Introduction
In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus instructs us to differentiate between human traditions and the commandments of God (see, for example, Mark 7:1-13). Specifically, Mark 7:2-4 refers to the tradition of washing hands, a practice held in Jewish rituals. Nowadays, we wash our hands with water because we use the knowledge that God has given us to be clean before eating. However, in the past, it was taught by the elders as a specific way to wash their hands, and this method of washing hands was regarded as a commandment of God. The Lord Jesus came to abolish such traditions. The washing of hands, which the Pharisees and scribes observed, is clearly a tradition of men. There has never been any such order from God, but men put their own words as God’s word, which is wrong; it is not what God wants. Cleaning hands is good, but putting it as God’s commandment, the principle was wrong; it cannot be accepted. Science teaches people to be clean, but the old Jewish tradition teaches people to clean their hands by using God to command, and that is the wrong point of doing it. Science comes and looks at the word “defiled” and concludes that the old way of washing hands is wrong. The old way of cleansing oneself from defilement is not wrong, but putting the way of washing as God’s commandment is wrong; the way of washing, the Lord does not pick on that. In the Bible, many passages discuss washing the entire body and changing one’s garments. In that context, the Bible does not teach washing hands to clean off germs, but rather to cleanse oneself from the unclean things that the person has associated with, not to be cleansed from sins; there, the Bible is more concerned with association with unclean things. In the old times, by tradition, they took washing their hands as a sign of being cut off from that moment on. Specifically, when you wash your hands, it cuts off from that moment what you will do after washing your hands, which is what will be counted for. However, if you research the tradition of washing and its origins, you will see why it should no longer be used: the Lord who has cleansed all has come down to Earth.
In Matthew chapter 27, we see the account of how the Jews and Romans condemned our Lord Jesus to be crucified. Notably, the governor of that time attempted to show his innocence by washing his hands publicly (Matthew 27:24). This raises an important question: Can a person be cleansed from their sins simply by washing their hands or body with water? It is essential to recognize that there is a physical world and a spiritual world; we are made up of body, spirit, and soul. While washing the body can cleanse physical dirt and germs, the sins of the soul cannot be cleansed simply in the same scientific way as washing the body.
The Sins Cannot Be Washed Away Simply by Washing with Water
Matthew chapter 27 presents to the whole world the trial of the Lord Jesus, His suffering, His crucifixion on Golgotha, His death on the cross, and His burial in the tomb. We are all sinners in God’s eyes, as we are born of sinful flesh, and we all need repentance (Romans 3:23). The Lord Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, including mine and yours. However, just washing our bodies with water, whether scientifically or traditionally, cannot cleanse anyone from their sins. The governor’s grave actions during the trial of the Lord Jesus—ordering Him to be flogged, mocking Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head and dressing Him in a purple robe, and ultimately handing Him over for crucifixion despite finding no guilt in Him—could not simply be washed away by the act of washing his hands. We encourage all readers to read the entire chapter of Matthew 27 and reflect on the comments we have included alongside the verses. In this section, we will focus on specific verses related to cleansing from guilt: Matthew 27:21-24.
Matthew 27:21 But answering, the governor said to them, Which of the two do you want to release to you? And they said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate says to them, What then should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all say, Let be crucified.
Comments Matthew 27:22. This verse shows human nature. That is the way of the multitude; when one says yes, all will follow. Then and now, there is no difference. A multitude just needs a leader, regardless of right or wrong (see Matthew 27:20). The multitude doesn’t care about right or wrong but just wants to follow blindly.
23 And he said, Why, what evil did He commit? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let be crucified.
Comments Matthew 27:23. The governor knew that there was nothing wrong with what the Lord Jesus did, but he did not make the decision to let the Lord go; instead, he made people demand it. You have the power, but by doing it this way, the blame does not go to the governor because he is not the one to ask for the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus; the multitude takes the blame for the leader (in people’s eyes). But the Lord sees the hearts; the mob has no brain, and they are just following, but the governor, the chief priests, and the elders are the ones who are guilty in the Lord’s eyes. Because the Lord has placed them as leaders, the responsibility for right or wrong falls on the leaders; the people simply follow the leaders without thinking.
24 Now Pilate having seen that it profited nothing, but rather a tumult was arising, having taken water, he washed the hands before the multitude, saying, I am guiltless of His blood; see you to it.
Comments Matthew 27:24. In this verse, the governor, whom the Lord has put in charge of leading people, ignored the duty the Lord had given him. He wants to blame the children, but all the sin and guilt are on him as well, whom the Lord had given the duty to be a ruler. By washing his hands, he cleans the dirt, but who gave him the job? Selfish people only do that, but he, as a leader, is also to be blamed. The Lord put him in the position to rule people; what people did was his fault as well; whether he washed his hands or not, that meant nothing towards being clean. Pilate put guilt on people, but he was the leader, and by washing his hands, he would not clean his sin. Think about it this way: if you wash the mud off your hands and claim you are clean, you may be clean at the surface, but remain dirty inside.
Conclusions
Meditating on the Jewish tradition of washing hands, one might ask why the Lord commanded in the Old Testament to wash for cleansing from unclean things, and whether this act of cleansing is equivalent to the cleansing of one’s sins. We can understand from the Old Testament that the Lord wanted His people to be cleansed from touching unclean things. Because when a person has touched unclean things, it is more like creating a space between themselves and the Lord. If the Lord comes close to that person, that person can perish if that person is unclean. The Lord has created water for a purpose, not just for drinking alone, but also for washing to be clean from all things.
However, the washing method of cleansing from unclean things, or the scientific washing with water to remove dirt and germs, does not purify our souls of the sins we commit. The Holy Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, was crucified as the ultimate sacrificial Holy Lamb for the sins of the world, and His shed blood on the cross is the only way to cleanse us from all our sins. His blood was shed on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the whole world, and faith that His blood and water were poured out of His body on the cross for the sins of the world is the only way to cleanse our souls of sins (see Comments John 19:34).
The Lord Jesus after His bodily resurrection out of the dead commanded us in His Word to repent from all of our sins, and by faith in Him and in His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world to go and be baptized in water in the name of the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—and then we shall be cleansed from all our sins (see Matthew 28:19-20, John 8:23-24, Acts 22:16). The baptism in water is a commandment of faith in the Trinity of God from the Lord Jesus Himself for all His followers. Faith in the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—and our belief that the Lord Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man, and that He shed His blood on the cross for the sins of the world, He died on the cross, was buried and rose again in the body on the third day, expressed publicly through our baptism in water by full immersion, are what can cleanse our souls from all the sins we have committed. That is why all believers in the Lord Jesus must undergo water baptism; the water plays a significant role here, as it represents cleansing. Water flows out, and new water comes in, bringing cleansing even to nature itself.
Meditation Tasks
- We invite all readers to reflect on their sinful condition and consider following the commandment of water baptism in the name of the Trinity of God, as commanded by our Lord Jesus. Additionally, we encourage everyone to explore our articles, “Water baptism for a Christian” and “Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian.”
- We encourage all readers to reflect on the topic of body, soul, and spirit by consulting our article titled “Body, Soul, and Spirit: A Biblical Perspective.”