True and False Religion
Professors and Pharisees from Jerusalem then approached Jesus, inquiring, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why," asked Jesus, in reply to them, "do you transgress the command of God by means of your own tradition? for God commanded, Honour your father and your mother1; and, he who neglects father or mother, let his end be death.2 But you say, 'If any one should say to his father or mother, What I might assist you with is consecrated to God; then he need not assist his father or mother': and thus you set aside the command of God by your tradition. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,
This people come near to Me with their mouth,
And honour Me with their lips;
But their hearts run away from Me.
So in vain do they pay Me homage,
Teaching for doctrines the commands of Men!"3
Then having called the crowd to Him, He addressed them, saying, "Listen and understand! What goes into the mouth does not corrupt the man; but what comes out of his mouth does corrupt him."
His disciples, however, approaching Him, said, "Do you not see that the Pharisees were shocked when they heard Your assertion?"
But He replied, "Every plant that has not been planted by My heavenly Father shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind; but when the blind guide the blind, both will fail into a ditch."
Peter then making answer, said to Him, "Explain this puzzle to us."
But Jesus replied, "Are you ignorant even yet? Do you not know that everything going into the mouth proceeds to the stomach, and is from there evacuated? But what come out from the mouth proceed from the heart, and corrupt the man. For there come from the heart wicked thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, perjuries, blasphemies. These are what corrupt the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not corrupt the man."
Faith Rewarded
When Jesus removed from there, He proceeded to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And there a Canaanitish woman of that part, running, called out to Him, saying, "Pity me, Master, Son of David I My daughter is horribly possessed with demons! "But not a word did He answer her. His disciples then advanced and begged Him to "Relieve her; because she calls after us." In reply, however, He said, "I was not sent to other than the lost sheep of Israel's house." But she approaching, paid Him homage, saying, "Master, help me! "
"It is not right," was His reply, "to take the children's bread, and throw it to the dogs!"
"Most true, Master," she said; "yet even the dogs feed upon the crumbs falling from their masters' table."
"Noble woman!" exclaimed Jesus, in reply to her; "how firm your faith! Let it be even as you desire." And her daughter was restored from that very hour.
And when Jesus removed from there, He came along the shore of the sea of Galilee, and ascending the hill, He sat down. Great crowds then approached Him, bringing with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they threw them down near the feet of Jesus; and He restored them: so that the crowd wondered, observing the dumb speaking, the maimed made sound, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.
Four Thousand Fed
Jesus then calling His disciples to Him, said, "I feel pity for the crowd; because they have now stayed with Me three days, and they have no thing to eat. I do not wish to send them away starving, for fear they should faint on the road." And the disciples asked Him, "Where can we procure bread enough in a desert like this, to satisfy such a crowd? "
"How many loaves have you? " Jesus asked them.
"Seven, and a few small fishes," was their reply.
He accordingly ordered the crowd to be reclined upon the ground; and taking the seven loaves and the fishes, giving thanks, He broke and handed to His disciples, and the disciples to the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied; and of the broken pieces left over, they afterwards gathered up seven baskets-full. And those who had partaken numbered four thousand men, besides women and children. Then having dismissed the crowd, He took the boat, and came to the neighbourhood of Magdala.
-------------
Transcribed by Mark Hicks on 12-31-2014
