Mark 7:1–30

The Traditions of the Elders

7The ^kPharisees ^land some of the scribes ^mwho had come from Jerusalem ⁿgathered around Him. ²They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean ^o—that is, unwashed—hands. ³(For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴When they come from the marketplace, ^pthey do not eat unless they have washed. ^qAnd there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches. ^rs) ⁵Then the Pharisees ^tand the scribes ^uasked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, ^vinstead of eating bread with ritually unclean ^whands?”

⁶He answered them, “Isaiah ^xprophesied ^ycorrectly about you hypocrites, ^zas it is written: ^a

These people honor ^bMe with their lips,

but their heart is far from Me.

⁷They worship Me in vain,

teaching ^cas doctrines ^dthe commands ^eof men. ^fg

⁸Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.” ^h9He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain ⁱyour tradition! ¹⁰For Moses ^jsaid:

Honor your father and your mother; ^kl and

Whoever speaks evil of father or mother

must be put to death. ^mn

¹¹But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit ^oyou might have received from me is Corban’ ” (that is, a gift ^pcommitted to the temple), ¹²“you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³You revoke God’s word ^qby your tradition that you have handed ^rdown. And you do many other similar things.” ¹⁴Summoning ^sthe crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ^t15Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. [¹⁶If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!]” ^u

¹⁷When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸And He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? ¹⁹For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach ^vand is eliminated.” ^w(As a result, He made all foods clean. ^xy) ²⁰Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. ²¹For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, ^zthefts, murders, ^a22adulteries, ^bgreed, ^cevil actions, deceit, ^dpromiscuity, ^estinginess, ^fblasphemy, ^gpride, ^hand foolishness. ⁱ²³All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

A Gentile Mother’s Faith

²⁴He got up and departed from ^jthere to the region of Tyre ^kand Sidon. ^lmHe entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but He could not escape notice. ²⁵Instead, immediately after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit ⁿcame and fell at His feet. ^o26Now the woman was Greek, ^pa Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon ^qout of her daughter. ²⁷He said to her, “Allow the children to be satisfied first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ^r

²⁸But she replied to Him, “Lord, ^seven the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹Then He told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” ³⁰When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.