“Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the traditions of the elders.” Mark 7:2-3
The Pharisees were highly “religious people.” They tried their best to follow the letter of the Law. The Rabbis would give their opinions of what “the Law” meant and how to apply it and the Pharisees would do that too. In this passage it had to do with HOW the disciples did not follow the Rabbinical traditions on hand washing.
One tradition that remains til today is this washing of the hands. In Israel, the public restrooms near Temple Mount, have little pots chained to the faucet. One must NOT use the faucet to wash his hands, but must first fill the pot with water. The water is then “poured over the hands” one at a time. This action is repeated three times.
The question here is not about hygiene but keeping the traditions. Notice the Pharisees “found fault” with the disciples. The fault was not biblical but a man-made tradition.
Beloved, it is easy to find fault in others. The question is what was the violation? Did a person offend God’s law or did they offend my opinion? Beloved, let’s not look for faults in others, but rather strive to be loving and gracious to all.
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