Chapter 15
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem , saying ,
2 " Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders ? For they don’ t wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered them , " Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition ?
4 For God commanded , ‘ Honour your father and your mother ,’ and , ‘ He who speaks evil of father or mother , let him be put to death .’
5 But you say , ‘ Whoever may tell his father or his mother , " Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God ,"
6 he shall not honour his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition .
7 You hypocrites ! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you , saying ,
8 ‘ These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me .
9 And they worship me in vain , teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’"
10 He summoned the multitude , and said to them , "Hear, and understand .
11 That which enters into the mouth doesn’ t defile the man ; but that which proceeds out of the mouth , this defiles the man ."
12 Then the disciples came and said to him , " Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying ?"
13 But he answered , " Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’ t plant will be uprooted .
14 Leave them alone . They are blind guides of the blind . If the blind guide the blind , both will fall into a pit."
15 Peter answered him , " Explain the parable to us ."
16 So Jesus said , " Do you also still not understand?
17 Don’ t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body ?
18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart , and they defile the man .
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts , murders , adulteries , sexual sins, thefts , false testimony , and blasphemies.
20 These are the things which defile the man ; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’ t defile the man ."
21 Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon .
22 Behold , a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried , saying , " Have mercy on me , Lord , you son of David ! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!"
23 But he answered her not a word . His disciples came and begged him , saying , "Send her away; for she cries after us ."
24 But he answered , " I wasn’ t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."
25 But she came and worshipped him , saying , " Lord , help me ."
26 But he answered , " It is not appropriate to take the children ’s bread and throw it to the dogs ."
27 But she said , " Yes , Lord , but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters ’ table ."
28 Then Jesus answered her , " Woman , great is your faith ! Be it done to you even as you desire ." And her daughter was healed from that hour .
29 Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee ; and he went up on the mountain and sat there .
30 Great multitudes came to him , having with them the lame , blind , mute , maimed , and many others , and they put them down at his feet . He healed them ,
31 so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking , the injured healed , the lame walking , and the blind seeing— and they glorified the God of Israel .
32 Jesus summoned his disciples and said , " I have compassion on the multitude , because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat . I don’ t want to send them away fasting , or they might faint on the way ."
33 The disciples said to him , " Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude ?"
34 Jesus said to them , " How many loaves do you have ?" They said , " Seven , and a few small fish ."
35 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground ;
36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish . He gave thanks and broke them , and gave to the disciples , and the disciples to the multitudes .
37 They all ate and were filled . They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over .
38 Those who ate were four thousand men , in addition to women and children .
39 Then he sent away the multitudes , got into the boat , and came into the borders of Magdala .