1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
We hear what Jesus says today in a different light since the dawn of modern medicine. We understand germs and immune systems and so we hear an admonition to wash our hands as wisdom and a good and healthy practice. Some took that to an extreme in the days of the recent pandemic. Did you wash your mail when it came into your house? I know some folks who did.
Jesus is not opposed to washing hands, in fact, he is all for washing our hands to be healthy. I read an interesting study which suggested that one of the reasons members of monastic communities in the Middle Ages lived longer than other folks was because the Rule of St. Benedict required them to wash their hands before every meal. They did not get sick as often.
So, what is Jesus going on about with handwashing here, defending his disciples defiled hands? I think it may have something to do with my neighbor down the street who washed his mail. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were not concerned for the physical health of the disciples when they asked about this. They were concerned about their standing with God. They understood that this ritual washing was essential to that relationship. Jesus said that God alone is essential. Everything else is secondary. It might still be important and even have consequences; washing your hands is a healthy practice, but it does not confer eternal life. My neighbor has come to believe that he can save his own life by his hygiene. He is still a little odd that way even though the pandemic feels very much over. The Pharisees thought that they completed a ritual which had to be done or one was in mortal peril. Whether my neighbor’s practice is a good idea or not, I cannot really say. We could have a discussion about its relative merits. I know, however, that even if he does not contract the virus, he will one day need God to raise him from a grave.