1THEN JESUS WAS APPROACHED by a group of Pharisees and lawyers from Jerusalem, with the question: 2'Why do your disciples break the old-established tradition? They do not wash their hands before meals.' 3He answered them: 'And what of you? Why do you break God's commandment in the interest of your tradition? 4 [ Ex.20.12, Dt.5.16, Ex.21.17. ] For God said, "Honour your father and mother", and, "The man who curses his father or mother must suffer death." 5But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother, 'Anything of mine which might have been used for your benefit is set apart for God', then he must not honour his father or his mother." 6You have made God's law null and void out of respect for your tradition. 7What hypocrisy! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
12Then the disciples came to him and said, 'Do you know that the Pharisees have taken great offence at what you have been saying?' 13His answer was: 'Any plant that is not of my heavenly Father's planting will be rooted up. 14Leave them alone; they are blind guides, and if one blind man guides another they will both fall into the ditch.'
15Then Peter said, 'Tell us what that Pble means.' 16Jesus answered, 'Are you still as dull as the rest? 17Do you not see that whatever goes in by the mouth passes into the stomach and so is discharged into the drain? 18But what comes out of the mouth has its origins in the heart; and that is what defiles a man. 19Wicked thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander - these all proceed from the heart; 20and these are the things that defile a man; but to eat without first washing his hands, that cannot defile him.'
21JESUS THEN LEFT that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22And a Canaanite woman from those parts came crying out, 'Sir! have pity on me. Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a devil.' 23But he said not a word in reply. His disciples came and urged him: 'Send her away; see how she comes shouting after us.' 24Jesus replied, 'I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and to them alone.' 25But the woman came and fell at his feet and cried, 'Help me, sir.' 26To this Jesus replied, 'It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' 27'True, sir,' she answered; 'and yet the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.' 28Hearing this Jesus replied, 'Woman, what faith you have! Be it as you wish!' And from that moment her daughter was restored to health.
29After leaving that region Jesus took the road by the Sea of Galilee and went up to the hills. 30When he was seated there, crowds flocked to him, bringing with them the lame, blind, dumb, and crippled, and many other sufferers; they flung them down at his feet, and he healed them. 31Great was the amazement of the people when they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled strong, the lame walking, and sight restored to the " blind; and they gave praise to the God of Israel.
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