Mark 7:9-30

Then Jesus said to them, “You cleverly ignore the commands of God so you can follow your own teachings. Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ You no longer let that person use that money for his father or his mother. By your own rules, which you teach people, you are rejecting what God said. And you do many things like that.” After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. There is nothing people put into their bodies that makes them unclean. People are made unclean by the things that come out of them. [Let those with ears use them and listen.]” When Jesus left the people and went into the house, his followers asked him about this story. Jesus said, “Do you still not understand? Surely you know that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person unclean. It does not go into the mind, but into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.) And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them unclean. All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, evil actions, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, speaking evil of others, pride, and foolish living. All these evil things come from inside and make people unclean.” Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.” Then Jesus said, “Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone.