Wash Your Hands

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Matthew 15:1-3 

Wash your hands. Did you wash your hands? How many times a day do you hear that?

 

Tradition. Tradition. God set guidelines for the handling of food as written in the books of Exodus and Leviticus—so that the Hebrew people would be protected from bacteria. It seems that the Pharisee and Jewish elders extended the guidelines into traditions that included washing ones hands before meals. At the Wedding in Cana, Jesus changed the water in the hand washing water vessels into wine--His first miracle. We know that that hand washing is a healthy habit to follow. The righteous Jews today still carry out hand washing traditions and even hotels in Jerusalem have hand washing stations specifically for this Jewish ritual.

Jesus goes on to question the Pharisee about breaking commandments to observe their traditions.  Do you follow healthy guidelines or traditions in your observance of God’s laws? 

RSVP: Jesus is inviting us today to follow God’s guidelines for caring for our bodies, as well as following His laws for our spirits. How will you respond to Him today?  

Prayer ~ Jesus, may I not be caught up in worldly tradition—but follow Your example to observe God’s laws that honor Him and You.

© 2014 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.