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                Purity Hand Washing and inner Cleanness

Matthew 15:1 15 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

The question about how to remain pure while living in a sinful world is an important issue, but the bottom line issue here was ‘Who has authority to set the rules about how to interpret The Law.’

The Pharisees were always setting more boundaries around The Law. Do this not that… This was not a new idea. Moses was given The First Two Commandments from The Mouth of God directly to The People. This was so awesome and terrible, The People told Moses to go up and talk with The Lord. Moses listened then brought down The Ten Commandments, and he also expanded on those 10 words until 613 laws existed…. So the basic question is, how to remain pure? Jesus gave us a rather long answer to this basic question.

“3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

The Law seems so complex as times, and one idea seems to lead in one way but another idea leads another way. “God is not the author of confusion.” The Law needs some interpretation at times. So we listen to Jesus as He explains a principle. How to remain pure….

One thing we must not do is to cancel out A Law by some tradition even from high up religious leaders.  O, O… Over the last 2,000 years we have picked up a lot of traditions maybe…. Let’s be careful in that area not to be defiled….

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Jesus talked to ‘the multitude’ and finally to His Disciples about this idea of ‘Purity.’ Peter asked about this and called it a ‘parable.’ Jesus told Peter it was the heart not the food that we must be most concerned about…. Later in Acts 10, Peter would see a vision about eating clean and unclean foods. Peter would be the First Disciple to be sent to The Gentiles to preach Salvation in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit came down into The Gentiles though they did not observe Kosher Eating Habits….

Yes, I eat in the Kosher manner according to The Law of Moses, most of the time, because it is clean and written from God. But there is a higher law of fellowship and mercy. James 5 and many other scriptures provide for healing and forgiveness from sin…. We must remember “By His stripes, we were healed.”