The Lantern

Mark7

The Tradition of the Elders

And the Pharisees and some of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem, are gathered together to Him.

And they had seen some of His disciples that with defiled hands — that is, unwashed — they are eating the bread.

For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash the hands with a fist, holding the tradition of the elders;

and on coming from the market they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they received to keep — washings of cups and vessels and utensils and couches for dining.

And the Pharisees and the scribes questioned Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat the bread with unsanctified hands?”

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written: ‘This people honors Me with the lips, but their heart is kept far away from Me;

and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

Having neglected the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

And He was saying to them, “Neatly do you set aside the commandment of God, that you may maintain your tradition.

For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother shall surely be put to death.’

But you yourselves say that if a man may say to the father or to the mother, ‘It is Corban’ — that is, a gift — ‘whatever you would have been profited from me,’

and you no longer allow him to do anything for the father or for the mother,

making void the word of God for your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many such like things.”

What Defiles a Man

And having called the crowd to Him again, He was saying to them, “Listen to Me, all, and understand.

There is nothing outside of the man, entering into him, which is able to defile him; but the things proceeding out of the man are those which are defiling the man.”

[If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.]

And when He went into the house from the crowd, His disciples were asking Him the parable.

And He says to them, “Are you yourselves also thus without understanding? Do you not understand that everything outside, entering into the man, is not able to defile him,

because it does not enter into his heart but into the belly, and goes out into the sewer?” — purifying all food.

And He was saying that “That going forth out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

For within, from the heart of men, the evil thoughts go forth: sexual immorality, thefts, murders,

adulteries, covetous desires, wickednesses, deceit, sensuality, an evil eye, slander, pride, foolishness.

All these evils go forth from within, and it defiles the man.”

The Faith of the Gentile Woman

And from there, having risen up, He went away into the region of Tyre. And having entered into a house, He was wishing no one to know it, and He was not able to be hidden.

But immediately a woman, having heard about Him, of whom her little daughter had an unclean spirit, having come, fell at His feet;

now the woman was a Gentile, Syrophoenician by race, and she was asking Him that He may cast forth the demon out of her daughter.

And He was saying to her, “Permit the children first to be satisfied; for it is not good to take the bread of the children and to cast it to the dogs.”

But she answered and says to Him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat of the crumbs of the children.”

And He said to her, “Because of this word, go; the demon has gone forth out of your daughter.”

And having gone away to her home, she found the child laid on the bed and the demon having left.

The Deaf and Mute Man

And again, having departed from the region of Tyre, He came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the region of the Decapolis.

And they bring to Him a deaf man who spoke with difficulty, and they implore Him that He may lay the hand on him.

And having taken him away from the crowd privately, He put His fingers to his ears, and having spit, He touched his tongue,

and having looked up to heaven, He sighed deeply and says to him, “Ephphatha!” — that is, “Be opened.”

And immediately his ears were opened, and the band of his tongue was loosed, and he was speaking plainly.

And He instructed them that they may speak to no one; but as much as He was instructing them, they themselves were proclaiming it all the more excessively,

and above measure they were astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”