People convinced that they were upright slandered Jesus—for setting people free from conditions caused by evil! Yet they fixated on washing for ritual purity (not for hygiene—remember, no one knew about germs in their day). Jesus strongly disputed their sense that outward rituals matter more than inner candor and openness. He was kind, but not a doormat, and he bluntly challenged their claims to have a corner on righteousness.

• Sometimes our efforts to "clean up our life" don’t work out, Jesus said in verses 24-26. It doesn’t help much just to clear out the bad, to give up hurtful habits. What are some positive ways you have learned to allow God to fill your soul with divine purpose and love? Verses 34-35 urged us to examine how well our eyes—not just physical, but spiritual—are working. Jesus’ enemies blinded themselves spiritually by refusing to consider any evidence that didn’t fit what they wanted to be true. In what ways has God brought new light to your mind, to your ways of thinking, over the last year?