28. Hand-washing and the Pharisees (Mark 6:53 - 7:8)

As Jesus prepared to launch a mission into the world of the Gentiles, he was confronted by the Pharisees, who challenged the practice of his disciples with respect to hand-washing rituals. While no one questioned the general value of washing before eating, the Pharisees had brought the practice to an entirely new level of ceremonial and religious complexity, and sought to entangle Jesus in the inter-mural debate that had raged in their circles for years. Jesus, however, would not be drawn in, and offered an entirely new perspective on the character of true religious practice.