Mark 7:1-2 “Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.”

We heard this message from the time we were small children: wash your hands before eating.

There are so many germs and bacteria around that it is important to our health to wash our hands before we touch our food.  When we sneeze or cough we need to cover our mouths; and not with our hands as I learned but with the inside bend of the arm to keep any germs off of our hands and reduce the spreading of them.

In this passage Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and scribes.  He tells them that they hold to human tradition and abandon the commandment of God.  Is he saying we don’t need to wash our hands?  My kids would love that!

As he does so many times, I believe he is saying we need to keep our priorities straight.  It is good to wash our hands and dishes and food. Just make sure those things to not become more important than following the commands of God: Love God, love your neighbor.  In this practice our hearts become clean because in order to follow this command we must walk with God.

We cannot walk with God without being clean or being cleansed through his love.  As I wash dishes and hands and food today, I want to remember to come to him for a clean heart as well.  In this way, I can walk in Love.

Lord,

Help me keep the business of the day at bay and keep loving you and loving my neighbor in the forefront.  So often our priorities get twisted and you are no longer at the top.  Guide me today in all I do and say to keep you first.  I pray this through Jesus, Lord and Savior.  Amen.