Leviticus 15:11 (ESV)
11 Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
Mark 7:1-4 (ESV)
Traditions and Commandments
7 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)
We learned in last Sunday’s sermon that many pious Jews in the time of Jesus were obsessed with washing themselves. As Mark 7 explains, they were constantly trying to wash their sin off of themselves. This was all based on a single verse of the Old Testament, Leviticus 15:11. The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus’ disciples didn’t do this. They knew that only God can wash sin away, and they were trusting that the blood of Jesus would cleanse them. What pointless things are you doing, to try to hide or disguise the things you are ashamed or guilty of? Take them to Jesus