79. A Walk With Jesus (Clean Hands)

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled (unwashed) hands?" Mark 7:5-6a

The Pharisees had a way of seeing all the short-comings in every person, especially those like Jesus. Pointing out all the small details of how a person is not living up to par; especially in the sense of traditions. A characteristic of all legalistic people is a judgemental attitude. Grace is not in their vocabulary, it simply cannot be grasped, understood, or appreciated by anyone who has not accepted and experienced it.

And He said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

"This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." 7:6b-7

It will be a tragedy for all religious phonies on the day they meet Christ, to hear these words that their good deeds were not enough. Faith alone... Grace alone... Christ alone, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Let it be understood that the clean hands spoken of earlier were a far cry from the mouth of David spoken nearly a thousand years before saying, Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...(Psalm 24) Clean hands are outward, practical holiness. Being set apart from the ways of our world system and submitting to God's ways of living: Holiness. Do not fulfill the desires of the flesh by living as an enemy of the Cross. Friends, we cannot be the light of this world if we are loving the darkness. Be careful to guard yourself against grace that promotes sinfulness and tests God's patients; grace that does not liberate us from Sin is by no means grace at all.

Father i pray that we would be a people who would live out the little faith we have, submitted to Your authority in love for the mercy You have shown Your people. Not hypocrisy but authenticity; not faith by works but faith that works; no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. Yes these are cliches i know, but we must not turn from the things You have already taught us. We rely on You and Your righteousness for clean hands, please reveal to us the practicality of Your truths through Your holy Scriptures and may Your people respond with obedience.