传统与诫命

有法利赛人和一些律法教师从耶路撒冷来见耶稣。 他们看到祂的门徒有些吃饭前没有照礼仪洗手。 因为法利赛人和所有的犹太人都拘守祖先的传统,总是先照礼仪洗手之后才吃饭; 从市场回来也要先洁净自己,然后才吃饭。他们还拘守许多其他规矩,如洗杯、罐、铜器等。

他们质问耶稣:“为什么你的门徒违背祖先的传统,竟用不洁净的手吃饭呢?”

耶稣回答说:“以赛亚先知针对你们这些伪君子所说的预言一点不错,正如圣经上说,

“‘这些人嘴上尊崇我,
心却远离我。
他们的教导无非是人的规条,
他们敬拜我也是枉然。’

你们只知拘守人的传统,却无视上帝的诫命。” 耶稣又对他们说:“你们为了拘守自己的传统,竟巧妙地废除了上帝的诫命。 10 摩西说,‘要孝敬父母’,又说,‘咒骂父母的,必被处死。’ 11 你们却认为人若对父母说,‘我把供养你们的钱财已经全部奉献给上帝了’, 12 他就可以不奉养父母。 13 你们就是这样为了拘守传统而废除上帝的道,类似的情形还有很多。”

内心的污秽

14 耶稣又召集众人,教导他们说:“我的话,你们要听明白, 15 从外面进去的不会使人污秽,只有从人里面发出来的才会使人污秽。 16 有耳可听的,都应当听!”

17 耶稣离开众人,进了屋子,门徒问祂这比喻的意思。 18 耶稣说:“你们也不明白吗?你们不知道吗?从外面进去的,不会使人污秽, 19 因为不能进入他的心,只能进他的肠胃,最后会排出来,也就是说所有的食物都是洁净的。 20 从人里面发出来的才使人污秽, 21 因为从里面,就是从人的心里能够生出恶念、苟合、偷盗、谋杀、 22 通奸、贪婪、邪恶、诡诈、放荡、嫉妒、毁谤、骄傲、狂妄。 23 这一切恶事都是从里面生出来的,能使人污秽。”

外族妇人的信心

24 耶稣从那里启程去泰尔和西顿地区。祂进了一户人家,原本不想让人知道,却无法避开人们的注意。 25-26 当时有一个妇人的小女儿被污鬼附身,她听见耶稣的事,就来俯伏在祂脚前,恳求祂赶出她女儿身上的鬼。这妇人是希腊人,来自叙利亚的腓尼基。

27 耶稣对她说:“要先让儿女们吃饱,因为把儿女的食物丢给狗吃不合适。”

28 妇人说:“主啊,你说的对,但桌子下的狗也吃孩子们掉下来的碎渣呀!”

29 耶稣说:“因为你这句话,你回去吧,鬼已经离开你的女儿了。”

30 她回到家里,见女儿躺在床上,鬼已经离开了。

医治聋哑的人

31 耶稣离开泰尔地区,经过西顿,来到低加坡里地区的加利利湖。 32 有人带着一个又聋又哑的人来见耶稣,恳求祂把手按在这个人身上。 33 耶稣就带他离开众人走到一边,用指头伸进他的耳朵,又吐唾沫抹他的舌头, 34 望天长叹,对他说:“以法大!”意思是“开了吧!” 35 他的耳朵立刻开了,舌头灵活了,说话也清楚了。 36 耶稣吩咐他们不要将这事告诉人。可是耶稣越是这样吩咐,他们越是极力宣扬, 37 听见的人都十分惊奇,说:“祂做的事好极了,甚至叫聋子听见,哑巴说话!”

The Teaching of the Ancestors

(Matthew 15.1-9)

Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands.[a]

The Pharisees and many others obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way[b] before eating. None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls.[c]

The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, “Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?”

(A) Jesus replied:

You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,

“All of you praise me
    with your words,
but you never really
    think about me.
It is useless for you
    to worship me,
when you teach rules
    made up by humans.”

You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! 10 (B) Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? 11 But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God.[d] 12 You won't let those people help their parents. 13 And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things just as bad.

What Really Makes People Unclean

(Matthew 15.10-20)

14 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 15-16 The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”[e]

17 After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant. 18 He answered, “Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. 19 It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body.” By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.

20 Then Jesus said:

What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. 21 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, 22 unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. 23 All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.

A Woman's Faith

(Matthew 15.21-28)

24 Jesus left and went to the region near the town of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And at once she came and knelt down at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”[f]

28 The woman replied, “Lord, even puppies eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”

29 Jesus answered, “That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.

Jesus Heals a Man Who Was Deaf and Could Hardly Talk

31 Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis.[g] 32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.

33 After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue. 34 Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!”[h] which means “Open up!” 35 At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.

36 Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.”

Footnotes

  1. 7.2 without first washing their hands: The Jewish people had strict laws about washing their hands before eating, especially if they had been out in public.
  2. 7.3 in the proper way: The Greek text has “with the fist,” but the exact meaning is not clear. It could mean “to the wrist” or “to the elbow.”
  3. 7.4 bowls: Some manuscripts add “and sleeping mats.”
  4. 7.11 has been offered to God: According to Jewish custom, when anything was offered to God, it could not be used for anyone else, not even for a person's parents.
  5. 7.15,16 unclean: Some manuscripts add, “If you have ears, pay attention.”
  6. 7.27 feed it to dogs: Some Jewish people referred to Gentiles as dogs.
  7. 7.31 the ten cities known as Decapolis: See the note at 5.20.
  8. 7.34 Effatha: This word is in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.

