Showers

Matthew 2

23:25 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, for you clean the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of robbery and greed.”

Clearly, Jesus isn’t talking about cups and dishes, but the condition of the scribes and the Pharisees’ bodies and hearts. They ritually cleanse their bodies but fail to ritually cleanse their hearts or minds. As a result, they’re full of corruption and greed. It’s way too easy to read this and point to our Republican leaders and 45’s administration. Instead of going for that low-hanging fruit, let’s consider how this metaphor applies to ourselves.

Most of us take showers or otherwise clean our bodies regularly. We know how to be “presentable.” We don’t often consider, at least I don’t, what a privilege it is to take a shower or a bath. What a privilege it is to be clean – on the outside. We don’t consider the many people – homeless people, poor people, people whose water has been turned off for non-payment – who do not have access to regular showers. I know I don’t think of them when I am taking a shower. I’m guessing most of us don’t. Like the scribes and Pharisees we need to clean our insides by thinking about those who don’t have access to what we have. Let those thoughts soften our hearts. Maybe we should go even further and consider why there are so many homeless or poor people in the US in the first place.

I think many ‘white’ people would be surprised to learn about – and may even resist accepting – the systemic nature of this shower divide. We might be surprised – and somewhat uncomfortable – to learn that ‘white’ people generally benefit from the oppression of those who are poor and/or whose skin is darker. It’s not intuitive that the ability of a country’s citizens to take a shower is an indication of justice, but it is. Homelessness, poverty, and the ability to take a shower regularly are all intimately connected with the racism, sexism, heteronormativity, and classism this country was built on. This corrupt and greedy mindset is at the heart of capitalism. It’s the foundation that supports rich, white men at everyone else’s expense. This is an injustice that we can fix, but we currently lack the political will to do so. As a society, we are full of corruption and greed. We need to cleanse our collective heart.

Being clean on the outside is not what makes a person clean; it is what is in their heart. If our hearts are full of hatred, greed, lust, anger, pride, or envy, we will never feel or be truly clean. As a nation or as individuals. So, today, as we wash our hands, our dishes, our homes, or our bodies, let’s consider that we must also wash our hearts and our minds. Our brains need washing too, as the saying goes.