Mark 7:1-13

Be Still: Lord, help me to be present to you as you are so graciously present to me. Amen

Read: Mark 7:1-13

'The Pharisees...were shocked to find some of Jesus' disciples ate bread without first observing the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating their meal.' (v2)

Encounter: My watch has an annoying 'app' that, if I wash my hands more than 20secs, pipes up patronisingly 'Well done!' and 'Good Job!' I could delete it, but I admit to a certain smugness in being told I'm a good girl.

What would my watch say if I did this:

Took enough water from special jug to fill one and a half eggshells

Poured water over my fingers, and running down to the wrist

Massaged each palm with fist

Poured water again from wrist to fingers

Said prayer:

'Blessed be thou O Lord, king of the universe, who sanctified us by the laws and commanded us to wash the hands.' 

And I followed this ritual, like strict Pharisees, before and between each course of my meals? 

My watch would probably hyperventilate!

In challenging the Pharisees, Jesus is not negating good hygiene and body cleanliness (after all, he washed his disciples’ smelly feet). He is angered by the way the Jewish leaders had replaced true worship with complicated behaviour rules in order, they thought, to please God, or more probably to give themselves a sense of smug superiority.

Apply: Would we admit to a slightly smug superiority as we see Jesus calling out these obdurate Pharisees? I'm not like that –'I don't perform empty religious rituals thinking I'm honouring God.''

Don't I? Could God say of me:

She attends church - but only out of duty 

She reads her Bible daily - but doesn't respond to what I'm saying

She sings worship songs - but not meaning what she sings.

Like the Pharisees, we need our hearts constantly softened and cleansed by Jesus' 'living water' so that we don't just go 'through the motions.'

Having said that, in human frailty, we sometimes need to go through the motions. I once commented: 'At church right now, I feel like a colander - full of holes, everything just passes through.' To which a wise friend replied: 'Even a colander needs washing.'

Devote: Don't stop spiritual disciplines because you feel 'dry'. Do them and ask Jesus, to 'wash' you with his Spirit.