the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition
of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?” Jesus answered, “You, shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote: This people
honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, for what they teach are only human
rules. You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.” Jesus then called the people to him again and
said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes out
from within that makes him unclean. For evil designs come out of the heart: theft, murder, adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness,
deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”

Lectio Divina:

READ: Jesus’ activities are closely scrutinized by religious authorities. They pointed
out that His disciples are not following the rituals prescribed before eating. Jesus in
turn tells them that their human traditions are getting in the way of their true following
of God. Then He admonishes His disciples to take care of their inner purity rather than
the observance of outward purity rituals.

REFLECT: Jerusalem is the spiritual center of the Kingdom of Judah in the South
composed of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. The ten other tribes split from them and
took the name of the Kingdom of Israel in the North with Shechem as its first capital
and later on Samaria. It is no wonder therefore that many religious leaders belonging
to the Southern Kingdom would go to Jerusalem to visit the Temple, study the fine
points of the Law and the Prophet, or consult with the experts on religious matters
abounding in the Temple. In this occasion some teachers of the law where brought
by the Pharisees in their confrontation with Jesus. The crux of the matter is that Jesus’
disciples do not follow the law of ritual purity. They do not wash their hands before
eating. On a normal day, Jesus would probably shrug off the criticism and counsel
His disciples to follow the law of the ancestors. But He saw an opportunity to teach
the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Inasmuch as they are preoccupied with
external purity, they too must put equal importance on inner purity. The two classes
of religious authority immediately understood. The table is turned against them and
they know that what Jesus said is true. That is why they are angry. The truth hurts.

RESPOND: How do we hold with regard to external religious practices and the
one that matters most, the transformation of the heart? Perhaps we might want to
scrutinize ourselves to see whether we equate goodness with mere following of
the law without regard to compassion and mercy which is the tangible result of an
obedient heart to the Lord.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021