One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 253
7One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus.G2532G4863G4314G846G5330G2532G5100G1122G2064G575G2414 2They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating.G2532G1492G5100G846G3101G2068G740G2839G5123G449G5495G3201 3(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions.G1063G5330G2532G3956G2453G3362G3538G5495G4435G2068G3756G2902G3862G4245 4Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)G2532G575G58G3362G907G2068G3756G2532G4183G243G2076G3739G3880G2902G909G4221G2532G3582G2532G5473G2532G2825 5So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony."G1899G5330G2532G1122G1905G846G1302G4043G3756G4675G3101G2596G3862G4245G235G2068G740G449G5495 6Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.G611G1161G2036G846G3754G2573G2268G4395G4012G5216G5273G5613G1125G3778G2992G5091G3165G5491G1161G846G2588G568G4206G575G1700 7Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'G1161G3155G4576G3165G1321G1319G1778G444 8For you ignore God's law and substitute your own tradition."G1063G863G1785G2316G2902G3862G444G909G3582G2532G4221G2532G4183G243G5108G3946G4160 9Then he said, "You skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold on to your own tradition.G2532G3004G846G2573G114G1785G2316G2443G5083G5216G3862 10For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.'G1063G3475G2036G5091G4675G3962G2532G4675G3384G2532G2551G3962G2228G3384G5053G2288 11But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.'G1161G5210G3004G1437G444G2036G3962G2228G3384G2878G3603G1435G1537G3739G1437G5623G1700 12In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.G2532G863G846G3765G4160G3762G846G3962G2228G846G3384 13And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others."G208G3056G2316G208G5216G3862G3739G3860G2532G4183G5108G3946G4160 14Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand.G2532G4341G3956G3793G3004G846G191G3450G3956G2532G4920 15It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart."G2076G3762G1855G444G3739G1531G1519G846G1410G2840G846G235G1607G575G846G1565G2076G2840G444 16G1536G2192G3775G191G191 17Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used.G2532G3753G1525G1519G3624G575G3793G846G3101G1905G846G4012G3850 18"Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you?G2532G3004G846G2075G5210G3779G801G2532G3539G3756G3539G3754G3956G1855G1531G1519G444G3756G1410G2840G846 19Food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." G3754G1531G3756G1519G846G2588G235G1519G2836G2532G1607G1519G856G2511G3956G1033 20And then he added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you.G1161G3004G3754G1607G1537G444G1565G2840G444 21For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,G1063G2081G1537G2588G444G1607G2556G1261G3430G4202G5408 22adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.G2829G4124G4189G1388G766G4190G3788G988G5243G877 23All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you."G3956G5023G4190G1607G2081G2532G2840G444 24Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret.G2532G1564G450G565G1519G3181G5184G2532G4605G2532G1525G1519G3614G2309G3762G1097G2532G1410G3756G2990 25Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit,G1063G1135G3739G846G2365G2192G169G4151G191G4012G846G2064G4363G4314G846G4228 26and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia,G1161G1135G2258G1674G4949G1085G2532G2065G846G2443G1544G1140G1537G846G2364 27Jesus told her, "First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."G1161G2424G2036G846G863G5043G4412G5526G1063G2076G3756G2570G2983G5043G740G2532G906G2952 28She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children's plates."G1161G611G2532G3004G846G3483G2962G2532G1063G2952G5270G5132G2068G575G3813G5589 29"Good answer!" he said. "Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter."G2532G2036G846G1223G5126G3056G5217G1140G1831G1537G4675G2364 30And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.G2532G565G1519G846G3624G2147G1140G1831G2532G2364G906G1909G2825 31Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.G2532G3825G1831G1537G3725G5184G2532G4605G2064G4314G2281G1056G303G3319G3725G1179 32A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.G2532G5342G846G2974G3424G2532G3870G846G2443G2007G5495G846 33Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man's tongue.G2532G618G846G2596G2398G575G3793G906G846G1147G1519G846G3775G2532G4429G680G846G1100 34Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, "Ephphatha," which means, "Be opened!"G2532G308G1519G3772G4727G2532G3004G846G2188G3603G1272 35Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!G2532G2112G846G189G1272G2532G1199G846G1100G3089G2532G2980G3723 36Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news.G2532G1291G846G2443G2036G3367G1161G3745G846G1291G846G3123G4054G2784 37They were completely amazed and said again and again, "Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak."G2532G5249G1605G3004G4160G3956G2573G4160G2532G2974G191G2532G216G2980
