Contaminated
| The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of His disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. ) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" |
Enter the "Phastidious Pharisees" and their hand-washing...
Mark is clear - they aren't worried about actual dirt on their hands.
In the original Greek, Mark doesn't use the word "ceremonial" but talks about "washing with the fist." This was an elaborate prescribed methodology of washing demanded by the Scribes. It was all about the ritual and not so much about actual cleaning. You could use water and wash your hands, but if you did not do it in the prescribed way you would still be "unclean."
What it reveals is the fact that the Pharisees believed that they could be ritually contaminated by the "common" people. The word he uses for "unclean" is "koine" which means common or everyday Greek. We know this word from the phrase "Koine Greek" which describes the dialect of Greek used by the common people of Jesus' time.
This kind of "holier than thou" spirituality seeks to "demonise" or "commonise" every day people and make the faithful seem exclusive and superior. It's a tradition that is passed down from people rather than an ordinance from God.
The Church is meant to be a place of grace. Sadly we often make up all sorts of norms and practices that keep others out. These norms and practices become the core instead of the periphery of our gathering and keep some people far from His love.
We've all read the beautiful story of the young barefoot hippie student who comes to church, and, when none of the suited-and-tied congregation members let him join them in "their" pew, he sits down on the floor in the aisle. Then one of the oldest and most dignified members shuffles down the aisle, and, instead of scolding the young man, he labouriously lowers himself to the ground to welcome the young man and keep him company during the service.
He got it - the Pharisees just didn't.
