Reconciling Love

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” ¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” ¹³ Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. ¹⁴ Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” ¹⁵ Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” ¹⁶ Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? ¹⁷ Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. ¹⁹ Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. ²⁰ These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.” ²¹ From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” ²³ But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.” ²⁴ Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” ²⁵ But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed.