The masters of Jerusalem coming so far to carp him (6) he chargeth with traditions, partly frivolous, (9) partly also contrary to God’s commandments. (14) And to the People he yieldeth the reason of that which they carped, (17) and again to his Disciples, showing the ground of the Jewish washing (to wit, that meats otherwise defile the soul) to be false. (24) But by and by among the Gentiles, in a woman he findeth wonderful faith, upon her therefore he bestoweth the crumb that she asked, (31) returning (because the time of the Gentiles was not yet come) to the Jews with the loaf: (32) where he showeth his compassion towards mankind so deaf and dumb, (36) and of the People is highly magnified.
AND there assemble together unto him the Pharisees and certain of the Scribes, coming from Jerusalem. 2And when they had seen certain of his disciples eat bread with • common hands, that is, not washed, they blamed them. 3For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, unless they often wash their hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the Ancients: 4And from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there be that were delivered unto them to observe, the washings of cups and cruses, and of brazen vessels and beds. 5And the Pharisees and Scribes asked him: Why do not thy Disciples walk according to the tradition of the Ancients, but they eat bread with common hands? 6But he answering, said to them: Well did Esay Prophecy of your Hypocrites, as it is written: This People honoureth me [a] with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines • precepts of men. 8For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the traditions of men, the washings of cruses and cups: and many other things you do like to these. 9And he said to them: Well do you frustrate the precept of God, that you may observe your own tradition. 10For Moyses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die. 11But you say: If a man say to father or mother, Corban (which is a • gift) whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee: 12and further you suffer him not to do ought for his father or mother, 13defeating the Word of God for your own tradition which you have given forth, and many other things of this sort you do.
14And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear me all you, and understand. 15 • Nothing is without a man entering into him, that can defile him. But the things that proceed from a man those are they that make a man [b] common. 16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17And when he was entered into the house from the multitude, his Disciples asked him the parable. 18And he says to them: So are you also unskillful? Understand you not that everything from without, entering into a man, can not make him common: 19because it entereth not into his heart, but goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy, purging all the meats? 20But he said that the things which come forth from a man, they make a man common. 21For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil cogitations, advouteries, fornications, murders, 22thefts, avarices, wickedness, guile, impudicities, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23All these evils proceed from within, and make a man common.
24And * rising from thence he went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: and entering into a house, he would that no man should know, and he could not be hid. 25For a woman immediately as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean Spirit, entered in, and fell down at his feet. 26For the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician born. And she besought him that he would cast forth the Devil out of her daughter. 27Who said to her: Suffer first the children to be filled. For it is not good to take the children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs. 28But she answered, and said to him: Yea Lord; for the whelps also eat under the table of the crumbs of the children. 29And he said to her: For this saying go thy way, the Devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30And when she was departed into her house, she found the maid lying upon the bed, and the Devil gone out.
31And again going out of the coasts ‵ of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would impose his hand upon him. 33And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and • spitting, touched his tongue; 34And looking up unto Heaven, he groaned, and said to him: • Ephphetha, which is, Be thou opened. 35And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right. 36And he commanded them not tell anybody. But how much he commanded them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it. 37And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Footnotes
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. VII.
↑ 2. Common.) Common and unclean is all one. For the Jews were commanded by the Law to eat certain kinds of meats only, and not all indifferently: and because these were separated from other meats, and as it were sanctified to their use, they called the other common and profane: and because the Law calleth those clean and these unclean, thereof it is, that unclean and common is all one, as in this Chapter often, and Act. 10.
↑ 7. Precepts of men.) Men’s ordinances which be repugnant to God’s commandments, be here condemned as all observations not edifying nor profitable to the fulfilling of God’s commandments, be vain and superfluous: as many observations of the Pharisees were then, and the like traditions of Heretics be now for howsoever they brag of Scriptures, all their manner of administration and ministry is their own tradition and invention without all Scripture and warrant of God’s word. But the traditions of the Apostles and Ancients, and all the precepts of holy Church we are commanded to keep, as things not prescribed by man but by the Holy Ghost. Act. 15, 28. 41. 2 Thessal. 2, 15.
↑ 11. Gift.) To give to the Church or Altar is not forbidden, but the forsaking of a man’s parents in their necessity, pretending or excusing the matter upon his giving that which should relieve them, to God or to the Altar, that is impious and unnatural. And these Pharisees teaching children so to neglect their duties to their parents, did wickedly.
↑ 15. Nothing entering into a man.) As these words of our Saviour do not import, that the Jews then might have eaten of those meats which God forbade them: no more do they now, that we Christians may eat of meats which the Church forbiddeth us. And yet both then and now all meats are clean, and nothing entering into a man, defileth a man. For neither they then, nor we now abstain, for that any meats are of their nature abominable, or defile the eaters, but they for signification, we for obedience and chastisement of our bodies.
↑ 33. Spitting.) Not only by Christ’s word and will, but also by ceremony and by application of external creatures which be holy, miracles are wrought; as by Christ’s spittle, which was not part of his Person, being a superfluity of his body, but yet most holy. Theophyl. in 7. Marci.
↑ 34. Ephphetha.) The Church doth most godly imitate and use these very words and ceremonies of our Saviour in the Exorcisms before Baptism, to the healing of their souls that are to be baptised, as Christ here healed the bodily infirmity, and the disease of the soul together. Ambros. li. 1 de Sacram. c. 1.
Margin Notes
- 31–37. The Ghospel upon the 11 Sunday after Pentecost.
- annot. 7. Commandments of men.
- annot. 7. Traditions.
- annot. 11. Duty to parents.
- annot. 15. Abstinence from certain meats.
- annot. 33. Exorcisms and other ceremonies in Baptism
- annot. 34. Christ’s spittle worketh miracles.
Margin References
- 1. Mat. 15, 1.
- 6. Esa. 29, 13.
- 10. Exo. 20, 12.
- 10. Lev. 20, 9.
- 24. Mat. 15, 21.
- 31. ‵of Tyre and Sidon, he came
