Wash your Hands

Washing your hands before you eat

Kids coming in from outside, what is the first thing we have them do?

The Pharisees ask the question, “why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Are the Pharisees just practicing good Hygiene or something more?

Ritual Purity Laws

Purity laws in the OT involved things like

Ritual washings

atoning sacrifices

priestly rituals

Unclean objects need to be purified by water

For humans the central lesson of this system is that

God is Holy but human beings are contaminated

Unclean didn’t necessarily mean sin since there are some things that would make someone unclean that are outside of their control

One of the major lessons we know that arose from the purity laws was the fact it separates people into differing categories.

This is the very thing that Jesus is challenging in this passage

Matthew 15:10–20 NIV

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Hey Listen

Jesus is calling the crowd over and says “Hey Listen up”

I am about to drop some truth on you

Notice he doesn’t call the Pharisees he called over everyone else

He out right reverses the very idea that the pharisees are trying to push

The disciples are hearing this and try to pull Jesus aside

Hey umm Jesus you know you offended the Pharisees

The Hard Truth

Can you imagine the face Jesus gave the disciples in the moment

That look of “What did you say”

Jesus points to the reality that God will have nothing to do with anything he did not plant. That his hand isn’t upon.

Jesus outright says leave them alone

their teachings will be exposed for what they are

the blind leading the blind

Peter is a little dull

Every body...

everybody...you know

its a well known children’s story

Jesus is kinda reminding of this in verse 17

Matthew 15:17 NIV

17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

Every body...

I was always told to not mention bodily functions from the pulpit but I think if Jesus was okay with talking about it I am probably good to do it

Let me ask this question what shows your character more.

What comes out of your backside or the words that come out of your mouth?

What reveals who you are and what you think and where your heart is?

Cautionary Warning

Now the modern day church has can and has at times slipped into a similar “Hand washing” teaching

Often we can use passages like this to say see you should keep your mouth clean and not say bad things.

Do you see how that just shifts from hand washing to mouth washing

this is about more than just having a set of rules to follow

What Reveals our Heart

Christ is after the deep realization its not just about following a set of rules that we as humans we often corrupt.

Christ is drawing us to realize that we need to be focused on the call to holiness but the difference in Jesus approach is that there is a move from separation to being in the world but not of the world

How is your heart being shown?

Does your heart reflect the will of God?

God is wanting us to be a people devoted to living a life for him, but we are to reveal to the world that our hearts belong to him

he is the Same God through all the generations and he wants our heart not just our simple rule following.