First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange Texas

What Defiles a Person (Verses 10–20)

• Inner vs. Outer Purity: Jesus tells the crowd that food and unwashed hands do not make a person spiritually unclean.
• Source of Evil: He explains that true contamination comes from the heart, producing evil thoughts, murder, theft, and slander.
• The Pharisees: When the religious leaders take offense, Jesus dismisses them as "blind guides".

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman (Verses 21–28)

• The Plea: Jesus travels to the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a non-Jewish (Canaanite) woman begs him to cure her demon-possessed daughter.
• The Test: Jesus initially states he was sent only to Israel and uses a metaphor about bread meant for children versus dogs, testing her persistence.
• The Healing: The woman humbly replies that even dogs eat the crumbs from the master's table, prompting Jesus to praise her great faith and heal her daughter instantly.