Some Pharisees questioned Jesus about his disciples eating without washing their
hands; they felt threatened by Jesus. Washing hands and feet and other dietary laws
are good hygiene but the Pharisees turned them into religious rituals. Jesus uses this
encounter with Pharisees a teaching moment to explain true nature of one’s relationship
with God. Ritual purity laws are human traditions but life must be centered on the
commandments of God, the command to love. Social, cultural norms are of no
consequences to God. God’s word is about transforming the inner self. Practice of
compassion is what makes traditions either helping or not helping. God cares for the
inside, the heart, that does everything inspired by love. A follower of Christ is then,
committed to build the kingdom of God, that of justice, peace and joy!
What does really defile a person? Jesus says what comes out of the heart, thoughts,
words, actions, what comes out of malice defile a person. One might confuse religiosity
as external piety. We can turn church either to performances or a lived experience and
celebration of God’s nearness to us, God who wants human beings flourish through
love. Once a Rabbi who was asked how it could be that God often showed himself to
people in the olden days whereas nowadays nobody ever sees him. The rabbi replied:
"Nowadays there is no longer anybody who can bow low enough.” Bowing low is
humility of heart, a heart that moves to God in grateful praise, knowing that all good gifts
are from God. Often external rituals are cause for hatred, conflicts and violence. For
many, faith is about where I go wrong in relation to numerous laws than building loving
relationships. Pharisees made people’s life miserable, burdensome by too many purity
laws! Christ liberates the biased, conflicted mind. Freedom for a Christian is always to
choose what matters to love.
A Christian’s concern is not about the law but the persons we encounter in life. St.
James says, ‘be not only hearers of the word but also doers of the word’ and what is
undefiled is a caring self that rebuilds life shattered by misfortunes, poverty, who can
heal and restore broken lives! Writer Mark Redmond shares story of Edward Fisher
speaking at Georgetown university; Fisher went to Guatemala to rebuild the country
after the terrible earthquake in 1976. Fisher, looking at the young college students,
says: "I look out at all of you and I see myself at your age. I had everything in front of
me in terms of financial security, job security. But now I have very little money of my
own. I have spent hours and days walking in the pouring rain in Guatemala, cold and
shivering. But I'm telling you, I could not be happier. I felt joy even when I felt physically
miserable. I would not trade the life I have now, and what I am doing, for anything else.”
He was content because he was able to become a doer of the word!
People gathered to Jesus because he spoke differently, without condemnation; he acted
with compassion; he practiced what he preached by forgiving, reconciling and loving.
We are called to live this same life transforming gospel of Christ to build an unbiased,
undivided inner self in us, Christ like self, to seek unity of everything in love.