Mark 7-8

Amplified Bible

Followers of Tradition

7 Now the Pharisees and some of the scribes came from Jerusalem and gathered around Him, ² and they had seen that some of His disciples ate their bread with [ceremonially] impure hands, that is, unwashed [and defiled according to Jewish religious ritual]. ³ (^[a]For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat unless they ^[b]carefully wash their hands, holding firmly to the traditions of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they ^[c]cleanse themselves [completely according to ritual]; and there are many other things [oral, man-made laws and traditions handed down to them] which they follow diligently, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper utensils.) ⁵ So the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why do Your disciples not live their lives according to the tradition of the elders, but [instead] eat their bread with [ceremonially] unwashed hands?” ⁶ He replied, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), as it is written [in Scripture],

⁸ You disregard and neglect the commandment of God, and cling [faithfully] to the tradition of men.”

⁹ He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside and nullifying the commandment of God in order to keep your [man-made] tradition and regulations. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother [with respect and gratitude]’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of his father or mother must be put to death’;^{(B) 11} but you [Pharisees and scribes] say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you is Corban, (that is to say, already a gift to God),”’ ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother [since helping them would violate his vow of Corban]; ¹³ so you nullify the [authority of the] word of God [acting as if it did not apply] because of your tradition which you have handed down [through the elders]. And you do many things such as that.”

The Heart of Man

¹⁴ After He called the people to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen [carefully] to Me, all of you, [hear] and understand [what I am saying]: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside a man [such as food] which by going into him can defile him [morally or spiritually]; but the things which come out of [the heart of] a man are what defile and dishonor him. ^16 [d][If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

¹⁷ When Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the ^[e]house, His disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He said to them, “Are you, too, so foolish and lacking in understanding? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile and dishonor him, ¹⁹ since it does not enter his heart, but [only] his stomach, and [from there it] is eliminated?” (By this, He declared all foods ^[f]ceremonially clean.) ²⁰ And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. ²¹ For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). ²³ All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.”

The Syrophoenician Woman

²⁴ Jesus got up and left there and went to the region of Tyre [and Sidon, the coastal area of Phoenicia]. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know about it; but it was impossible for Him to be hidden [from the public].^{(C) 25} Instead, after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile (Greek), a ^[g]Syrophoenician by nationality. And she kept pleading with Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ He was saying to her, “First let the children [of Israel] be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the ^[h]pet dogs (non-Jews).” ²⁸ But she replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the pet dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹ And He said to her, “Because of this answer [reflecting your humility and faith], go [knowing that your request is granted]; the demon has left your daughter [permanently].” ³⁰ And returning to her home, she found the child lying on the couch [relaxed and resting], the demon having gone.

³¹ Soon after this Jesus left the region of Tyre, and passed through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of Decapolis [the ten Hellenistic cities]. ³² They brought to Him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him. ³³ Jesus, taking him aside by himself, away from the crowd, put His fingers into the man’s ears, and after spitting, He touched the man’s tongue [with the saliva]; ³⁴ and looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to the man, “Ephphatha,” which [in Aramaic] means, “^[i]Be opened and released!” ³⁵ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he began speaking plainly. ³⁶ Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. ³⁷ They were thoroughly astounded and completely overwhelmed, saying, “He has done everything well! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Four Thousand Fed

8 In those days, when there was again a large crowd [gathered before Him] and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and told them,^{(D) 2} “I feel compassion for the crowd; they have been with Me now for three days and have nothing [left] to eat. ³ If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will faint [from exhaustion] on the road; because some of them have come a long way.” ⁴ His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this isolated place to feed these people?” ⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves [of bread] do you have?” They said, “Seven.” ⁶ He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and [repeatedly] gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they served the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few small fish; and when Jesus had blessed them [and given thanks], He ordered these [fish] to be set before them as well. ⁸ And the people ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ⁹ About four thousand [men] were there [besides women and children]; and He sent them away. ¹⁰ Then immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of ^[j]Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came out and began to argue [contentiously and debate] with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him [because of their unbelief]. ¹² He groaned and sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^[k]no sign will be given to this generation!” ¹³ Leaving them, He again boarded the boat and left for the other side.

¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ Jesus repeatedly ordered them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the ^[l]leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” ¹⁶ They began discussing this with one another, saying, “It is because we have no bread [that He said this].” ¹⁷ Jesus, aware of this [discussion], said to them, “Why are you discussing [the fact] that you have no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?^{(E) 18} Though you have eyes, do you not see? And though you have ears, do you not hear and listen [to what I have said]? And do you not remember,^{(F) 19} when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They answered, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And [when I broke] the seven [loaves] for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they answered, “Seven.” ²¹ And He was saying to them, “Do you still not understand?”

²² Then they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, He led him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but [they look] like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again Jesus laid His hands on his eyes; and the man stared intently and [his sight] was [completely] restored, and he began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Peter’s Confession of Christ

²⁷ Then Jesus and His disciples went out to the villages of ^[m]Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”^{(G) 28} They answered Him, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter replied to Him, “You [in contrast to the others] are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).” ³⁰ Then Jesus strictly warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must [of necessity] suffer many things and be rejected [as the Messiah] by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and must be put to death, and after three days rise [from death to life].^{(H) 32} He was stating the matter plainly [not holding anything back]. Then Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him. ³³ But turning around [with His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan; for your mind is not set on God’s will or His values and purposes, but on what pleases man.”

³⁴ Jesus called the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and ^[n]take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ³⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake and the gospel’s will save it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God].^{(I) 36} For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world [with all its pleasures], and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what will a man give in exchange for his soul and eternal life [in God’s kingdom]? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”