Every mother of small children has repeated this plea for years, “Did you wash your hands?” It’s dinner time and washed hands are a must, especially in this germ conscious 21^st century. Medical science claims that many infectious diseases can be avoided by the regular habit of hand washing. Consequently, like most mothers, we gladly enforce the law of hand washing onto our children; not only to possibly avoid the common cold, but also to avoid the mental images of where those little hands have been. But what about Jesus? He was accused of not washing his hands before dinner. Was he forgetful, too busy, or just didn’t want to? Let’s explore the scriptures and see what they say.

In the book of Lu 11:37-41, we read an account of what Jesus did “And as He spake, a certain Pharisee besought Him to dine with him: and He went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he arvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not He that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.”

Before we can get a full understanding of this situation, we have to understand the context in which Jesus said it. Lu 11:37-40 shows the setting when Jesus was invited to dine with a certain Pharisee at his home and the Pharisee was greatly surprised that Jesus did not first wash before dinner. Then Jesus addresses the matter by rebuking the Pharisees concerning their hypocrisy, greed, and wickedness, even calling them fools.

Wow, what precipitated that? What’s wrong with being shocked to see that Jesus didn’t wash his hands before eating at the home of his host? Wouldn’t this be considered a common practice of simple hygiene? In fact the Pharisees even noticed that Jesus’ disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating either. Mt 15:2,Mt 15:8 Then the Pharisees asked Jesus “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

What did Jesus mean by these rebukes – saying in the parallel passage of Mt 23:26 “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside may be clean also.” Was Jesus saying that the plates and cups were not being cleaned properly? A look at church history helps us to understand the rebukes.

Pharisees were exceedingly exact in observing all the washings and purifications prescribed by the law but paid no attention to the inward purity of the man. Mt 23:25 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” A quote from Geikie says “The law of Moses required purification in certain cases,Lev 12:1-5, but the rabbis had perverted the spirit of Leviticus in this and other things, for they taught that food and drink could not be taken with a good conscience when there was the possibility of ceremonial defilement. If every perceivable precaution had not been taken, the person or the vessel used might have contracted impurity, which would thus be conveyed to the food, and through the food to the body, and by it to the soul. Hence it had been long a custom and latterly a strict law, that before every meal not only the hands, but even the dishes, couches and tables should be scrupulously washed.”

Jesus’ strong rebukes denounced their activity of the outward purification ceremonies and He told them that in truth they were inwardly unclean and unholy in the sight of God, thus pronouncing His many woes on them…“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”

Because Jesus knew the Pharisees took great effort to cleanse the outward body to the neglect of the inward spirit, He used the illustration in Lu 11:39 to make the analogy to the cleansing of a man in verse 40when He says “You fools, did not God make the outside as well as the inside of a man, therefore would He not want both to be clean?” Jesus is once again saying to them that their inside was what was dirty…“Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” (Mt 15:17-20) This was the slam-dunk, no one could gainsay what Jesus said, except of course, the Pharisees who taught for doctrine the traditions of men.

Then in Lu 11:41 the long-suffering Lord Jesus seems to offer the Pharisees the opportunity to repent, when He says, “Give alms of such things as ye have.” The giving of alms is what they lacked, not that they didn’t give, as shown in the following verses of Luke, but their giving was in the form of the tithe for outward show and self-righteousness. Jesus required the giving of “alms”, which is the giving to the poor and needy of your goods and property, as you have means and opportunity. Then the blessing would come “…behold, all things are clean unto you.” Jesus exhorts them to forsake their evil and hypocritical conduct by showing an inward change of heart, which could be seen by the manifestation of love, mercy and compassion. But perhaps the most critical area of change would be in the area of money, which was most difficult for them, as the greed of the Pharisees was one of the most prominent features of their character. Jesus said that if they manifest this change of heart they would be considered clean both inside and outside. They would be accepted by the Lord and set free of the bondage of outward defilements, as Jesus wisely demonstrated by not washing his hands before eating. What a profound teaching Jesus gave by this one simple act of not washing His hands. Praise God we have the understanding and are able to examine our own lives in this regard.

Now when your little “Bible Thumper” says that Jesus didn’t have to wash His hands, you can take the opportunity to give him a lesson of what “clean” really means, as you wash his hands all the way up to his elbows.