Wash Your Hands

A Series on the parables of Jesus – Part 2
The heart of a man
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 7:1-23 

[During the first century, it was common for a rabbi to use parables when teaching their disciples. The parables of Jesus were stories that he told to illustrate spiritual truth using some element from everyday life. Jesus used seeds, fish, trees, bread - things people could easily relate to – for a “teachable moment”.]

 

“Wash your hands before you come to the dinner table”! How many times did you hear that when you were growing up?

 

For me, it was a daily ritual that truthfully, I didn’t understand, but instinctively obeyed. Looking back on it, I suppose the idea was that it would clean the germs off my hands.  By doing this, I wouldn’t get sick or spread disease.

 

This is a similar concept to the ceremonial washing that the Jews did. Only without the religious connotation.

 

The law that the Israelites received from Moses at Mount Sinai is recorded in the book of Leviticus. The key word in the book is holiness. It appears in Leviticus more than in any other book of the Bible. Leviticus explains how the Israelites were to be the Lord’s holy people in the Promised Land of pagans.

 

Unfortunately, over the centuries, the law was perverted. Instead of helping the Israelites to become holy, the religious leaders became holy terrors who were more interested in legalism than relationship.

 

Jesus made this point in the passage today. The Pharisees observed that Jesus’ disciples weren’t following the tradition of ceremonial washing before eating. Here’s the interaction between them as recorded in Matthew.

 

² “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

³ Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?   NLT

 

Game on! Jesus continued to confront the Pharisees by giving them a specific example of how they used their traditions to violate God’s law. Following this, he called the crowd over to clarify what he was saying about the hand washing.

 

^14-15 “Listen now, all of you—take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.”          MSG

 

Still not understanding, the disciples asked Jesus to explain his parable.

 

²⁰ And then he (Jesus) added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. ²¹ For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts…     NLT

 

Washing my hands before dinner was definitely a healthy habit to get into. But it didn’t clean me on the inside. Only Jesus can do that. Then, with a clean heart, I can love and serve Him by loving others.

 

***

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.

Mark 4:23 NLT

 Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams