Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 38

Luke 11:37-41, "And he [Jesus] went in and sat down to meat, and when the Pharisees saw it, they marvelled that he [Jesus] had not first washed before dinner." To this expression of purpose Jesus responded, "Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have, and behold all things are clean unto you."

These arguments are merely quoted here, to show how illogical some of the replies are, which are put into the mouth of the assumed Son of God.

The negligent, and those who are indifferent to cleanliness, might screen themselves under such dicta; plain sense, however, would have suggested an answer of a different character. Other sayings of similar inconsistency in the replies of Jesus are recorded in the book of Matthew. 

This is similar to the passage in Matthew, where the disciples of Jesus were accused of eating with unwashed hands. Remember that this is not hygienic handwashing, but the ritual handwashing required of priests before eating bread. The Pharisees expanded this law as an anti-assimilation measure. It was also part of the Pharisees' agenda to bring equality to the classes of Israel, which is why they were so popular with the masses.

So, for these two reasons, the Pharisees performed the ritual handwashing that had previously been reserved only for the priests. This is why Judaism today has handwashing before eating bread. It is also why the rabbis pour salt over the bread at the table. The table is supposed to represent the altar, and the bread is supposed to represent a sacrifice. Again, part of the Pharisaic program of bringing priestly duties into the home of the ordinary Jews.

Jesus simply pointed out that many of the Pharisees were following their religious duties to an extreme extent while exploiting others behind their backs. This kind of hypocrisy happens today, for example, pedophilia is frighteningly common in Hasidic communities today. Christopher Ketchum writes:

On a visit to Jerusalem in 2005, Rabbi Rosenberg entered into a mikvah in one of the holiest neighborhoods in the city, Mea She’arim. “I opened a door that entered into a schvitz,” he told me. “Vapors everywhere, I can barely see. My eyes adjust, and I see an old man, my age, long white beard, a holy-looking man, sitting in the vapors. On his lap, facing away from him, is a boy, maybe seven years old. And the old man is having anal sex with this boy.”

Rabbi Rosenberg paused, gathered himself, and went on: “This boy was speared on the man like an animal, like a pig, and the boy was saying nothing. But on his face—fear. The old man [looked at me] without any fear, as if this was common practice. He didn’t stop. I was so angry, I confronted him. He removed the boy from his penis, and I took the boy aside. I told this man, ‘It’s a sin before God, a mishkovzucher. What are you doing to this boy’s soul? You’re destroying this boy!’ He had a sponge on a stick to clean his back, and he hit me across the face with it. ‘How dare you interrupt me!’ he said. I had heard of these things for a long time, but now I had seen.”

 The man was outwardly following the stringencies of Orthodox Judaism, but neglected the moral law of God. Jesus was rebuking this kind of behavior.