September 1, Ordinary 22B (Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23)

I get paid to work out. It’s a pretty sweet gig. My side hustle is as a fitness instructor because, since I am at the gym so much, I might as well get paid to be there. One thing I have learned as an instructor is that although we can isolate certain muscle groups, we cannot work just one muscle at a time. As we complete a bicep curl, we are also using the tricep, shoulder, deltoid, back, core, and a whole lot of other muscles. We may be lifting with the arm, but many other muscles work to make that arm lift. I once heard it said that if we could isolate just one muscle group, then we would all have chiseled jaws thanks to chewing gum! Contrary to popular belief, the strongest muscle in the human body is not the tongue but rather the masseter, which moves the jaw.

In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus calls out a group of Pharisees and scribes who are concerned about religious rules around handwashing. According to Jesus, the larger danger is internal, not external. Physical trauma heals, scars fade, and the pain of a physical injury eventually dissipates. The scars of an emotional trauma, of painful words and slanderous verbal abuse, can be life altering.

But why is Jesus calling out these religious leaders when they are simply being attentive to religious law?