Have you washed your hands?

Last time we asked if it was okay to misunderstand things, to accept that we don't know it all, and maybe to end up with different interpretations and traditions. This week we seem to be continuing the theme, with Jesus' followers accused of not following the right traditions. But perhaps it's more important to follow the one the traditions were meant to lead us to...

(45) What Are Our Traditions?

Jesus fed the 5,000, sailed (or walked) across the water, healed lots of people, taught in fields and synagogues about the bread of life, and annoyed the authorities. Matthew and Mark continue the story with scribes and Pharisees coming from Jerusalem to question him.

Read Matthew 15:1-2, Mark 7:1-5 Do you wash your hands before you eat? Why?

1.       Why doesn’t Matthew explain about ritual washing?

2.       Does this passage mean other nations didn’t wash their hands?

3.       Do we have “rituals” that separate us from other people—things that Christians do or don’t do to stay “pure”?

Read Matthew 15:3-6, Mark 7:9-13 Jewish tradition had developed a loophole when it defined how things could be dedicated to God. Are there Christian loopholes?

1.       What is our first reaction when we’re accused of wrongdoing?

2.       What was Jesus’ reaction? Did Jesus deny that his disciples were sometimes breaking with tradition?

3.       Read 1 Samuel 1:26-28 How does the dedication of Samuel compare to “corban”?

4.       Jesus is about to call the Pharisees hypocrites. What matters more – wrongdoing or hypocrisy?

5.       In Jewish literature (written in Greek!) a hypocrite was defined to be a godless person who substituted human standards and desires for God’s command. Who might be guilty of that today?

6.       Jesus said we should “Love God,” and “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” Are there Christian loopholes?

Read Matthew 15:7-9, Mark 7:6-8, Isaiah 29:13-16

1.       The Pharisees knew their scriptures well. Does reading the rest of Isaiah’s passage help our understanding?

2.       Can you paraphrase what Jesus (and Isaiah) is saying to them? To us?

3.       Why do you think Mark goes on to mention “many other things”(Verse 13) and Matthew doesn’t?

Read Matthew 15:10, Mark 7:14-16

1.       Many Christian traditions restrict what we take in—movies, television, computer games, books, clothing, dance, language… How does this verse apply?

2.       How do you restrict what you take in, and why? What about what your children take in? And why?

Read Matthew 15:12-14

1.       Everyone believed the Pharisees were special to God. How would this shock Jesus’ listeners?

2.       Who might be today’s blind leading the blind? (Read Luke 6:39-40)

Read Matthew 15:15-20, Mark 7:17-23

1.       What is the same/different between the two lists?

2.       Can you collect the “sins” together to match up the lists?

3.       How do these lists compare with the Ten Commandments?

4.       Non-Christians and fringe Christians often see established Christians as having lots of rules. How can we avoid making the same mistakes as the Pharisees?

5.       What might be modern equivalents of the Pharisees quibbling over eating with unwashed hands?