Mark 8:11-13

11 The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass him, they asked for some heavenly sign.

12 Then his spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.”

13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side of the lake.

Mark 7:14-23

14 Jesus then called the people to him again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand.

15 Nothing that enters a person from the outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes from within that makes a person unclean.

16 Let everyone who has ears listen.”

17 When Jesus got home and was away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this saying,

18 and he replied, “So even you are dull? Do you not see that whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean,

19 since it enters not the heart but the stomach, and is finally passed out?” Thus Jesus declared that all foods are clean.

20 And he went on, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him,

21 for evil designs come out of the heart: theft, murder,

22 adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness, deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly.

23 All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”

Matthew 5:17-37

17 Do not think that I have come to annul the law and the prophets. I have not come to annul them, but to fulfill them.

18 I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change, until all is fulfilled.

19 So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven

21 You have heard, that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who murders will have to face trial.

22 But now, I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister is liable, to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or sister “Fool!” is liable, of being thrown into the fire of hell.

23 So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar,and you remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there, in front of the altar; go at once, and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

25 Don’t forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail.

26 There, you will stay, until you have paid the last penny. 

27 You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery.

28 But I tell you this: anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 

31 It was also said: Anyone who divorces his wife, must give her a written notice of divorce.

32 But what I tell you is this: if a man divorces his wife, except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery.And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 You have also heard that people were told in the past: Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept.

34 But I tell you this: do not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne;

35 nor by the earth, because it is his foot stool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king.

36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37 Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything else you say comes from the evil one.

Mark 7:1-13

1 One day, the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the law who had just come from Jerusalem.

2 They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them.

3 Now the Pharisees, and in fact all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors.

4 Nor do they eat anything, when they come from the market, without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe; for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates.

5 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?”

6 Jesus answered, “You shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 The worship they offer me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules.

8 You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”

9 And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandments of God in order to enforce your own traditions!

10 For example, Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and: Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.

11 But according to you, someone could say to his father or mother, ‘I already declared Corban (which means “offered to God”) what you could have expected from me.’

12 In this case, you no longer require him to do anything for his father or mother;

13 and so you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”

Mark 8:1-10

1 Soon afterward, Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd, that obviously had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples and said to them,

2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat.

3 If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.”

4 His disciples replied, “Where, in a deserted place like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?”

5 He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.”

6 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them, and handed them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people.

7 They also had some small fi sh. So Jesus said a blessing, and asked that these be shared as well.

8 The people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand in number. Jesus sent them away,

10 and immediately got into the boat with his disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Mark 6:53-56 

53 Having crossed the lake, they came ashore at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat.

54 As soon as they landed, people recognized Jesus,

55 and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside. Wherever he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats;

56 and wherever he went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace, and begged him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were cured.

Mark 7:31-37

31 Again, Jesus set out: from the country of Tyre he passed through Sidon and, skirting the sea of Galilee, he came to the territory of Decapolis.

32 There, a deaf man, who also had difficulty in speaking, was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him.

33 Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with spittle.

34 Then, looking up to heaven, he said with a deep sigh, “Ephphata!” that is, “Be opened!”

35 And immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.

36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about it; but the more he insisted, the more they proclaimed it.

37 The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

Matthew 5:13-16 

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will trample on it.

14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hid den.

15 No one lights a lamp and covers it; instead, it is put on a lamp stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven.

Mark 7:24-30

24 When Jesus left that place, he went to the border of the Tyrian country. There, he entered a house, and did not want anyone to know he was there; but he could not remain hidden.

25 A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet.

26 Now this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”

28 But she replied, “Sir, even the puppies under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.”

29 Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a response, the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

30 And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon gone.

Mark 6:30-34

30 The apostles returned and re ported to Jesus all they had done and taught.

31 Then he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves into a remote place and have some rest.” For there were so many people coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.

32 And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.

33 But people saw them leaving, and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns, they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them.

34 As Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.