Luke 11:37-41

Luke 11:37-41 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Mark 7:1-4 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with 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 tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

The ritual washing of hands remains an important ceremony in most religious people's lives. While people may not practice ritualistic hand washing, they often follow certain traditions and beliefs to please God, to attain right standing with him. Even the most religious people among us sometimes have this problem. Placing rituals or ceremonies in front of salvation by grace creates a dangerous precedent, for it can lead to a cold heart and indifferent ways. The Pharisees were cold and indifferent, yet they were champions in following ceremonies and rituals. They were excessively religious in their outward demeanor and service to God, but their hearts were far from him. In the above passage, Jesus told the Pharisee, if you are trying to please God, it would be more fitting for you to give the food in these dishes to the poor rather than performing religious rituals.

Even today, some Christian people who know the Word and attend church every week rail against giving welfare to the poor or providing health care to them. We have people who look holy, who act outwardly holy, but their lives are full of self and personal gain. Religious activity amounts to nothing if our hearts are not changed. If we don't love the down-and-out, the sick, the widows, the orphans, the poor, the aliens, our hearts are not in the right place. If we don't have tears, prayers, and help for the troubled, our hearts are hardened. If our prayers are not for the ones Jesus came to minister to (The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the POOR), we do not understand the Father. Yes, we can put on gowns of righteousness, we can parade to church every week, and our politics might please us, but if our hearts are not tender toward the people God loves, our hearts are not in the right place.

Accepting Jesus Christ as Savior should change us. If we still think as the world, if we still look out first for NUMBER ONE, we should wonder if we have fallen into the Pharisees' camp. The world will ALWAYS look out for self before others. Worldly Christians will be religious in nature, but not in heart. Salvation by grace transforms, changing a person's attitude. Why do we look out for the poor? Because we were poor once, we were aliens, but Jesus came for us. He came to give us a permanent home and spiritual food; He came to sustain life, eternal life. We are not greater than our Master; consequently, we should look out for the poor, the alien, the down-and-out. We should seek good for the helpless, the lost. Jesus gave grace, not judgment. We should do likewise and not use religion as a substitute for godly actions. Christians received what we did not deserve: God's mercy and grace. Therefore, we give the same mercy and grace to an undeserving world. Yes, the Pharisee condemned Jesus for not following a ritual, but Jesus knew the Pharisee's heart, and it definitely was not RIGHT WITH GOD. Let our hearts be right with God as instruments of his love, people whose deeds show God's goodness to all.