傳統與誡命

15 那時,有些法利賽人和經文士從耶路撒冷來到耶穌那裡,說: 「你的門徒們為什麼違犯古人的傳統呢?他們吃飯[a]的時候不洗手!」

耶穌回答他們,說:「你們為什麼為了你們的傳統而違犯神的命令呢? 神吩咐過

『你要孝敬你的父母』[b],又說
『咒罵父親或母親的人,必須處死。』[c] 你們卻說『如果有人對父親或母親說:我本該給你的已經做了聖殿奉獻, 他就可以完全不孝敬父母[d]。』這樣,為了你們的傳統,你們就廢棄了神的話語[e][f] 你們這些偽善的人哪!以賽亞指著你們所說的預言是對的,他說:
『這子民[g]用嘴唇尊重我,
他們的心卻遠離我。
他們敬拜我也是徒然的,
因為他們把人的規條當做教義教導人[h]。』[i]

汙穢由心而出

10 耶穌召來眾人,對他們說:「你們當聽,也當領悟: 11 不是進到口裡的使人汙穢;而是從口裡出來的,這才使人汙穢。」

12 那時,門徒們前來對他說:「法利賽人聽了這話很反感[j],你知道嗎?」

13 耶穌回答說:「凡不是我天父所栽種的,都將被連根拔起。 14 隨他們吧!他們是給瞎子領路的瞎子[k]。如果瞎子給瞎子領路,兩個人都會掉進坑裡。」

15 彼得對耶穌說:「請把這個比喻解釋給我們聽。」

16 耶穌說:「到如今,你們也無知嗎? 17 你們難道不明白:一切進入口裡的,要進到肚子,然後被排到廁所; 18 而從口裡出來的,是由心裡發出的,這些才使人汙穢。 19 因為從心裡發出種種惡念:殺人、通姦、淫亂、偷竊、做偽證、毀謗, 20 這些才會使人汙穢;而不洗手就吃飯,不會使人汙穢。」

外邦婦人的信心

21 耶穌離開那地方,退到提爾西頓地區。 22 這時候,忽然來了一個住在那地區的迦南婦人,她呼叫說:「主啊,大衛的後裔[l],可憐我吧!我的女兒有鬼魔附身,痛苦萬分。」

23 耶穌一句話也不回應,他的門徒們上前來求他,說:「這婦人一直跟在我們後面喊叫,請讓她走吧。」

24 耶穌回答說:「我奉差派,只到以色列家迷失的羊那裡去。」

25 那婦人來拜他,說:「主啊,求你幫助我!」

26 耶穌回答說:「拿兒女的餅扔給小狗,是不合宜的。」

27 婦人說:「是的,主啊!不過連小狗也吃得到主人桌子上掉下來的碎渣!」

28 於是耶穌回答她,說:「哦,婦人哪,你這信心[m]是大的!照你所願的,給你成全吧。」從那一刻起,她的女兒就痊癒了。

在加利利湖邊治病

29 耶穌離開那地方,來到加利利湖邊[n],上了山坐在那裡。 30 有一大群人來到他面前,帶著瘸腿的、瞎眼的、殘疾的、聾啞的還有許多其他人,把他們放在耶穌腳前;耶穌就使他們痊癒了。 31 結果眾人看見聾啞的說話,殘疾的康復,瘸腿的行走,瞎眼的看見,都感到驚奇,就榮耀以色列的神。

使四千人吃飽

32 耶穌召來他的門徒們,說:「我憐憫這群人,因為他們與我在一起已經三天了,也沒有什麼東西吃。我不願意讓他們餓著肚子回去,恐怕他們在路上暈倒。」

33 門徒們說:「我們在曠野,從哪裡得這麼多的食物讓這麼大一群人吃飽呢?」

34 耶穌問他們:「你們有多少餅?」

他們回答說:「七個,還有幾條小魚。」

35 耶穌就吩咐眾人坐在地上, 36 於是拿起這七個餅和幾條小魚,祝謝以後,掰開,不斷遞給門徒們,他們又分給眾人。 37 大家都吃了,並且吃飽了。然後,他們把剩下的碎塊收拾起來,裝滿了七個筐子。 38 吃的人,不算婦女和孩子,就有四千。 39 耶穌遣散了人群以後,就上了船,來到茉加丹[o]地區。

Footnotes

  1. 馬太福音 15:2 飯——原文直譯「餅」。
  2. 馬太福音 15:4 《出埃及記》20:12;《申命記》5:16。
  3. 馬太福音 15:4 《出埃及記》21:17;《利未記》20:9。
  4. 馬太福音 15:6 父母——有古抄本作「父親」。
  5. 馬太福音 15:6 神的話語——或譯作「神的道」。
  6. 馬太福音 15:6 話語——有古抄本作「命令」。
  7. 馬太福音 15:8 有古抄本附「用口親近我,」。
  8. 馬太福音 15:9 他們把人的規條當做教義教導人——或譯作「他們教導的教義是人的規條」。
  9. 馬太福音 15:9 《以賽亞書》29:13。
  10. 馬太福音 15:12 很反感——原文直譯「被絆倒了」。
  11. 馬太福音 15:14 給瞎子領路的瞎子——有古抄本作「瞎子的領路人」。
  12. 馬太福音 15:22 大衛的後裔——或譯作「大衛之子」。
  13. 馬太福音 15:28 信心——指「對耶穌基督的信心」。
  14. 馬太福音 15:29 湖——原文直譯「海」。
  15. 馬太福音 15:39 茉加丹——有古抄本作「茉大拉」。

That Which Defiles(A)

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”(B)

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a](C) and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b](D) But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.(E)[c](F)

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,(G) but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”(H)

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted(I) will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d](J) If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”(K)

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”(L)

16 “Are you still so dull?”(M) Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart,(N) and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.(O) 20 These are what defile a person;(P) but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman(Q)

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.(R) 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David,(S) have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”(T)

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”(U)

25 The woman came and knelt before him.(V) “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!(W) Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(X)(Y)(Z)

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.(AA) 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.(AB)

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(AC) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them(AD) and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.(AE) 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  2. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  3. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13
  4. Matthew 15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind

Defilement Comes from Within(A)

15 Then (B)the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, (C)“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, (D)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (E)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, (F)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father [a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the [b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. (G)Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These(H) people [c]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
(I)Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

10 (J)When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 (K)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

13 But He answered and said, (L)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. (M)They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

15 (N)Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16 So Jesus said, (O)“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that (P)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But (Q)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 (R)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith(S)

21 (T)Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, (U)Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

23 But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

24 But He answered and said, (V)“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little (W)dogs.”

27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, (X)great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus Heals Great Multitudes(Y)

29 (Z)Jesus departed from there, (AA)skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 (AB)Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, [d]maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ (AC)feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the [e]maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they (AD)glorified the God of Israel.

Feeding the Four Thousand(AE)

32 (AF)Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

33 (AG)Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”

34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And (AH)He took the seven loaves and the fish and (AI)gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 (AJ)And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of [f]Magdala.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:6 NU omits or mother
  2. Matthew 15:6 NU word
  3. Matthew 15:8 NU omits draw near to Me with their mouth, And
  4. Matthew 15:30 crippled
  5. Matthew 15:31 crippled
  6. Matthew 15:39 NU Magadan