8About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them,G1722G1565G2250G3793G5607G3827G2532G2192G3361G5101G5315G2424G4341G846G3101G3004G846 2"I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat.G4697G1909G3793G3754G4357G2235G4357G3427G5140G2250G2532G2192G3756G5101G5315 3If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance."G2532G1437G630G846G630G3523G1519G846G3624G1590G1722G3598G1063G5100G846G2240G3113 4His disciples replied, "How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?"G2532G846G3101G611G846G4159G1410G5100G5526G5128G740G5602G1909G2047 5Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they replied.G2532G1905G846G4214G740G2192G1161G2036G2033 6So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.G2532G3853G3793G377G1909G1093G2532G2983G2033G740G2168G2806G2532G1325G846G3101G2443G3908G2532G3908G3793 7A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.G2532G2192G3641G2485G2532G2127G2036G3908G846G2532G3908 8They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.G1161G5315G2532G5526G2532G142G2801G4051G2033G4711 9There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten.G1161G5315G2258G5613G5070G2532G630G846G630 10Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha.G2532G2112G1684G1519G4143G3326G846G3101G2064G1519G3313G1148 11When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.G2532G5330G1831G2532G756G4802G846G2212G3844G846G4592G575G3772G3985G846 12When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign."G2532G389G846G4151G3004G5101G1934G3778G1074G1934G4592G281G3004G5213G1487G4592G1325G5026G1074 13So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.G2532G863G846G1684G1519G4143G3825G565G1519G4008 14But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat.G2532G1950G2983G740G2532G3756G2192G1722G4143G3326G1438G1508G1520G740 15As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod."G2532G1291G846G3004G3708G991G575G2219G5330G2532G2219G2264 16At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread.G2532G1260G4314G240G3004G3754G2192G3756G740 17Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don't you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in?G2532G2424G1097G3004G846G5101G1260G3754G2192G3756G740G3539G3768G3761G4920G2192G5216G2588G2089G4456 18'You have eyes—can't you see? You have ears—can't you hear?' Don't you remember anything at all?G2192G3788G991G3756G2532G2192G3775G191G3756G2532G3421G3756G3421 19When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?" "Twelve," they said.G3753G2806G4002G740G1519G4000G4214G2894G4134G2801G142G3004G846G1427 20"And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?" "Seven," they said.G1161G3753G2033G1519G5070G4214G4711G4138G2801G142G1161G2036G2033 21"Don't you understand yet?" he asked them.G2532G3004G846G4459G4920G3756G4920 22When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him.G2532G2064G1519G966G2532G5342G5185G846G2532G3870G846G2443G680G846 23Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man's eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, "Can you see anything now?"G2532G1949G5185G5495G1806G846G1854G2968G2532G4429G1519G846G3659G2007G5495G846G1905G846G1536G991G1536 24The man looked around. "Yes," he said, "I see people, but I can't see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around."G2532G308G3004G3754G991G444G5613G3708G1186G4043 25Then Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.G1534G2007G5495G3825G1909G846G3788G2532G4160G846G308G2532G600G2532G1689G537G5081 26Jesus sent him away, saying, "Don't go back into the village on your way home."G2532G649G846G649G1519G846G3624G3004G3366G1525G1519G2968G3366G2036G5100G1722G2968 27Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"G2532G2424G1831G2532G846G3101G1519G2968G2542G5376G2532G1722G3598G1905G846G3101G3004G846G5101G3004G444G3004G3165G1511 28"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets."G1161G611G2491G910G1161G243G2243G2532G243G1520G4396 29Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Messiah."G2532G846G3004G846G1161G5101G3004G5210G3165G1511G1161G4074G611G3004G846G4771G1488G5547 30But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.G2532G2008G846G2443G3004G3367G4012G846 31Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.G2532G756G1321G846G3754G5207G444G1163G3958G4183G2532G593G575G4245G2532G749G2532G1122G2532G615G2532G3326G5140G2250G450 32As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.G2532G2980G3056G3954G2532G4074G4355G846G756G2008G846 33Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. "Get away from me, Satan!" he said. "You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."G1161G1994G2532G1492G846G3101G2008G4074G3004G5217G3694G3450G4567G3754G5426G3756G2316G235G444 34Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.G2532G4341G3793G4862G846G3101G2036G846G3748G2309G2064G3694G3450G533G1438G2532G142G846G4716G2532G190G3427 35If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.G1063G3739G302G2309G4982G846G5590G622G846G1161G3739G302G622G846G5590G1752G1700G2532G2098G3778G4982G846 36And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?G1063G5101G5623G444G1437G2770G3650G2889G2532G2210G846G5590 37Is anything worth more than your soul?G2228G5101G1325G444G1325G465G846G5590 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."G3739G302G1063G1870G3165G2532G1699G3056G1722G5026G3428G2532G268G1074G846G2532G1870G5207G444G1870G3752G2064G1722G1391G846G3962G3326G40G32
98[A psalm.] Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!H4210H7891H3068H2319H7892H6213H6381H3225H6944H2220H3467 2The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!H3068H3045H3444H6666H1540H5869H1471 3He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.H2142H2617H530H1004H3478H657H776H7200H3444H430 4Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!H7321H3068H776H6476H7442H2167 5Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song,H2167H3068H3658H3658H6963H2172 6with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!H2689H6963H7782H7321H6440H3068H4428 7Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.H3220H7481H4393H8398H3427 8Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joyH5104H4222H3709H2022H7442H3162 9before the Lord. For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.H6440H3068H935H8199H776H6664H8199H8398H5971H4339
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, as required by their ancient traditions.G1063
