Did You Wash Your Hands?

DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS?

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” (Mark 7:5)

If you ask someone what is the maximum used phrase this year, it would be “Wash your hands!”. During Jesus Christ’s time on this earth, Jesus tried to teach people many things about washing of hands. So, come along, as we learn with Jesus about washing of hands.

Washing of Hands:

The washing of hands and legs had a deep spiritual as well as cultural significance.

Cultural Significance – There is no need to explain the purpose behind washing of hands with regard to cleanliness. Cultures around the world follow this practice. Even in places where water is rare, people have ways and means to clean themselves. But to understand these particular passages from the Holy Bible, we need to understand the middle eastern culture a little bit more.

Middle eastern countries are desert regions with sandy landscapes covering to the maximum extent. In the olden days, when modern transports were not available, people had to travel long distances by foot or on camels or donkeys, through dusty and sandy paths. When you travel in open spaces in these dry areas your feet would be dry, dusty and with an uncomfortable sensation. So, it is a middle eastern culture to wash your hands and feet before you enter a house. Even now, you would find wash spaces right at the entrance of a house, which would lead to a beautifully arranged hall meant for entertaining guests.

It is part of hospitality for a host to offer his guests or even unknown visitors, water to wash their hands and feet.

1.      Abraham and the three strangers (Genesis 18:4)

2.     Lot and the two angels (Genesis 19:2)

3.     Laban and Abraham’s servants (Genesis 24:32)

4.    Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 43:24)

5.     A Levite and an old man from Ephraim (Judges 19:21).

If it is a honourable guest, then along with offering water to wash, the host would also kiss them and anoint their head with oil (Luke 7:44-47). When you are anointed with oil in the presence of other guests, it indicates that you are special (Psalm 23:5).

It was considered even more noble, to wash the feet of a saint or a leader instead of just offering them water. Most often, women washed the feet of the saints who visited their house. (I Samuel 25:41; I Timothy 5:10).

But if you are returning to your father from a faraway land, leaving behind your prodigal ways, another level of welcome awaits you (Luke 15:20-24).

(Note: Washing of legs was done even before it was given as a Law to Moses, more as a cultural and a cleansing act.)

Spiritual Significance – In the spiritual sense, the washing of hands and legs were given as a Law for Aaron and his descendants for purification before entering the Tabernacle. God commanded Moses to make a copper laver and to place it at the entrance to the altar area so that Aaron and his sons could wash their hands and their feet. When they went into the Tabernacle of meeting, or when they came near the altar to minister, they had to wash with water. God made it as a statute forever to them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations (Exodus 30:17-21). It was given as a Law only for the priests. But after many centuries, when we come to the time of Jesus Christ, this ritual washing was being followed by the Pharisees, a Jewish sect which had people from non-priestly backgrounds too (Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:3-5). We are not sure whether these washing rituals were common practices among Jewish people from non-priestly and non-pharisaical backgrounds such as fishermen and tax collectors who were among Jesus’ disciples.

Jesus and Washing of Hands:

There are 3 incidents in the Bible that are related to Jesus and washing of hands.

1^st incident – The first incident is recorded in Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:1-23. In this incident, The Pharisee’s find fault with some of Jesus’ disciples since they did not wash their hands.

2^nd incident – The second incident is recorded in Luke 7:36 – 50. This incident happened when Jesus went to dine at the house of a Pharisee named Simon.

3^rd incident – The third incident is recorded in Luke 11:37 – 54. In this incident, Jesus went to dine at a Pharisee’s house and did not wash his hands.

Did Jesus Believe in Washing of Hands? Did Jesus Washed His Hands?

There is no indication anywhere in the Bible to show that Jesus was against washing of hands. We can even be sure that the ritualistic washing of legs and hands was important to Jesus and he did it in whatever ritualistic way it was done during those days.

1.      It may not be a surprise since Jesus was well-versed in the Law and at 12 years of age was sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions (Luke 2:46,47). Jesus was not a revolutionary or a rebel, who tried to prove his point by doing novel things. Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17).

2.     If Jesus did not care about the ritual washing, he would not have told Simon, “I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet” (Luke 7:44).

3.     In the incidents mentioned in Matthew 15:1,2 & Mark 7:1,2 the Pharisees found fault with only some of Jesus’ disciples that they did not wash their hands and there was no mention about Jesus and his other disciples.

4.    Jesus was very particular about not causing offense to anyone. Willfully he never offended anyone. He would not have wanted to offend the Pharisees by not washing his hands. His approach to people was based on his principle, “Nevertheless, lest we offend them” (Matthew 17:27). As Christians this is what our principle should be too! (but only for matters related to fleeting temporal concerns). If we have the same attitude towards eternal concerns, we will be in danger of losing our eternal life.

(If Jesus did the ritual washing, should Christians do the same? – Explanation at the end of the message)

Did Jesus Justify His Disciples Not Washing of Hands?

Jesus may have washed his hands, but when the Pharisees came to him to complain about some of his disciples not washing their hands. Why did he respond in that particular way?

As mentioned before, we are not sure whether these washing rituals were common practices among Jewish people from non-priestly and non-pharisaical backgrounds such as fishermen and tax collectors who were among Jesus’ disciples. If it was not a common practice among them, Jesus would not have imposed these rituals on them. Because he often faulted the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for overemphasizing on these “ritualistic acts” and leaving out the “meaning behind these rituals” (Matthew 23). It was also mainly because of the hypocritical behaviour of the Pharisees.