29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Guds befalinger og menneskelige traditioner(A)

En dag kom der nogle farisæere og skriftlærde fra Jerusalem for at holde Jesus under observation. De lagde mærke til, at nogle af hans disciple spiste med „vanhellige”, dvs. uvaskede hænder. 3-4 Jøderne—og ikke mindst farisæerne—var nemlig meget nøjeregnende med at overholde forfædrenes overleveringer, bl.a. de mange forskrifter for, hvordan man skulle rense kobberskåle, kander og krus,[a] som var blevet urene, og hvordan man skulle rense hænderne på en bestemt måde, når man kom hjem fra markedspladsen, eller når man skulle til at spise.

Farisæerne og de skriftlærde spurgte nu Jesus: „Hvorfor følger dine disciple ikke de regler, vores forfædre har pålagt os? De spiser jo med vanhellige hænder!”

„I er nogle hyklere!” udbrød Jesus. „Det er sådan nogle som jer, Gud har talt om i profeten Esajas’ bog:

‚Dette folk ærer mig i det ydre,
    men deres hjerte er fjernt fra mig.
Det er forgæves, de dyrker mig,
    når deres lære blot er menneskebud.’[b]

De ord passer på jer, for I tilsidesætter Guds bud og følger menneskelige traditioner i stedet for. Hvor smukt af jer at ophæve Guds befalinger for at kunne overholde jeres egne traditioner!

10 For eksempel gav Moses jer følgende befaling fra Gud: ‚Du skal ære din far og din mor!’ Han sagde også: ‚Den, der forbander sin far eller mor, skal dø.’[c] 11 Men I hævder, at hvis blot man siger til sin far eller mor: ‚Det, du skulle have haft, vil jeg i stedet give som gave til templet,’ 12 så har man lov til at lade være med at hjælpe sine forældre. 13 På den måde ophæver I Guds ord til fordel for jeres egne traditioner. Det er bare ét eksempel ud af mange.”

Hvad gør et menneske urent i Guds øjne?(B)

14 Så kaldte Jesus folk sammen og sagde: „Hør nu efter, alle sammen! Prøv at forstå, hvad jeg siger: 15 Det er ikke det, som udefra kommer ind i et menneske, der gør det urent i Guds øjne. Tværtimod—det er det, som kommer ud inde fra mennesket, der gør det urent. 16 Lad dem høre, som har øre!”[d]

17 Jesus gik derefter ind i det hus, hvor han holdt til, for at slippe bort fra folkemængden, og hans disciple spurgte ham, hvad meningen var med det billede. 18 „Forstår I stadig ingenting?” sagde Jesus. „Så hør her: Det er jo ikke den mad, som udefra kommer ind i et menneske, der gør et menneskes tanker urene, 19 for maden kommer ned i maven og forsvinder ud igen.” Ved at sige det erklærede han, at al slags mad var acceptabel i Guds øjne. 20 Han tilføjede: „Det, der gør et menneske urent, er det, der udgår fra menneskets indre, 21 dvs. de onde tanker, som fører til: seksuel synd, tyveri, mord, 22 utroskab, griskhed, ondskab, bedragerier, udsvævelser, misundelse, bagvaskelse, arrogance og tåbelig snak. 23 Alle disse onde ting kommer indefra og forurener menneskene.”

En ikke-jødisk kvindes tro(C)

24 Derefter forlod Jesus og disciplene Galilæa og kom til egnene omkring Tyrus. Der fandt de et hus at bo i og ville gerne være forblevet ubemærket. Men det var umuligt. 25-26 Jesus blev straks opsøgt af en ikke-jødisk kvinde fra egnen, som havde hørt om ham. Hun havde en datter, som var plaget af en ond ånd, og hun kom nu og faldt på knæ foran Jesus og bønfaldt ham om at uddrive den onde ånd af hendes datter.

27 Jesus sagde til hende: „Jeg må først tage mig af mine egne ‚børn’, jøderne. Det kan ikke være rigtigt at tage børnenes mad og give den til hundehvalpene.”

28 „Det er sandt, Herre,” sagde hun, „og dog løber hvalpene ind under bordet og spiser de krummer, som børnene taber.”

29 Så sagde Jesus til hende: „Fordi du svarede på den måde, skal du få, hvad du bad om. Gå nu blot hjem. Den onde ånd har forladt din datter.”

30 Da hun kom hjem, lå hendes datter roligt i sengen. Den onde ånd var forsvundet.

Jesus helbreder en døvstum mand, som ikke var jøde(D)

31 Fra Tyrus gik Jesus via Sidon til Dekapolis’ egne øst for Genesaret Sø. 32 En døv mand, der tillige havde svært ved at tale, blev ført hen til ham, og man bad Jesus om at lægge hænderne på ham og helbrede ham. 33 Jesus tog ham lidt afsides og stak fingrene i ørerne på ham. Dernæst spyttede han på fingrene og rørte ved mandens tunge, 34 så op mod himlen, sukkede dybt og sagde: „Luk dig op!”

35 Straks kunne manden høre alt, hvad der blev sagt, og det, der havde hæmmet hans tale, forsvandt, så han kunne tale tydeligt. 36 Jesus forbød de tilstedeværende at sige det til nogen. Men jo mere han forbød det, desto ivrigere fortalte de om det, 37 for de var ude af sig selv af forundring. „Han kan klare alt!” sagde folk til hinanden. „Han helbreder både de stumme og de døve.”

Footnotes

  1. 7,3-4 Nogle håndskrifter tilføjer: „og sovepladser”, jf. 3.Mos. 15,4
  2. 7,7 Es. 29,13 LXX.
  3. 7,10 2.Mos. 20,12 og 21,17.
  4. 7,16 Nogle håndskrifter mangler vers 16.