Wash those hands! – January 30
Today’s Readings: Psalm 55; Isa. 51:1-8; Gal. 3:23-29; Mark 7:1-23
“Josephine, you forgot to wash your hands!”
This is a commonly shouted exclamation that emanates from the kids’ bathroom and wafts into the living area in our house. Our son (age 5) is quick to rat out his sister (age 9) – and she holds much disdain for him when he makes such a public pronouncement. What follows are actions including, but not limited to, the rolling of eyes, the shrugging of shoulders, deep sighs, and uttering words of disgust, “Leave me alone, Robinson!”
Efforts to prevent spread of the coronavirus have created greater awareness of cleanliness and handwashing in our daily routine. We go through lots of soap, and 20-second melodies are hummed or sung while scrubbing hands. No one may sit at the dinner table without taking part in this washing ritual. It is non-negotiable.
Thus, I chuckle a bit reading Mark 7 today. It is the Pharisees that inwardly note and outwardly grill Jesus about the hygienic habits of his friends: “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” These words strike my ears acutely in this time of hyper-vigilance against the spread of germs. In a 21st century Western context, the disciples’ dirty hands sound like a poor choice; perhaps the Pharisees voice a concern for preserving healthier lifestyles. After all, the idea of cleanliness being associated with godliness goes way back. Filth and impurity were grounds for exclusion from public worship at the Temple. To be defiled was taboo, and there were many cultural norms and explicit Hebrew laws to avoid being sullied.
Is the problem that people are not thoroughly washing their hands? Are they truly complaining about gross manners? No, on both accounts. In Jesus’ day, the reproach of the Pharisees regarding defiled hands was in line with their copious criticism leveled against the Messiah, intended to trick and expose possible weaknesses of this teacher, preacher, and healer. Jesus is keenly aware of their scheming ways, quoting the prophet Isaiah to them, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.” (29:13). (What immediately follows in verse 14 is a dark promise upon those who are hypocrites: “The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.”)
Jesus reframes the conversation with his listeners, pointing to a common pattern of conflict with the Pharisees: elevating human rules and traditions above God’s commandments leads to being tainted, burdened, and separated from God and one another. Thus, Jesus drives home the point in his parable that what truly makes a person dirty is not what is on the outside (including foods we ingest). Rather, we are to watch the condition of the human heart, in which evil intentions of greed, resentment, theft, murder, adultery, etc., can besmirch a person.
There will always be those who reproach and revile us. And yet, we will not be dismayed, as we hear in the call from Isaiah 51 today. When we have the teachings of the Lord’s love and faith in God emblazoned upon our hearts, we can move on with the work of loving all people, without dashing a foot upon a stone.
All are welcome at the table of Jesus – and for good measure, wash your hands first (and try humming “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know” while you’re at it!).
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
What routines happen before meals in your home?
What behaviors of others are you likely to judge harshly?
Daily Challenge
Take time for self-care today. Consider your hands and feet. Are they cracked and in need of moisturizer? Or is it your heart that is metaphorically aching? Spend time this weekend tending to yourself – so that what comes out of you this coming week is filled with God’s love, and not the by-products of a heavy, hurting heart.