The Hypocritical Behaviour of the Pharisees:

An example of the hypocritical act of the Pharisees can be seen in Luke 7:36-50. Hypocrisy can be explained based on Luke 11:39-44 as “Acting pure, kind and honest in front of people but the heart is full of greed and wickedness”. A Pharisee named Simon had invited Jesus to dine at his home. It seemed like a typical dinner party for a valued guest until a woman who was known to be a sinner in the city entered the house and began to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head. She also kissed Jesus’ feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Simon, the Pharisee who had invited Jesus said to himself, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner!” 

So, What was hypocritical about Simon’s thinking?

1.      Jesus was an invited guest at Simon’s home. But Simon did not offer water to Jesus to wash his feet, if not as a ritualistic act at least as a hospitable act. It would have been an unthinkable act or even an insult in those days to do that to a guest. It is possible that the woman started to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, because she was unable to bear Jesus being treated that way.

 2.     When Jesus told him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He answered by responding, “Teacher, say it.” He addressed Jesus as “Teacher” when actually in his heart he did not honour Jesus. This is what Jesus meant when he said in Mathew 15:8, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me”.

 3.     Simon was willing to break ancient customs and rituals by denying ritualistic washing to a guest, but did not want Jesus to be anointed by a sinful woman.

 4.    So why would have Simon invited Jesus to his home to dine, if he had no intention of honouring Jesus. There are 2 possible reasons. Jesus was very popular with the crowd, so it could have been just to get the acceptance of people and to show that he too believed in Jesus. Another reason Pharisees always engaged with Jesus was to test him and to cross-examine him. This reason could be very much possible here, even after Jesus telling Simon of his unhospitable behaviour none of the other Pharisees were surprised, instead they began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49).

 5.     This is the same sort of situation Jesus may have encountered in Luke 11:37 – 54, as we don’t see Jesus refusing to do the ritualistic washing. But instead the dinner party may have been a situation created by the Pharisee to test Jesus, just like in Simon the Pharisee’s home, because Jesus is immediately condemning them and talking about the hypocritical condition of their heart. And as Jesus said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him (Luke 11:53, 54).

What did Jesus teach the Pharisees about Hand Washing?

Pharisees were very insistent on the ritualistic washing of their hands and legs with water, holding it tight as the tradition of the elders. That’s why they questioned Jesus when they found his disciples eating with unwashed hands. They did hand washing as a ritual, leaving out the meaning of why it was given to their elders. When God established it as a statute to Aaron he said, “When they went into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they came near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they had to wash with water”. Before they entered the Tabernacle, Aaron and his descendants had to wash their hands as a part of purification of both their body and soul.

But the Pharisees washed the outside of their hand off dirt, but the inside of their hand was filled with evil. That’s why Jesus asked them, “Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?” (Luke 11:40). He also explained to the Pharisees by telling them, “You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). Jesus also taught them how to make the inside of their hands clean, “By giving alms and by following the justice and the love of God” (Luke 11:40-42). If they do this the hand in its entirety will be clean (Luke 11:41). Before washing their hands with water in their ritualistic washing, Jesus wanted the Pharisees to wash the inside of their hands by removing hypocrisy, injustice and pride. Without washing the inside of their hand, their hands would still remain unclean even after all their ritualistic washing. This is what offended the Pharisees very much.

David and the Washing of Hands:

David who was called as a man after God’s own heart understood this very well. That’s why he said, “I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, Lord” in Psalm 26:6. David washed his hands so that his hands were pure and without iniquity before going near the altar of God. David knew people who washed their hands with water, but their hands were filled with wicked schemes and bribes (Psalm 26: 10). Because his hands were pure David could boldly say, “My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord” (Psalm 26:12).

 What’s the Hand Washing Message for Today?

Wash your hands with water, soap and other hand wash materials regularly. It is good and needed to wash away dirt and germs to keep you clean and protected. But it is only cleaning of the outside of your hand. There is an inside of your hand, that needs cleaning too! The dirt in the inside of your hand is equally dangerous and evil. Deceptive acts, injustice, iniquity, cruelty, violence all these are dirt that would be stuck in the inside of the hand which are equally infectious and dangerous. We should get rid of these too.

How do we get rid of these? We can read in Romans 8:3, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin. God tried to give the washing of hands as a Law, but the people did it as a “ritual act” without cleaning themselves from their sins, that’s why God sent his son as the likeness of sinful flesh and we have forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus. We read in I John 1:7-10, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 How do you wash your hands with the blood of Jesus? No. You are not needed to pour Jesus’ blood on your hands like water. All you have to do is repent of your sins, confess your sins and leave your sins, then you will be forgiven and cleansed and your heart and the inside of your hand will be cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus.

Jesus may have done the ritual washing since it was a Jewish custom at that time. According to Hebrew 9:9 & 10, “various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation”. So all these ordinances were imposed till the atonement death of Jesus on the cross. Further, in Hebrew 9: 12^th verse, we read “With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption”. In Verse 14 it says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”. So after the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, washing with water is only for the purpose of removal of dirt and germs and washing as a purification ritual (in the Jewish way) isn’t there for Christians.