When news of what Jesus was doing in the north had reached the powers that be in Jerusalem, representatives were sent from the capital. Once they were on the scene they asked Jesus what they considered crucial questions regarding religious observance: hand washing (Matthew 15:1-9).

Ritual hand washing was not a law from Scripture. It was a man-made tradition, but where did it come from?

Christ clearly taught that the proof of the heart is what comes out of the mouth—through words and deeds.

God’s law categorizes a number of things as “unclean”: dead bodies, various types of animals, menstruating women, gentile idol worshipers, leprosy, etc. Contact with these things made one “unclean” (examples include brushing up against them, or touching another person who himself had become unclean, so it would have been tough to avoid contamination). And if you were unclean you couldn’t go to the temple of God. This was especially important for the priests who had daily duties in the temple. Something or someone unclean could not be considered holy or used for holy purposes.

Traditions of men

Jewish religious leaders such as the Pharisees wanted to be considered extra-holy. They wanted to be like priests of the temple even though most of them were not. So they came up with elaborate rituals for washing themselves to combat uncleanness, especially at meals.

To perform these washings “properly” you had to hold your arms just so, wash the parts of your arm in a particular order, etc. The ritual was onerous, sanctimonious, unscriptural and useless. But the point was it made them look and feel special, holy, set apart from, and above others. A simple working man couldn’t stay on top of this sort of stuff; he would always be unclean. Plus these washings meant nothing to God—they did not make people more just, more caring, or more like God.

To the religious Pharisee all this ritual ceremony was real religion, and what they believed God demanded. To do these things was to please God, and to be a good man. To them ritual washing was just as important and just as binding as the Ten Commandments themselves. It was as important to wash the hands in a certain way as to obey the commandment: "Thou shalt not covet."

Notice that Jesus doesn’t debate washings with them. Instead He confronts the idea that their traditions were somehow “of God” and pleasing to Him. He shows an example of how their traditions about dedicated gifts made it possible for a greedy son to escape the express will of God as written in the Fifth Commandment, that we care for our parents (one interesting study is take some time and a look in the Corban tradition Jesus is discussing).

Stripping away traditions of men

Matthew 15:10-14—Jesus consistently taught people to go back to the truth of Scripture and question the confusing, counterproductive, man-made traditions of religion—to pull them up by the roots and destroy them. Even today the Church of God confronts traditions and un-biblical teachings that obscure and confuse humanity regarding who God is, what is He doing, how and why He is working with them to bring about something bigger and better than we could ever imagine.

Back to the spiritual principle

Matthew 15:15-20—Jesus teaches that being a righteous person, a good person, is a matter of heart and mind. A mind which loves God and expresses that love through obedience to what God has actually said, not through rituals, ideas, or doctrines we have made up ourselves. A person after God’s own heart is learning and practicing love toward neighbor—a love that begins with an understanding and keeping of the commandments. In Matthew 15:19 Jesus lists specific unclean thoughts and actions that violate commandments 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Your heart will be known by what it brings forth—the acts it leads to—not what lays deep down inside never seen and never heard.

A further expression of this understanding is bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, gentleness, loyalty, self-control, patience and perseverance. These are the qualities that make a person holy, which is the epitome of cleanness in the eyes of God.

2 Corinthians 6:17—Our need to make a distinction between clean and unclean is still operational. We can still become unclean, unfit to enter the presence of God, or used for His holy purpose if we have spiritual and ethical uncleanness in or among us. Also read Ephesians 4:17-19 and Ephesians 5:1-7.

About having a good heart

Some folks take this understanding and say something like: “What matters to God is not so much how we act, but why we act; not so much that we actually do, but what we wish in our heart of hearts to do” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume Two). A conclusion like this is foolish, misleading, and very common. But Christ clearly taught that the proof of the heart is what comes out of the mouth—through words and deeds. Also take a look at Matthew 12:33-37—He says a good tree is identified by its good fruit.

Bad behavior is not excused because of good intentions. If you really have those good intentions then you will recognize the evil, confess it before God and repent. If damage was done you will seek to restore or provide restitution. Your heart will be known by what it brings forth—the acts it leads to—not what lays deep down inside never seen and never heard.

The need to distinguish and choose between what is holy and clean, and what is evil and unclean still remains. God’s goal for you is "be holy just as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). Therefore, separate yourself from what is evil and avoid all uncleanness, and demonstrate your cleanness of heart in what you say and do.