Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. Jesus is at it again with the Pharisees! Jesus had accepted an invitation to dinner at a house of a Pharisee. And when dinner was served, the host saw that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing ritual before partaking in a meal. It would be incorrect to assume that Jesus jumped right in and started eating without washing his hands. What might have happened is that Jesus, perhaps not used to the Pharisaic thorough cleansing ritual before meals (which included the washing of the entire arm and even at times the feet), only washed his hands. When the host pointed out Jesus’ “serious” breach, Jesus decided to respond in kind. He too pointed out where the Pharisees were failing.
While Jesus was not against the washing of hands and feet before meals, he was against the over-emphasis that was placed on such traditions while more relevant issues (such as charity and kindness) were ignored. Jesus was concerned that the emphasis of the religious system was more personal than relational. To Jesus’ host and others like him, it was okay for an individual to observe the washing rituals while at the same time harboring hatred in one’s heart. It didn’t matter that one cared less about the welfare of his/her brothers and sisters as long as one kept him/herself from external blemishes. It would have been okay if the same amount energy employed in observing the customary external rituals was also extended to helping the unfortunate members of the community. It is safe to assume that Jesus would not have had any issues with the Pharisaic emphasis on ritual cleanness if they emphasized in the same measure God’s command to love one’s neighbor as oneself.