7:1-4
We now have a confrontation with the religious leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees, one in which Jesus goes on the attack, highlighting the hypocrisy of their actions. Those who stick to Biblical teaching today are often attacked by the world, and even by the sin-affirming parts of the “church”. Sometimes we too should go on the attack, rather than being defensive.
The Pharisees had come from Jerusalem. They were getting worried about Jesus and wanted to do something to put a stop to Him. They saw His disciples ate with unwashed hands. This was not a matter of personal hygiene, but of ritual cleanliness. These rules were not part of the Law, but were introduced after during the diaspora. During the dispersion the Jews were spread about all sorts of cultures. They wanted to maintain faithfulness to God and to maintain their Jewish identity. After going through the market there was a great risk that they would have touched something unclean, eg something connected with idol worship. Hence the rules on washing.So there was something of a good motive behind this practice, but as we will see later, the thinking was deeply flawed.
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