Traditions and Commandments
1 For ver. 1-30, see Matt. 15:1-28Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes ch. 3:22who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were [Acts 10:14;Rom. 14:14(Gk.)]defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,7:3 Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing holding to Gal. 1:14;Col. 2:8the tradition of Heb. 11:2the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.7:4 Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as Heb. 9:10;[John 2:6] the washing of Matt. 23:25;Luke 11:39cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to [See ver. 3above] the tradition of [See ver. 3above] the elders, Luke 11:38but eat with [See ver. 2above]defiled hands?" 6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you Matt. 23:13hypocrites, as it is written,
Cited from Isa. 29:13;[Ezek. 33:31]"‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as Col. 2:22;Titus 1:14doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men."
9 And he said to them, "You have a fine way of Luke 7:30;Gal. 2:21(Gk.);Heb. 10:28(Gk.)rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!10 For Moses said, Cited from Ex. 20:12‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, Cited from Ex. 21:17‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, "Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban"’ (that is, given to God)7:11 Or an offering—12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,13 thus Gal. 3:17(Gk.);[Rom. 2:23]making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do."
What Defiles a Person
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, Matt. 13:51"Hear me, all of you, and understand:15 See Acts 10:14,15There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him."7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear17 And when he had entered ch. 9:28the house and left the people, [Matt. 13:36;15:15]his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, "Then ch. 8:17,18are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,19 since it enters not his heart [1 Cor. 6:13] but his stomach, and is expelled?"7:19 Greek goes out into the latrine ([Luke 11:41;Acts 10:15;11:9]Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, Matt. 12:34;James 3:6"What comes out of a person is what defiles him.21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, Matt. 5:22,28;See Ex. 20:13,14,17murder, adultery,22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, 2 Cor. 12:21;Gal. 5:19;Eph. 4:19;2 Pet. 2:7;Jude 4sensuality, See Matt. 6:23(Gk.)envy, Eph. 4:31;Col. 3:8;1 Tim. 6:4slander, See Luke 1:51pride, [Eph. 5:17]foolishness.23 1 Cor. 6:9,10All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.7:24 Some manuscripts omit and Sidon And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 [John 12:20,21] Now the woman was a [1 Cor. 12:13] Gentile, [Acts 21:2,3]a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, "Let the children be [Acts 3:26;Rom. 1:16] fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and Matt. 7:6throw it to the dogs."28 But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s [Luke 16:21]crumbs." 29 And he said to her, "For this statement you may John 4:50go your way; the demon has left your daughter."30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31 For ver. 31-37, [Matt. 15:29-31] Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to Matt. 4:18;John 6:1the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the ch. 5:20;Matt. 4:25Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him Isa. 35:5,6a man who was deaf and Isa. 35:5,6had a speech impediment, and they begged him to See ch. 5:23lay his hand on him. 33 And ch. 8:23taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and ch. 8:23after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And See ch. 6:41looking up to heaven, ch. 8:12;[John 11:33]he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."35 [See ver. 32above]And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And ch. 9:9;See Matt. 8:4Jesus7:36 Greek he charged them to tell no one. But ch. 1:45;Matt. 9:31the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were ch. 10:26astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."