The religious leaders in Israel in the time of Jesus were zealous in their rituals of worship: the same can be said of the main forms of Christianity down through the centuries.  Today in Matt. Ch. 15 we see how Jesus confronted the “Pharisees and scribes” [v.1] after they had confronted him!  First, they said, "Why do your disciples break ...

Today's readings.. (1 Samuel 28), (Jeremiah 4), (Matthew 15) Most people are never conscious of the need for spiritual cleanliness; the Jewish religious leaders had made quite a ritual out of material and physical cleanliness, hands in particularly had to be constantly cleansed.  In today’s chapter in Matthew we read a lesson of Jesus about this which should be familiar ...