1En dag kom der nogle farisæere og skriftlærde fra Jerusalem for at holde Jesus under observation. (Matt 15,1)2De lagde mærke til, at nogle af hans disciple spiste med „vanhellige”, dvs. uvaskede hænder.3-4Jøderne—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,[1] 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. (3.Mos 15,4)5Farisæerne og de skriftlærde spurgte nu Jesus: „Hvorfor følger dine disciple ikke de regler, vores forfædre har pålagt os? De spiser jo med vanhellige hænder!”6„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.7Det er forgæves, de dyrker mig, når deres lære blot er menneskebud.’[2] (Es 29,13)8De ord passer på jer, for I tilsidesætter Guds bud og følger menneskelige traditioner i stedet for.9Hvor smukt af jer at ophæve Guds befalinger for at kunne overholde jeres egne traditioner!10For 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.’[3] (2.Mos 20,12)11Men 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,’12så har man lov til at lade være med at hjælpe sine forældre.13På 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?
14Så kaldte Jesus folk sammen og sagde: „Hør nu efter, alle sammen! Prøv at forstå, hvad jeg siger: (Matt 15,10)15Det 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.16Lad dem høre, som har øre!”[4]17Jesus 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,19for maden kommer ned i maven og forsvinder ud igen.” Ved at sige det erklærede han, at al slags mad var acceptabel i Guds øjne.20Han tilføjede: „Det, der gør et menneske urent, er det, der udgår fra menneskets indre,21dvs. de onde tanker, som fører til: seksuel synd, tyveri, mord,22utroskab, griskhed, ondskab, bedragerier, udsvævelser, misundelse, bagvaskelse, arrogance og tåbelig snak.23Alle disse onde ting kommer indefra og forurener menneskene.”
En ikke-jødisk kvindes tro
24Derefter 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. (Matt 15,21)25-26Jesus 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.27Jesus 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.”29Så 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.”30Da hun kom hjem, lå hendes datter roligt i sengen. Den onde ånd var forsvundet.
Jesus helbreder en døvstum mand, som ikke var jøde
31Fra Tyrus gik Jesus via Sidon til Dekapolis’ egne øst for Genesaret Sø. (Matt 15,29)32En 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.33Jesus tog ham lidt afsides og stak fingrene i ørerne på ham. Dernæst spyttede han på fingrene og rørte ved mandens tunge,34så op mod himlen, sukkede dybt og sagde: „Luk dig op!”35Straks kunne manden høre alt, hvad der blev sagt, og det, der havde hæmmet hans tale, forsvandt, så han kunne tale tydeligt.36Jesus forbød de tilstedeværende at sige det til nogen. Men jo mere han forbød det, desto ivrigere fortalte de om det,37for de var ude af sig selv af forundring. „Han kan klare alt!” sagde folk til hinanden. „Han helbreder både de stumme og de døve.”
1Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, (Matt 15,1; Mark 3,22)2they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (Ap G 10,14; Rom 14,14)3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,[1] holding to the tradition of the elders, (Gal 1,14; Kol 2,8; Heb 11,2)4and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.[2] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.[3]) (Matt 23,25; Luk 11,39; Joh 2,6; Heb 9,10)5And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” (Mark 7,2; Mark 7,3; Luk 11,38)6And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; (Es 29,13; Ez 33,31; Matt 23,13)7in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Kol 2,22; Titus 1,14)8You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”9And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (Luk 7,30; Gal 2,21; Heb 10,28)10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ (2.Mos 20,12; 2.Mos 21,17)11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)[4]—12then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,13thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Rom 2,23; Gal 3,17)
What Defiles a Person
14And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: (Matt 13,51)15There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”[5] (Ap G 10,14)17And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. (Matt 13,36; Matt 15,15; Mark 9,28)18And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, (Mark 8,17)19since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”[6] (Thus he declared all foods clean.) (Luk 11,41; Ap G 10,15; Ap G 11,9; 1.Kor 6,13)20And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. (Matt 12,34; Jak 3,6)21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, (2.Mos 20,13; 2.Mos 20,17; Matt 5,22; Matt 5,28)22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. (Matt 6,23; Luk 1,51; 2.Kor 12,21; Gal 5,19; Ef 4,19; Ef 4,31; Ef 5,17; Kol 3,8; 1.Tim 6,4; 2.Pet 2,7; Judas 1,4)23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (1.Kor 6,9)
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
24And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.[7] And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.25But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.26Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. (Joh 12,20; Ap G 21,2; 1.Kor 12,13)27And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (Matt 7,6; Ap G 3,26; Rom 1,16)28But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” (Luk 16,21)29And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” (Joh 4,50)30And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. (Matt 4,18; Matt 4,25; Matt 15,29; Mark 5,20; Joh 6,1)32And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. (Es 35,5; Mark 5,23)33And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. (Mark 8,23)34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” (Mark 6,41; Mark 8,12; Joh 11,33)35And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. (Mark 7,32)36And Jesus[8] charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. (Matt 8,4; Matt 9,31; Mark 1,45; Mark 9,9)37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 10,26)