Psalm 51: 10-12; Matthew 18: 1-7
There are certain things about humanity that I simply don’t understand. In most restaurants and food service places, there is a sign next to the restroom sink that says, “Employees must wash hands before returning to work.” And I’m sorry, but who is not washing their hands after using the bathroom? Now I get it some bathroom sinks may not look appealing, but most restaurant bathrooms are properly maintained. In 2026 with all we know, all we have access to in our phones, why are we telling adults, ADULTS! to wash their hands?
Growing up, we often heard the phrase, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” That idea was instilled in me, and I continue working hard to make sure the spaces I occupy are clean. My grandmother was a cleaning fanatic. She did a deep clean of the bathroom one time with an old school ammonia cleaner. Then for good measure she bleached the bathtub. Shortly thereafter, she went to the emergency room because if you mix Clorox and ammonia, you get a gas chamber.
It is no surprise that the Psalmist uses this same word… “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” This Psalm stands out for the very heaven lament and guilt that run throughout it. It is a Psalm that acknowledges the shortcomings of the Psalmist and the power of God to restore even in the midst of living with those shortcomings. When the Psalmist says “create,” it acknowledges the power of God because the word for create refers only to work that God can do. The transformation of heart and mind sought in this Psalm is something God does within us, not something we can figure out how to do on our own.
Now, often, the Old Testament depictions of God are less than gentle and loving as the New Testament ones. But the Psalms give us a deep insight into the loving, grace-filled nature of God to those who may not have deserved it. When the Psalmist asks for God to save him, it is both from the literal dangers of the world around him, but it also means in a more faith-based sense. Saved means being restored to conditions which make abundant life possible.
That is what we talk about in Jesus—the one who brings life, hope, grace, and restoration. But God in the Psalms is also a God of restoration. Though we sometimes read of God being punishing and harsh in dealing with humanity’s faults, the fundamental nature of God is geared toward restoration, rehabilitation, and recreation. That is what the Psalmist speaks of: creating a clean heart, rehabilitating the spirit towards God, and restoring the joy of life from a place of wrong and despair.
The whole work of faith is about cleansing away the things that guilt and burden us and restoring or recreating our hearts and minds in the love of Jesus. That restoration is both in relation to God, but also in mission to the world. It is impossible to love God and not love people. It is impossible to love God and not see God in all of humanity. The clean heart in a follower of Jesus sees others as people who also need God and not in any other belittling or demeaning way. If we become distracted by how somebody is, how they act, how they live, what they look like, then we will forget our ultimate call of showing what the grace and love of Jesus is truly like for them.
So, what does it mean to live with a clean heart and right spirit? In our Gospel lesson, the disciples are wrangling over who would have the greatest position in the kingdom of heaven. One commentator, in a very snippy way, said, “Not only were they asking about rank in the Kingdom of Heaven, they presupposed they were even in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus was not about to tolerate this behavior.
Jesus tells them to become like children. To us, this isn’t so shocking. But in a first century society, children were regarded as inferior beings, lacking rights, lacking in status. They were seen as property instead of individual humans with rights and privileges. Telling the disciples to become as children was shocking. It was a call on them to humble themselves, to give up their pretension of importance, to give up their independence and self-reliance.
Cleansing your heart and becoming as children actually go very well together. As children, the disciples had no abilities on their own apart from God in their lives. When we cleanse ourselves literally, we rely on the soap to do the work. When we cleanse ourselves spiritually, we have to rely on God to do the work. And yet in this, there is a blessing. My friend said the worst thing that ever happened to her was becoming an adult. Her fondest memories of childhood were not paying bills and having energy.
We are constantly bombarded every day with responsibilities, health issues, work, managing bills, managing a home, figuring out enough technology to use a phone or some other general thing. And for some of us, we have the existential dread of what fresh nightmare tomorrow may bring because we are constantly in a triage mode.
As simple as it sounds, to rely on God in life and give over our struggles to God is freeing and encouraging. Even for a person who likes to be in control of things, sometimes, turning troubles over to God can be liberating and cleansing. We talk about restoration in terms of salvation and grace, but sometimes restoration is just a reset on your day. After a particularly hard day, sometimes you need to come home, eat some cheese and chocolate, clear the clutter, bad news, and troubles from your mind, and simply rest. That is also soul-cleansing. That is also restoration of our hearts, minds, and lives.
But I believe Jesus means more for us than just the context of children’s status in society in first century Judea. What characteristics define being childlike? Children are inquisitive. They ask about everything, and they explore everything. Children tend to be trusting—making friends easily and forming quick bonds to trustworthy adults. Children are intuitive and vulnerable. They often can read your mood and work to make you feel better if you seem down.
A cleansed heart means we trust in God and rely on God. The disciples wanted to be greatest in the kingdom, but for Jesus, the greatest is the least. The expectation for us is to trust, to continue to grow and learn and develop in our faith, and to be sensitive to those in need of love and care around us. A cleansed heart and right spirit doesn’t have time for foolishness because it is always focused on God and the next step in the journey with God.
Comedian John Crist has a joking song about checking your heart. In it, he lists a number of things that show you need to check your heart, to include: showing up late to practice with the worship team every single time, illegally driving in the HOV lane, rolling through a stop sign, disappearing on someone you’ve dated, being in appropriate with someone who doesn’t want the advance, giving up on your daily Bible reading, being enslaved to social media, and very oddly specific, having gin and tonic in a Sonic cup. The point is that a right spirit, and cleansed heart, and restored soul are found in the little things we do that can create big problems.
Germs are also small. But if we never wash them away, they can create big problems in our lives. When President James Garfield was shot by an assassin, it was not the bullet that ended his life, but the infection from contact with unclean hands on the wound. Little cheats can add up quickly to big problems. That is why we correct children’s bad behaviors. That is why we wash hands. And that is why we check our hearts and keep seeking God.
I don’t know how to tell a fully grown adult that they need to wash their hands. I thought that was something we all just generally learned and agreed on. But as my grandmother said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” So then, let us trust in God to cleans our hearts, give us right spirits, and restore us to the joy of salvation in God. Create in me a clean heart, O God, that seeks after you. Thanks be to God for the work God does in our lives.
Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1606782187464403/