[1] Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
[2] “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
[3] Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
[4] For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
[5] But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
[6] he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
[7] You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
[8] ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
[9] They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
[10] Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
[11] A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
[12] Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
[13] But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
[14] Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
[15] Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
[16] “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.
[17] “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?
[18] But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
[19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
[20] These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
[21] Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
[22] And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
[23] But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
[24] He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
[25] The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
[26] But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
[27] “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
[28] “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
[29] Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.
[30] Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them.
[31] The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
[32] Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
[33] The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”
[34] “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
[35] And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.
[36] Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
[37] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
[38] A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children.
[39] After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.