The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Pharisee might have been thinking of the prescribed washing as part of a national effort at extreme purity in order to win favor from God, who would then, in theory, take up their cause against their oppressors. How could Jesus pay no regard to such rituals and yet claim to have the interests of their nation at heart? Ought he not do every possible thing in order to bring about liberation from the Roman occupying forces? How could he justify his disciples living in the same manner as many others who only skipped the washing because of indifference?
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
The idea of wishing to be pure for the sake of God was not in itself the problem in this case. The problem was that the ritual performance had replaced any of the interior content it was meant to call to mind. At best, a ritual washing could be an occasion to set one's intention, saying to God, 'Give me clean hands with which to serve you'. But for many the ritual had come to be seen as something that worked automatically regardless of the intention of the person performing it. As a consequence, anyone not performing it was guilty, since it was the exterior thing that mattered, and not the interior disposition. It was now not only not serving to lead the performer toward purity, it was actually causing him to defile himself by standing in judgment over others. He wielded his external performative purity as a weapon against those who could not or would not perform in the way he deemed necessary. Jesus no doubt desired to disabuse this Pharisee of this notion, the idea that a ritual washing was anything in itself.
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
If we're looking for an action that tends toward purity, we can't look to mere ritual, which is easy, and doesn't do much to involve the whole being of the person doing it. Instead, giving alms is an action that can actually accomplish purification in the one who does it. It is inherently more difficult than a mere ritual gesture since it requires a degree of dying to self to surrender something one might otherwise enjoy. It isn't impossible for the motives of alms-giving to spoil the act, as with the extreme example of blowing trumpets to announce one was doing it in order to receive the reward of worldly recognition (see Matthew 6:1-4). But in itself, the act was more difficult to corrupt than something like washing one's hands. This Pharisee was no doubt chagrined to be chastened by his guest. But for his trouble he received a key that could make a massive difference in his spiritual life. If he took alms-giving as seriously as he did the traditions of the elders he would no doubt greatly accelerate his stalled spiritual progress.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
The Pharisee imagined himself to be giving God glory and thanksgiving. But he was doing so according to human traditions in line with his own personal preferences. He wasn't glorifying God in the way that God himself desired. This made him, a person who ought to have been a wise teacher, actually foolish in what he said and did. We too must be on the watch for human wisdom corrupting genuine worship. We too are liable to avoid what God really requires of us at times. And our own minds are all too susceptible to the darkness that desires to build up our own egos while tearing down those of others. We need the woes of Jesus in order to wake us up, so that we can offer the worship in Spirit and truth that God himself desires (see John 4:24).
Chris Tomlin - Give Us Clean Hands
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