe your own tradition.
10 For Moses said: 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever will have cursed father or mother, let him die a death.'
11 But you say, 'If a man will have said to his father or mother: Korban, (which is a gift) whatever is from me will be to your benefit,'
12 then you do not release him to do anything for his father or mother,
13 rescinding the word of God through your tradition, which you have handed down. And you do many other similar things in this way."
14 And again, calling the crowd to him, he said to them: "Listen to me, all of you, and understand.
15 There is nothing from outside a man which, by entering into him, is able to defile him. But the things which procede from a man, these are what pollute a man.
16 Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
17 And when he had entered into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable.
18 And he said to them: "So, are you also without prudence? Do you not understand that everything entering to a man from outside is not able to pollute him?
19 For it does not enter into his heart, but into the gut, and it exits into the sewer, purging all foods."
20 "But," he said "the things which go out from a man, these pollute a man.
21 For from within, from the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness.
23 All these evils procede from within and pollute a man."
24 And rising up, he went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. And entering into a house, he intended no one to know about it, but he was not able to remain hidden.
25 For a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about him, entered and fell prostrate at his feet.
26 For the woman was a Gentile, by birth a Syro-Phoenician. And she petitioned him, so that he would cast the demon from her daughter.
27 And he said to her: "First allow the sons to have their fill. For it is not good to take away the bread of the sons and throw it to the dogs."
28 But she responded by saying to him: "Certainly, Lord. Yet the young dogs also eat, under the table, from the crumbs of the children."
29 And he said to her, "Because of this saying, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter."
30 And when she had gone to her house, she found the girl lying on the bed; and the demon had gone away.
31 And again, departing from the borders of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the area of the Ten Cities.
32 And they brought someone who was deaf and mute to him. And they begged him, so that he would lay his hand upon him.
33 And taking him away from the crowd, he put his fingers into his ears; and spitting, he touched his tongue.
34 And gazing up to heaven, he groaned and said to him: "Ephphatha," which is, "Be opened."
35 And immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke correctly.
36 And he instructed them not to tell anyone. But as much as he instructed them, so much more did they preach about it.
37 And so much more did they wonder, saying: "He has done all things well. He has caused both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
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