Mark 7
7
The Tradition of the Elders.#See note on Mt 15:1–20. Against the Pharisees’ narrow, legalistic, and external practices of piety in matters of purification (Mk 7:2–5), external worship (Mk 7:6–7), and observance of commandments, Jesus sets in opposition the true moral intent of the divine law (Mk 7:8–13). But he goes beyond contrasting the law and Pharisaic interpretation of it. The parable of Mk 7:14–15 in effect sets aside the law itself in respect to clean and unclean food. He thereby opens the way for unity between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God, intimated by Jesus’ departure for pagan territory beyond Galilee. For similar contrast see Mk 2:1–3:6; 3:20–35; 6:1–6. 1Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him,#Mt 15:1–20. 2they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 3(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands,#Carefully washing their hands: refers to ritual purification. keeping the tradition of the elders. 4And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) 5So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders#Tradition of the elders: the body of detailed, unwritten, human laws regarded by the scribes and Pharisees to have the same binding force as that of the Mosaic law; cf. Gal 1:14. but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 6He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:#Is 29:13.
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’
8You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 9He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’#Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9; Dt 5:16; Eph 6:2. 11Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’#Qorban: a formula for a gift to God, dedicating the offering to the temple, so that the giver might continue to use it for himself but not give it to others, even needy parents. (meaning, dedicated to God), 12you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. 13You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” 14#Mt 15:10–20. He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” [16]#Mk 7:16, “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear,” is omitted because it is lacking in some of the best Greek manuscripts and was probably transferred here by scribes from Mk 4:9, 23.
17#Away from the crowd…the parable: in this context of privacy the term parable refers to something hidden, about to be revealed to the disciples; cf. Mk 4:10–11, 34. Jesus sets the Mosaic food laws in the context of the kingdom of God where they are abrogated, and he declares moral defilement the only cause of uncleanness. #4:10, 13. When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19#(Thus he declared all foods clean): if this bold declaration goes back to Jesus, its force was not realized among Jewish Christians in the early church; cf. Acts 10:1–11:18. #Acts 10:15. since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21#Jer 17:9. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23All these evils come from within and they defile.”
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith. 24#Mt 15:21–28. From that place he went off to the district of Tyre.#The withdrawal of Jesus to the district of Tyre may have been for a respite (Mk 7:24), but he soon moved onward to Sidon and, by way of the Sea of Galilee, to the Decapolis. These districts provided a Gentile setting for the extension of his ministry of healing because the people there acknowledged his power (Mk 7:29, 37). The actions attributed to Jesus (Mk 7:33–35) were also used by healers of the time. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. 25Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.#Mt 8:29. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.#The figure of a household in which children at table are fed first and then their leftover food is given to the dogs under the table is used effectively to acknowledge the prior claim of the Jews to the ministry of Jesus; however, Jesus accedes to the Gentile woman’s plea for the cure of her afflicted daughter because of her faith. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 28She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
The Healing of a Deaf Man. 31#Mt 15:29–31. Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 32And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 36#The more they proclaimed it: the same verb proclaim attributed here to the crowd in relation to the miracles of Jesus is elsewhere used in Mark for the preaching of the gospel on the part of Jesus, of his disciples, and of the Christian community (Mk 1:14; 13:10; 14:9). Implied in the action of the crowd is a recognition of the salvific mission of Jesus; see note on Mt 11:5–6. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. 37They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.”#Mt 15:31.
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Mark 7: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
St Mark 7
7
1AND there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem.
2And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
3For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients:
4And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.
5And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?
6But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7And in vain to they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.
8For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.
9And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
10For Moses said: Honor thy father and thy mother; and He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die.
11But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban, (which is a gift,) whatsoever is from me, shall profit thee.
12And further you suffer him not to do any thing for his father or mother,
13Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do.
14And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand.
15There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17And when he was come into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked him the parable.
18And he saith to them: So are you also without knowledge? understand you not that every thing from without, entering into a man cannot defile him:
19Because it entereth not into his heart, but goeth into the belly, and goeth out into the privy, purging all meats?
20But he said that the things which come out from a man, they defile a man.
21For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.
24And rising from thence he went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: and entering into a house, he would that no man should know it, and he could not be hid.
25For a woman as soon as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, came in and fell down at his feet.
26For the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician born. And she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27Who said to her: Suffer first the children to be filled: for it is not good to take the bread of the children, and cast it to the dogs.
28But she answered and said to him: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat under the table of the crumbs of the children.
29And he said to her: For this saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30And when she was come into her house, she found the girl lying upon the bed, and that the devil was gone out.
31And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
32And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him.
33And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue:
34And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened.
35And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right.
36And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it.
37And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.