What Defiles a Person

¹⁰ And he called the people to him and said to them, ^(A)“Hear and understand: ^11 (B)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 ^(C)offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³ He answered, ^(D)“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^(E)will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them alone; ^(F)they are blind guides.^[a] And ^(G)if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, ^(H)“Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ And he said, ^(I)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that ^(J)whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[b] 18} But ^(K)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come ^(L)evil thoughts, ^(M)murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^(N)slander. ^20 (O)These are what defile a person. But ^(P)to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

^21 (Q)And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, ^(R)a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ^(S)“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ^(T)“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, ^(U)“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and ^(V)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and ^(W)throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat ^(X)the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, ^(Y)great is your faith! ^(Z)Be it done for you as you desire.” ^(AA)And her daughter was ^(AB)healed instantly.^[c]