Rebecca Inglis - March 8, 2020
Hollow Worship
When my children were very young, they loved to visit their grandparent’s house. They always looked forward to it. It was one of their favourite things to do! Until one day, they said they didn’t want to go to grandma’s house. Upon further questioning, one of my children reported, “It’s exhausting! She makes us wash our hands before every. Single. Meal.” So confession, perhaps my parenting skills had become a little bit lax when my three children were pre-schoolers. I did make them wash their hands, but maybe not before every meal or snack. I promise, with all the recent coverage of the importance of washing hands, I am making sure my three older teenagers wash their hands more diligently and regularly. The pharisees once complained to Jesus, asking him, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat.” Unlike today, the pharisees weren’t concerned with the spreading of viruses or about physical hygiene. They were, however, obsessed with ‘ceremonial cleanliness’. This is not the same thing as physical cleanliness (and for the record, I really do like to be clean. I take multiple showers a day whenever I can). A devout Jew went through an elaborate ceremony to cleanse themselves spiritually so they were eligible to worship God. They would not only do this before their meals, but they would actually do this ritual between courses. In other words, you would cleanse yourself before your burger, then before your thick-shake, and then before your coffee (insert your favourite foods here, as I have). These ceremonial washings were commanded by tradition, not by scripture, but the Pharisees were outraged that Jesus allowed his disciples to break this tradition. Jesus rebukes them pointing out that they were not even treating people with respect, or showing love to other people. Their hearts weren’t even connected to God’s heart. He says, “These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” The pharisees were obsessing about external things, when internally, they were so far from being right.
Scripture References: Matthew 15:1-9
From Series: "What Would Jesus UNdo?"
We have all heard the useful phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" But perhaps we need to ask "What Would Jesus Undo?"
