Washed hands or a clean heart?

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.3) 5 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 hands?” 6 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;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Mark 7:1-23

Which would be worse? Going out in public with a ketchup stain on your favorite dress shirt or looking fabulous but having a heart that is full of bitterness, lust, pride, envy, and all things ugly? Be honest. Would you leave the house with a stain on a white dress shirt? I wouldn’t and I am not a snappy dresser. I don't want people to think I am a slob. Yet, we don’t think twice about going out in public with the evilest of thoughts. It’s not hard to understand why. As long as you look good, no one needs to know about our filthy hearts.

Jesus called people like this hypocrites—pretenders. The Pharisees were experts at looking good without being good. What mattered most was appearance. “Wash your hands, go to synagogue, don’t do this, and make sure you do that. Make sure the outer man looks righteous.” But Jesus looked through the surface and examined their hearts.

6 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; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ Mark 7:6-7

Hypocrisy is far from dead—each of us can look good without being good. But Jesus tells us this leads to worshiping in vain. Let Jesus examine your heart. There is nothing wrong with washing hands and making sure your clothes are clean but don’t neglect the matters of your heart–they are of eternal importance.