Observation: Jesus has upset the Pharisees in a discussion about ritual hand-washing, and is explaining the issue to his disciples. On first glance, Jesus' words seem both accurate let problematic. He accurately explains that the things that defile people are the attitudes we contain within ourselves, which then drive our words and actions. This is what 'sin' is, our attitudes and resulting behaviors. On the other hand, washing of hands is part of the laws of Moses, and therefore it seems the Pharisees have a point that, if the disciples do not wash their hands before eating, they are being disobedient ... a sinful attitude and behavior.
However, Jesus is actually breaking down the truth of the matter, which is that the laws that the Lord gave us all contain two elements. One is the actual law, and the other is a procedure for reconciling ourselves to God if/when we violate the Law. In this case, washing of hands is not the law. Rather, it is the way to make oneself "clean" if we have done anything or touched anything that creates a ceremonial barrier between us and God.
Pharisees took the law and added their own human logic to it, thus turning the corrective procedure associated with the law into the law itself. As a 'catch-all' for ensuring alignment to Yahweh, that isn't terrible. However, judging others for not performing the procedure is this issue, because the procedure isn't the law. As a result, the meaning and purpose of the law - in this case, drawing close to the Lord during meals for we recognize that our 'daily bread' is a blessing and gift from the Lord - becomes subordinate to a procedure that isn't part of the law, and failing to do the procedure correctly even becomes a point of contention between people (thus violating the spirit of other laws).
However, the real problem is that the procedure now supersedes the policy. The law has been lost behind a visible process. And the law was always about the heart ... drawing close to the Lord, acknowledging him as the source of blessing, and thinking him for even a piece of bread to sustain our lives another day. The law is to work inside us, and then manifest as our behaviors and words that come from our mouths. The law was not about whether or not our hands are unwashed as we handle the food going into our mouths.
Application: There was a time in life when I was an unquestionable expert when it came to the concepts and structures of "policies and procedures". One thing I learned well was that procedures must align to policies, and that procedures that did not have an explicit alignment to policy were subject to scrutiny regarding their value and need. This isn't controversial. And in truth, that is all Jesus is saying ... there are policies that create a specific set of conditions, for which the proper procedure is hand-washing, so if those policies don't apply, the procedure isn't mandatory.
And yes, I have seen over and over again people at work who perform work in accordance with good procedures, without any care as to why they do it, or what the reason may be to do things certain ways, and thus don't provide value because they don't even know what value they might be trying to provide. Again, we've all seen this, and it isn't controversial. And again, that is all Jesus is saying.
So when I say I need to pray more often, I BETTER mean ... I want to be closer to the Lord, to have a better relationship with him, and to listen to his guidance in every aspect of my life more and more every day, and thus I need to pray. I better NOT mean ... there is a process to follow to make myself a 'Christian', and that process includes prayer, so I'll do that more.
Prayer: Lord, you are my father, my savior, and my master. I sincerely desire to know you better, to know your will, and to align my life to your direction. I do not seek you because it is part of a procedure to have a better life. Rather, I seek you because I love you, I truly wish to know you better, and I absolutely know you love me far beyond what I could ever deserve. May I be closer to you today, and continue to move closer to you every day. Amen.
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