Dirty Hands

The nuns always told us to wash our hands.  Dirty hands were unacceptable.  Why? Jesus did not mind dirty hands.  What were those first disciples doing when Jesus called them to "come follow me?"  They were cleaning their nets.  They had just finished handling dead fish.  Not only did they have dirty hands, but their working class dirty hands made them ritually defiled.  They were simply outside the law, kind of low life, or you might say working class trash, if you were an uppity temple priest.  Jesus did not say, "Wash your hands first and then come follow me."  He invited them to come as they were, imperfect and all.  So the next time some Catholic school teacher or Christian parent says dirty hands are unacceptable, just pull one of those WWJD (What would Jesus do).  Don't tell them I said this.  It will get me in hot water and wrath.  How you look is of little importance to Jesus.