Guds befalinger og menneskelige traditioner
Matt. 15,1-9
1En dag kom der nogle farisæere og skriftlærde fra Jerusalem for at holde Jesus under observation. 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,7,3-4 Nogle håndskrifter tilføjer: „og sovepladser”, jf. 3.Mos. 15,4 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.
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.’7,7 Es. 29,13 LXX.
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.’7,10 2.Mos. 20,12 og 21,17. 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?
Matt. 15,10-20
14Så kaldte Jesus folk sammen og sagde: „Hør nu efter, alle sammen! Prøv at forstå, hvad jeg siger: 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!”7,16 Nogle håndskrifter mangler vers 16.
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
Matt. 15,21-28
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. 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
Matt. 15,29-31
31Fra Tyrus gik Jesus via Sidon til Dekapolis’ egne øst for Genesaret Sø. 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.”
That Which Defiles
1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.7:4 Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches)
5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’7:7 Isaiah 29:13
8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe7:9 Some manuscripts set up your own traditions! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’7:10 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’7:10 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 167:16 Some manuscripts include here the words of 4:23.
17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.7:24 Many early manuscripts Tyre and Sidon He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man
31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.7:31 That is, the Ten Cities 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
