MarkChapter 7

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¹The Pharisees and some of the scribes had come from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. ²They saw some of his disciples eating with unclean hands. That means their hands were not washed in the special way. ³The Pharisees and all the Jews follow the traditions of the elders. They don't eat unless they wash their hands in a special religious way. ⁴When they come back from the market, they don't eat unless they wash. They follow many other traditions too. They wash cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches used for meals. ⁵So the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live by the traditions of the elders? They eat with unclean hands." ⁶Jesus answered them, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He wrote, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. ⁷Their worship of me is useless. They teach human rules as if they were God's teachings.' ⁸You have let go of God's command. Instead, you hold on to human traditions." ⁹He went on, "You have a clever way of setting aside God's command. You do it so you can keep your own traditions. ¹⁰Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother.' He also said, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' ¹¹But you say something else. A man might say to his father or mother, 'I was going to help you, but this is Corban.' Corban means a gift given to God. ¹²Then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³So you cancel God's word by the traditions you pass down. And you do many other things like that." ¹⁴Once again Jesus called the crowd to him. "Listen to me, all of you," he said. "Understand this. ¹⁵Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It is what comes out of a person that makes him unclean." ¹⁶—a ¹⁷Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸"Are you still so slow to understand?" he asked. "Don't you see? Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. ¹⁹That is because it doesn't go into his heart. It goes into his stomach and then out of his body." (So all foods are clean.) ²⁰He went on, "What comes out of a person is what makes him unclean. ²¹Evil things come from inside, from people's hearts. These include evil thoughts, sexual sin, stealing, murder, adultery, ²²greed, evil acts, lying, wild living, jealousy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³All these evil things come from inside. They are what make a person unclean." ²⁴Jesus left there and went to the area around Tyre. He went into a house. He did not want anyone to know he was there. But he could not keep it a secret. ²⁵Soon a woman heard about him. Her little daughter had an unclean spirit. The woman came and fell at his feet. ²⁶She was a Greek woman, born in Syrophoenicia. She kept begging Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷Jesus said to her, "First let the children eat all they want. It isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." ²⁸"Yes, Lord," she answered. "But even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." ²⁹Then Jesus told her, "Because you gave this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter." ³⁰She went home and found her child lying on the bed. The demon was gone. ³¹Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the area of the Decapolis. ³²Some people brought a man to him. The man was deaf and could hardly speak. They begged Jesus to put his hand on him. ³³So Jesus took him away from the crowd, where they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. ³⁴He looked up to heaven and let out a deep sigh. He said to the man, "Ephphatha!" That means, "Be opened!" ³⁵Right away the man's ears were opened. His tongue was set free, and he began to speak clearly. ³⁶Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he told them not to, the more they kept telling people about it. ³⁷The people were completely amazed. "He has done everything well!" they said. "He even makes deaf people hear and people who can't speak talk!"