1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" (Mark 7:1-5)

You have Pharisees and scribes in the story—people who immersed themselves in Scripture, but then made their interpretations of the Scripture more important than the Scripture. They saw that some of Jesus' disciples ate with defiled or unwashed hands (2). Mark helps us understand that this wasn't lousy hygiene on the disciples' part. Instead, they were not complying with all the ceremonial washings the Pharisees practiced. They washed hands, cups, pots, copper vessels, and dining couches in a religious way, especially when they came back from the marketplace, lest any Gentile uncleanness come upon them (4). On the inside, these religious leaders were unclean, but they made a bunch of rules to make their outside look good. And when they saw Jesus' disciples walking in freedom, and not according to the tradition of the elders, they were compelled to confront Jesus (5).

After reading this opening paragraph, you'd be forgiven for thinking this has nothing to do with our modern time. I can almost feel you tuning out, tempted to drift because here we have another religious debate between Jesus and the legalists of his day.

Being Clean: Mankind's Utmost Issue

I assure you, this passage has much to do with life today. Whether people know it or not, whether they look to God or not, they strive for cleanness. There is a universal sense that we are unclean. Shame. Guilt. A feeling that we do not measure up.

In one way or another, a gnawing understanding exists. We are not clean, and we need to be clean.

• Some will say sin (and the resultant guilt) are merely human constructs loaded onto us by others, so they can say, "I am clean!"
• Some will pursue radical and dangerous ideas so they can say, "I am clean!"
• Others will pursue good works so they can say, "I am clean!"
• Some will turn to religious ceremonies so they can say, "I am clean!"
• Others will turn to self-love and self-acceptance so they can say, "I am clean!"
• Some will deny they've done anything wrong at all, so they can say, "I am clean!"
• And some will turn to confessions and statements and buzzwords and hashtags to prove to their camp and themselves, "I am clean!"

Still, the gnawing desire for cleanness remains. Could it be that our collective desire to be clean—and all the contradictory avenues we pursue in our attempts to become clean—stem from our brokenness before God? Could it be that much of the upheaval in our world today is because of this sense of uncleanness?

Romans 3:23 (ESV) — 23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Could the fact we "fall short of the glory of God" be part of the universal human struggle? You see, the need for cleanness is mankind's biggest issue. We are unrighteous before God, and even the person who says that he does not exist will never find rest for their soul in counterfeit forms of cleanness.

Because God is holy, human cleanness cannot come by human effort. The Pharisees and scribes had thought they could keep God's law, and improve on God's law, which would lead to their cleanness. They produced elaborate washing ceremonies to demonstrate their cleanness. They thought something they did on the outside could make them clean on the inside.

But cleanness does not come by human effort, it comes from God. It comes to the heart. It must penetrate the heart. Only then can it be truly evidenced on the outside.

The Pharisees are a fascinating study, really, because, in their beginnings, they held a high view of God. They saw him as holy. They believed his word was being disrespected. They felt they must protect the word, so their traditions began. Over time, however, their traditions and teachings displaced God's word. Soon, a low view of God developed. They thought they could be clean before God by ceremony.

But, as the story of Jesus shows us, cleanness costs much more than ceremony. More on that next week...