Lost in details!

Luke 11:37-41

As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Didnʼt the one who made the outside make the inside as well? 41 Cleanse the things that are within--and look you--all things will be pure for you.

Food for thought!

The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not wash his hands before eating. This was not a matter of hygiene but of the ceremonial law. The law laid it down that before a man ate he must wash his hands in a certain way and that he must also wash them between the courses. First the water must be poured over the hands beginning at the tips of the fingers and running right up to the wrist. Then the palm of each hand must be cleansed by rubbing the fist of the other into it. Finally, water must again be poured over the hand, this time beginning at the wrist and running down to the fingertips. To the Pharisee, to omit the slightest detail of this rite was to sin. Jesus' comment was that, if they were as particular about cleansing their hearts as they were about washing their hands, they would be better men.

Two things stand out about the Pharisees and for these two things Jesus condemned them.

(i) They concentrated on externals. So long as the externals of religion were carried out that was all that mattered. Their hearts might be as black as hell; they might be utterly lacking in charity and even in justice; but so long as they went through the correct motions at the correct time they considered themselves good in the eyes of God.

We may be regular in our church attendance; we may be diligent students of our Bible; we may be generous givers to the church; but if in our hearts there are thoughts of pride and of contempt, if we have no charity in our dealings with our fellow men in the life of the everyday, if we are unjust to our subordinates or dishonest to our employer, we are not Christians. Nobody is a Christian when s/he meticulously observes the conventions of religion and forgets the realities of the Christian life.

(ii) They concentrated on details. Compared with love and kindness, justice and generosity, the washing of hands and the giving of tithes with mathematical accuracy are unimportant details. How often church meetings and church people get lost in totally unimportant details of church government and administration, and even argue and fight about them, and forget the great realities of the Christian life!