Traditions and Commandments
15 mThen Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the ntradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, o‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, p‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”1 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word2 of God. 7 You hypocrites! qWell did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 r“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the scommandments of men.’”
What Defiles a Person
10 tAnd he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 uit is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, vbut what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every wplant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be xrooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are yblind guides.3 And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, z“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?4 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 aFor out of the bheart come evil thoughts, cmurder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 dAnd eJesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, fSon of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the glost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and hthrow it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the icrumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you jas you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.5
Jesus Heals Many
29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the klame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd lwondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they mglorified the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
32 nThen Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have ocompassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all pate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs
16 qAnd the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,1 “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 rAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except sthe sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 tWhen the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and ubeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, v“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 wDo you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and xhow many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and yhow many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 zNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say aJohn the Baptist, others say bElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the cprophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, d“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ebut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and fon this grock2 I will hbuild my church, and the igates of hell3 shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the jkeys of the kingdom of heaven, and kwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed4 in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 lFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the mthird day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!5 This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, n“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance6 to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24 oThen Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ptake up his cross and qfollow me. 25 rFor whoever would save his life7 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he sgains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to tcome with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person uaccording to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are vsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
The Transfiguration
17 wAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And xhe was ytransfigured before them, and his zface shone like the sun, and his clothes became awhite as light. 3 bAnd behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three ctents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright dcloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, e“This is my beloved Son,1 fwith whom I am well pleased; glisten to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and htouched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 iAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, j“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that kfirst Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him lwhatever they pleased. mSo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of nJohn the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 oAnd when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has pseizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your qdisciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rrebuked the demon,2 and it3 came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.4 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus sprivately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and tnothing will be impossible for you.”5
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
22 uAs they were gathering6 in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the vthird day.” And they were greatly distressed.
The Temple Tax
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the wtwo-drachma xtax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.7 Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
Who Is the Greatest?
18 yAt that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the zgreatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like achildren, you will never benter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever chumbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 d“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 ebut whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,1 fit would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Temptations to Sin
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!2 For it is necessary that temptations come, but gwoe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 hAnd if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell3 of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 i“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven jtheir angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.4 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and kgo in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 lSo it is not the will of my5 Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 m“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, nbetween you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ogained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established pby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, qlet him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, rwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed6 in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, sif two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, tthere am I among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as useven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but vseventy-seven times.7
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to wsettle accounts with his servants.8 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand xtalents.9 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be ysold, with his wife and zchildren and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant10 fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and aforgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,11 and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 bAnd should not you have had cmercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the djailers,12 until he should pay all his debt. 35 eSo also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Teaching About Divorce
19 fNow when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and gtested him by asking, “Is it lawful to hdivorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning imade them male and female, 5 and said, j‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, k“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your lhardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: mwhoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”1
10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is ngiven. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs ofor the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 pThen children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples qrebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, r“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
The Rich Young Man
16 sAnd behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, twhat good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. uIf you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, v“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, wYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be xperfect, go, ysell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, zfollow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a arich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, bbut with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, cwe have dleft everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,2 when the Son of Man will esit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also fsit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold3 and will ginherit eternal life. 30 hBut many who are first will be last, and the last first.
