Tradition and Worship
(Mark 7:1-13)

1Then Pharisees and scribes come to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they shall eat bread.”

3And answering He said to them, “Why also do you break the commandment of God on account of your tradition? 4For God commanded, ‘Honor the Father and mother’a and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, in death must end!’b 5But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to the father or mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift,” 6he shall not honor his father or his mother.’ And you made void the commandment of God on account of your tradition! 7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly concerning you, saying,

8‘This people honors Me with the lips,

but their heart is kept far away from Me.

9And in vain they worship Me,

teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’c”

What Defiles a Man
(Mark 7:14-23)

10And having summoned the crowd, He said to them, “Hear and understand! 11It is not what is entering into the mouth that defiles the man; but that going forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

12Then the disciples having approached, said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees, having heard this saying, were offended?”

13And answering He said, “Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14Leave them! They are blind guides of the blind.d And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15And Peter answering said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16And He said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not yet understand that everything entering into the mouth goes into the stomach, and is cast out into the sewer? 18But the things going forth out of the mouth come forth out of the heart, and these defile the man. 19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, slanders. 20These are the things defiling the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman
(Mark 7:24-30)

21And having gone forth from there, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman from the same region having approached, was crying out saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

23But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples having approached, were imploring Him, saying, “Dismiss her, for she cries out after us!”

24And answering He said, “I was sent only to those being lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25And having come, she was worshiping Him saying, “Lord, help me!”

26And answering He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and to cast it to the dogs.”

27And she said, “Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs falling from their masters’ table.”

28Then Jesus answering said to her, “O woman, great is your faith. It shall be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(Mark 8:1-10)

29And having departed from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30And great crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others. And they placed them at His feet, and He healed them, 31so that the crowd marveled, seeing the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

32And Jesus, having called His disciples to Him, said, “I am moved with compassion toward the crowd, because they continue with Me three days already and have nothing that they might eat. And I am not willing to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

33And the disciples say to Him, “From where will be to us in a secluded place so many loaves, as so great a crowd to satisfy?”

34And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

35And having commanded the crowds to sit down on the ground, 36having taken the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks, He broke them and kept giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.

37And all ate and were satisfied, and they took up that being over and above of the fragments, seven baskets full. 38And those eating were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39And having dismissed the crowds, He entered into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.