Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, saying, "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating?" They asked this because his disciples did not follow the Jewish custom of washing their hands before meals.

Jesus answered them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For example, God commanded us to honor our parents, but you teach that if someone says they'll take care of their elderly parents, it's okay not to support them financially. You're making void the word of God with your own traditions."

The Pharisees were hypocrites, and Isaiah had prophesied about this very thing: "This people honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." They drew near to God with their words, but their hearts were far from him. In vain they worshiped him, teaching human traditions as if they were divine commands.

Jesus called the multitude and said to them, "Listen carefully and understand what I'm saying. The things that go into our mouths pass through our bodies, but it's what comes out of our mouths that defiles us." His disciples approached him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended after hearing this saying?"

Jesus replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Peter asked Jesus to explain what he meant by this, but Jesus said, "Do you still lack understanding? Do you still not understand that everything that goes into your mouth enters your stomach and then is cast out, but it's what comes out of your heart that defiles you."

Jesus continued, "Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart and defile the man. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. These are the things that render a person unclean; eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

Jesus then departed from there and went into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. A woman from Canaan came out of the same region and cried to him, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David; my daughter is severely tormented by a demon." But he did not respond to her immediately.

His disciples approached Jesus and begged him to send her away, but Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." The woman came near to Jesus and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me." He replied, "It is not fitting to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs."

The woman understood that Jesus was calling her a dog, but she said, "Yet even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table." Jesus was impressed by her faith and said, "Woman, your faith is great; it will be done for you exactly as you have asked." And from that moment on, her daughter was completely healed.

Jesus departed from there and came near to the Sea of Galilee, going up into a mountain where he sat down. Great multitudes came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, whom they cast down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them.

The multitude was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me three days now and have nothing to eat; I will not send them away hungry, lest they faint on their way."

His disciples asked him, "Where could we possibly get enough bread in the wilderness to feed such a large crowd?" Jesus asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven, and a few little fish." He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Jesus took the seven loaves and the fishes, gave thanks, broke them, and distributed them to his disciples, who then gave them to the crowd. And they all ate and were filled, taking up seven baskets full of leftover broken pieces. There were four thousand men, besides women and children, who had eaten.

After feeding the crowd, Jesus dismissed them and boarded a ship, sailing to Magdala's regions.