Clean hearts or hands?

Jesus, help me worry about how I act more than how I look! Amen.

Some people saw that Jesus' followers weren't obeying one of their laws: They didn't wash their hands before they ate. "Why not obey the law?" the people asked. Jesus answered, "You've made laws out of habits. Those laws didn't come from God." Having dirty hands wouldn't hurt, Jesus added: "What hurts people doesn't come from the outside, but from inside their hearts, where they sin."

There's nothing like a cold shower or bath on a hot day to make you feel better! Even jumping into a pool or swimming at the beach cools you off and makes you feel cleaner and more comfortable.

An extra bath or shower might feel great, but you don't have to take one. After all, people in poor countries might go days without a bath, because their water isn't clean or there isn't enough.

Jesus reminds us of just that in this week's Gospel (Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23). Baths are great, He says -- but they're not a commandment from God!

The people in Jesus' time didn't have showers. They lived in the desert, so they didn't get to wash up as often as people do today. That meant they got pretty dirty between baths!

But then they decided that it would be against the law to eat without washing their hands first. They even thought God would be angry with them if they didn't, that it was a sin.

Jesus corrected them. Like you, He knew that washing is a good idea; you don't want to get dirt in your food and being clean can help you stay healthy. But God cares a lot more about treating each other well than about washing your hands.

Jesus wanted people to be happy and comfortable; and if washing up helped, that was fine. But as Jesus added, baths are a habit, not a law.

God wants more clean hearts in the world than clean hands!