Day 277 of 364

^15:1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ^15:2“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.” ^15:3He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ^15:4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ^15:5But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” ^15:6he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ^15:7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ^15:8‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ^15:9And they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’” ^15:10He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ^15:11That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” ^15:12Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” ^15:13But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ^15:14Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ^15:15Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.” ^15:16So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ^15:17Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body? ^15:18But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ^15:19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ^15:20These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.” ^15:21Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ^15:22Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” ^15:23But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.” ^15:24But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ^15:25But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ^15:26But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ^15:27But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ^15:28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. ^15:29Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there. ^15:30Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, ^15:31so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel. ^15:32Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.” ^15:33The disciples said to him, “Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?” ^15:34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ^15:35He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; ^15:36and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. ^15:37They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ^15:38Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. ^15:39Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala. ^16:1The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ^16:2But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ^16:3In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times! ^16:4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them and departed. ^16:5The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. ^16:6Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^16:7They reasoned among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ^16:8Jesus, perceiving it, said, “Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, because you have brought no bread? ^16:9Don’t you yet perceive or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up, ^16:10or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ^16:11How is it that you don’t perceive that I didn’t speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^16:12Then they understood that he didn’t tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ^16:13Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” ^16:14They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ^16:15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ^16:16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ^16:17Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ^16:18I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ^16:19I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” ^16:20Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. ^16:21From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. ^16:22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.” ^16:23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.” ^16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ^16:25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. ^16:26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? ^16:27For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will give to everyone according to his deeds. ^16:28Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”