Why Jesus Didn’t Wash His Hands And You Shouldn't Either

(This article was first published in French on TPSG).

Washing your hands before eating is standard practice in the 21st century. This holds true more than ever during this pandemic. Yet Jesus did not do so. In any case, certainly not according to the tradition of the elders. Nor did he demand it of his disciples.

In his gospel account, Mark (7:1-23) tells us that Jesus is in Galilee when the scribes and Pharisees come from Jerusalem to accuse Him. The Jews at that time followed strict purification rituals, which originated in the Mosaic Law. In Exodus 30:17-21, the Lord gave Moses instructions concerning the cleansing of the priests who served in the tabernacle. These ordinances concerned only the priests. But as the years passed, the Pharisees began to impose these rituals on all the people.

The True Meaning of Hand Washing

The washing of hands had a very symbolic scope. It illustrated the importance of purifying oneself on the outside as well as on the inside. In biblical thought, hands are the quintessence of man: the actions he performs with his hands come from his heart - either to bless and heal, or to shed blood and commit evil. Psalm 24:4 says: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully." Poetically, hands and heart are frequently paralleled in the Old Testament.

In the episode reported by Mark, the Pharisees and the scribes questioned Jesus, mentioning "the tradition of the elders" and not the Law of Moses. They accuse Jesus' disciples of eating with unclean hands. For them, this is a serious offence, which results in separation from God. But Jesus knows their hearts, and knows that they don't care about the spiritual meaning of these traditions.

Jesus confronts the Pharisees and scribes by quoting Isaiah 29:13. This verse is taken from a passage in which Jerusalem is judged because of her iniquity, and especially because of her failure to keep the law: the Jews offered sacrifices to the Lord, but their hearts were very far from God.

"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to listen than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15.22)

The Pharisees' Failure

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees on a fundamental issue. They claim to love the law but devise schemes to subvert it and disobey it. Jesus cites an example, among others, of their hypocrisy: the fifth commandment "Honor thy father and thy mother" is quite explicit (Exodus 20:12). But Jesus adds to the Pharisees and scribes: "Whoever curses his father or mother will be put to death" (Exodus 21:17). Death is the judgment reserved for those who do not obey this important commandment. Jesus shows the Pharisees how they do not obey this law and provoke the wrath of God.

Jesus exposes their strategy. The Pharisees know that the law requires them to take care of their elderly and needy parents. But they also know that the law requires them to give tithes and offerings. So if they take the money they are supposed to give for the care of their parents and set it aside for special offerings, they feel free from their obligation to their parents. The money they have given remains in their coffers and so they benefit from it themselves, since they live exclusively from tithes and offerings.

After rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus expresses in simple terms what the religious leaders do not understand: nothing that comes from outside can make our hearts unclean; it is what comes from within our hearts that defiles us.

The Purpose of the Dietary Laws

Jesus thus declares all food to be pure. If for us this assertion is obvious, it is revolutionary for those who listen to Jesus. It goes against everything religious leaders have always taught them, namely that we must focus on the outside, on appearances. They didn't transmit to the people that the most important thing is what is inside, what dwells in their hearts. Because the Pharisees did not understand the ultimate meaning of the Old Testament dietary rules.

God had given His people specific dietary laws that set them apart from the surrounding Gentile nations. God wanted the nations to marvel at the way the Israelites ate, the way they dressed, the way they cultivated their fields, the way they treated foreigners and widows, the way they rested on the Sabbath day, and especially the way they feared the Lord, and to say, "Wow, their God is the true God. We want to live under his law, too!"

"I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)

Christ's Fulfillment for Us

Did Israel succeed in the mission that the Lord had entrusted to it? Sadly, we know that the answer is no. But where Israel failed, Jesus triumphed. He did, as the representative of the people, what the Jews could not on their own. By His coming, Jesus opened the door of salvation to all nations through the torn veil. Because Jesus fulfilled the law, the Jews and the grafted Gentiles who make up His people are free with regard to the law. But while Jesus made us free from the ceremonial laws, he never released us from our obligation to have pure hearts.

What this Means for Us Today 

What is the application for us today? Should we wash our hands thoroughly? Of course we should. Do we have to do everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19? Absolutely! But, beyond these indispensable rules of hygiene, let us always remember the principle that Jesus teaches us in Mark 7: what we need most is to be made clean on the inside. We can wear masks and practice social distancing, we can wash our hands and disinfect our groceries, we can implement all kinds of elaborate measures to protect ourselves and our families... but if we do not purify our hearts, it is all in vain. Because today, tomorrow, or in 40 years, we will all find ourselves before our Creator. This unique time living through a pandemic is an invitation to us all put our house in order, and to invite all our loved ones to do the same.