Human Traditions and God’s Commandments

15 Then Pharisees and scribes came 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 eat ⌊a meal⌋.”a 3 So he answered and* said to them, “Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your* father and your* mother,’b and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother ⌊must certainly die⌋c.’d 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his* father or his* mother, “Whatever ⌊benefit you would have received⌋e from me is a gift to God,” 6 need not honor his father,’f and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying,

8 ‘This people honors me with their* lips,

but their heart is far, far away from me,

9 and they worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”g

Defilement from Within

10 And summoning the crowd, he said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but 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 And he answered and* said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leth them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter answered and* said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 But he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. 19 For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!”

A Canaanite Woman’s Great Faith

21 And departing from there, Jesus went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and* asked him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out after us!” 24 But he answered and* said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and* knelt down before him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And he answered and* said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it* to the dogs!” 27 So she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Many Others Healed in Galilee

29 And departing from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up on the mountain and* was sitting there. 30 And large crowds came to him, having with them the mute, blind, lame, crippled,i and many others, and they put them down at his feet, and he healed them. 31 So then the crowd was astonished when they* saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.

The Feeding of Four Thousand

32 And Jesus summoned his disciples and* said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me three days already and do not have anything to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they give out on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where in this desolate place ⌊can we get⌋j so much bread that such a great crowd could be satisfied?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” So they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” 35 And commanding the crowd to recline for a meal on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish and after he* had given thanks, he broke them* and began givingk them* to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. 39 And after he* sent away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

The Signs of the Times

16 And when* the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test him,* they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 So he answered and* said to them, “When* evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather because the sky is red,’ 3 and early in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy weather, because the sky is red and* darkening.’ You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky, but you are not able to evaluate* the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah!” And he left them and* went away.

Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 And when* the disciples arrived at the other side,a they had forgotten to take bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 7 So they were discussing this* among themselves, saying, “It is because we did not take bread.” 8 But knowing this,* Jesus said, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you did not take bread,b you of little faith? 9 Do you not yet understand or do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 11 How do you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi

13 Now when* Jesus came to the region of Caesarea ⌊Philippi⌋,c he began asking* his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, ⌊Some⌋d say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and* said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 17 And Jesus answered and* said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this* to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bounde in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be releasedf in heaven.” 20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time on 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 be raised on the third day. 22 And Peter took him aside and* began to rebuke him, saying, ⌊God forbid⌋,g Lord! This will never happen to you!” 23 But he turned around and* said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!”

Taking Up One’s Cross to Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it. 26 For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will reward each one according to ⌊what he has done⌋.h 28 Truly I say to you, that there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

17 And after six days Jesus took along Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became bright as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 So Peter answered and* said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here! If you want, I will make here three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While* he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 And when* the disciples heard this,* they fell down on their faces and were extremely frightened. 7 And Jesus came and touched them and* said, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they* lifted up their eyes they saw no one except him—Jesus alone.

9 And as* they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, “Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And he answered and* said, “Elijah indeed is coming, and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did with him whatever they wanted. In the same way also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

A Demon-possessed Boy Healed

14 And when they* came to the crowd, a man approached him, kneeling down before him 15 and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely, for often he falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they were not able to heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered and* said, “O unbelieving and perverse generation! ⌊How long⌋a will I be with you? ⌊How long⌋b must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him and the boy was healed from that hour.

19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and* said, ⌊Why⌋c were we not able to expel it?” 20 And he said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”d

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Second Time

22 Now as* they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men,e 23 and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were extremely distressed.

Paying the Double Drachma Temple Tax

24 Now when* they arrived in Capernaum, the ones who collected the double drachma taxf came up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the double drachma 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 the kings of the earth collect tolls or taxes—from their own sons, or from foreigners?” 26 And when he* said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 But so that we do not give offense to them, go out to the sea, cast a line with* a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you* open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that and* give it* to them for me and you.”

The Question About Who Is Greatest

18 At that time the disciples came up to Jesus, saying, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling a child to himself, he had him stand in their midst 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become like young children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven! 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child, this person is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, 5 and whoever welcomes one child such as this in my name welcomes me. 6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him that ⌊a large millstone⌋a be hung onb his neck and he be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of causes for stumbling, for it is a necessity that causes for stumbling come; nevertheless, woe to the person through whom the cause for stumbling comes. 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it* from you! It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame than, having 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* from you! It is better for you to enter into life one-eyed than, having two eyes, to be thrown into fiery hell!

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven constantly see the face of my Father who is in heaven.c 12 What do you think? If ⌊a certain man has⌋d a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and* look for the one that wandered away? 13 And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away. 14 In the same way it is not the will ⌊of⌋e your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Confronting a Brother Who Sins Against You

15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take with you in addition one or two others, so that by ⌊the testimony⌋f of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it* to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven. 19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it will be done for them from my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

21 Then Peter came up to him and* said,g “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven!h

23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 And when* he began to settle them,* someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents. 25 And because* he did not have enough* to repay it,* the master ordered him to be sold, and his* wife and his* children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. 26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground and* began to do obeisance to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything to you!’ 27 So the master of that slave, because he* had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan. 28 But that slave went out and* found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke him,* saying, ‘Pay back everything that you owe!’ 29 Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground and* began to implore* him, saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ 30 But he did not want to, but rather he went and* threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed. 31 So when* his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed, and went and* reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then his master summoned him and* said to him, ‘Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me! 33 Should you not also have shown mercy to your fellow slave as I also showed mercy to you?’ 34 And because he* was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailersi until he would repay everything that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!”