Wash Your Hands!

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

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.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 

                                                                              (Mark 7:1-9 KJV)

My hands have gotten a little wrinkled with all the washing that's been going on the past year and a half. Part of that probably has something to do with age. The Pharisees really came down hard on the disciples for not keeping the law by not washing their hands before they ate. So, what did Jesus say? He rebuked them for being so oriented toward keeping the traditions of the elders. You see those Pharisees, just as many today, would attack anyone who did not obey the laws of God as they chose to interpret it. They did not comprehend that the letter of the law can too easily destroy people. They did not comprehend that the Spirit of the law is love. Jesus said this about the greatest commandments; the greatest laws:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

                                                                                         (Matt 22:37-40)

Yes, it is definitely a good thing to observe health codes. It can even be a loving thing. But, it is not a loving thing to judge those for whatever reason neglect or forget to. Judging others whether they follow man-made traditions regarding washing their hands or not (or wear a mask or not) hardly seems the loving thing to do. In fact, it can be a most unloving thing to do especially when it involves cursing at the person we  are busy judging.

The letter of the law and the man-made traditions that we impose can destroy people, even societies as it brings division. The Spirit of the law unites because the Spirit of the law is love.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Built Upon A Solid Foundation

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” (Matt 7:24-27 NRSV)

This past year I've questioned the wisdom of the powers that be that determine construction codes. Years ago, we put a mobile home on a piece of property in Gay, Michigan; a little town on Lake Superior. To prepare the spot we used concrete runners under the mobile home so that it would not sink or shift. Our son, just put a mobile home on land in Flagler County. Here in Florida the pad that the mobile home will sit on is made of sand. There is no concrete slab or runners under the home. I am sure that the engineers and others more knowledgeable about building in Florida know what they are doing. Yes; of course, there are some really good tie downs and concrete blocks securing and leveling the house. But, when I first heard that there must be a pad of sand laid first, I was a bit confused. But; then again, we don't normally put a slab of concrete under a wood home, either. Blocks are usually used to hold it up and level it and that has worked for a very long time. 

So, houses are normally built on something solid; like concrete slabs or blocks. There has to be a sturdy base to keep the home from crumbling down. Likewise; our faith must be built on something solid. The foundation of our faith is the truth, who is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone that holds the house of God together. If the house of God, if the church, is built on anything less than Jesus; if it is built on egos or greed or upon our own self-righteousness; then it will surely fall.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians:  "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God." (Eph 2:19-22)

God's Peace - Pr. J