17
"Don't you see? Everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.
18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. Those are the things that make you 'unclean.'
19
Evil thoughts come out of the heart. So do murder, adultery, and other sexual sins. And so do stealing, false witness, and telling lies about others.
20
Those are the things that make you 'unclean.' But eating without washing your hands does not make you 'unclean.' "
The Faith of a Woman From Canaan
21 Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon.
22
A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, "Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly."
23
Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, "Send her away. She keeps crying out after us."
24
Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep."
25
Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. "Lord! Help me!" she said.
26
He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to their dogs."
27
"Yes, Lord," she said. "But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owners' table."