One time Jesus skipped the ceremonial hand washing before he ate. The Pharisees took notice of his omission and were about to criticize him when he took preemptive action, giving them teaching about six woes:
- Tithing, but neglecting justice and God’s love (v 42)
- Loving others to be noticed and respected (v 43)
- Being like unmarked graves—an unseen danger (v 44)
- Making unrealistic demands of others (that they don’t do) and not helping out (v 46)
- Implicitly honoring the sins of their ancestors (v 47-51)
- Hiding the truth from people—and missing it themselves (v 52)
When considering these six woes, ceremonial hand washing isn’t a big deal.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:37-54.]
Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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