Washing UP

It's about holiness and boundaries.

The Ritual: Netilat Yadayim — Washing up to the Elbow

1. What Luke says — Greek is very specific

Lucas 11:38: "hoti ou pro ebaptisthe" — he did not baptize himself before dinner.

Luke uses baptizo — not nipto (to wash hands casually). Baptizo is immersion, ritual bath. And Mark's parallel tells us the detail Luke omits:

Mark 7:3-4: "The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands up to the elbow (pygme), holding to the tradition of the elders."

Pygme literally means fist or elbow. Mishnah explains: you pour water from fist to elbow, so water flows down and impurity falls off.

So it's not "wash hands" — it's a liturgical act.

2. Where did it come from? It's NOT in the Torah

In Torah, only priests must wash before offering sacrifice (Exodus 30:19-21). Lay people have no command to wash before ordinary meal.

The Pharisees took priestly holiness and applied it to every Jew at every meal — because they believed Israel must be a kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6) and every table is an altar. Beautiful idea, but became burden.

This is called "Tradition of the Elders" — paradosis ton presbyteron — oral law later written in Mishnah.

3. How it was actually done — Mishnah Yadayim 1-2

• You need at least 1.5 eggshells of water — about 1/4 cup
• Water poured from a special two-handled cup — first pour on right hand, fingers up, water must run down to elbow and drip off elbow — because impurity flows down
• Then left hand same
• Then second pour again, fingers down this time, to wash off the water that became impure
• If you touched your elbow after washing, you're impure again
• If water didn't reach elbow, invalid

It's elaborate. That's why Pharisee was amazed Jesus skipped it. In his eyes, Jesus ate with impure hands — like a priest entering Holy of Holies without washing. Scandalous.

4. Why Jesus deliberately skipped it — Prophetic action

Jesus never does anything by accident. He is not unhygienic. He is doing what prophets did — a symbolic act.

Isaiah walked naked. Jeremiah broke a pot. Jesus skips ritual washing to say:

"You think impurity comes from outside — from marketplace, from unwashed hands, from touching Gentiles. I tell you impurity comes from inside — from harpage kai poneria — greed and wickedness that you keep inside your cup."

This is the heart of Luke 11:39-41 and connects to your earlier topic on Old Testament:

• Leviticus says clean/unclean is external
• Jesus says: He who made outside made inside also. God cares for inside.
• He does not abolish purity — He relocates it: from hands to heart, from water to alms — zidqah — mercy.

5. How to preach it 

Use Filipino hugas parallel:

Sa atin, pag may handaan, naghuhugas tayo ng kamay sa palanggana sa labas. Maganda — sign na welcome ka, malinis ka. Pero kung naghugas ka ng kamay, pero may galit ka sa kasama mo sa mesa — malinis ka ba talaga?

The Pharisee invited Jesus to table but his heart was not welcoming — he was judging. So his hands were clean, his table fellowship was dirty.

The elbow washing was meant to remind them: "Be holy as priests." But they made it: "Look holy as priests."

6. Connection to today's Church

We still do it! We still have our pygme:

• White vestment, perfect choir, exact rubrics, but heart full of chismis after Mass
• We check if Father washed hands at Offertory — "Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas" — but we forget the prayer means "I will wash my hands in innocence" — innocence, not just water.

Jesus's solution: "Give what is inside as alms." In Aramaic, zabed — interior alms — give away the greed inside. That's the true washing up to elbow — letting mercy drip down from heart to hands.

For your handout, you can cite:

• Mark 7:3-4 and Mishnah Yadayim 2:1
• Exodus 30:19-21 — priestly origin
• Luke 11:40 — "Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?" — echoes Genesis 1, God Creator of whole person

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