31 Bible Verses about Ritual

Then when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed [Note: This was a set procedure required for a Jewish mother on the birth of a child. See Lev. 12:1-8], Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (It is recorded in the law of the Lord [Ex. 13:2, 12] that every firstborn male child be considered holy [i.e., specially dedicated] to the Lord.) They came to offer a sacrifice of two doves or two young pigeons, in accordance with what is written in the law of Moses.

Then a person with an infectious skin disease came to Jesus and, kneeling down before Him, begged Him, saying, "If you want to, you can heal me." [Note: Throughout this narrative the term "heal/healing" is originally "clean/cleansing" because the Jews viewed a person with such a disease as ceremonially "unclean." See Lev. 13:1-3]. And being moved with deep pity, Jesus reached out His hand, touched him and said, "I do want to; be healed." And immediately the infectious skin disease left him and he was healed.read more.
Jesus sternly warned him, sending him directly out, and saying to him, "Make sure you do not say anything to anyone. But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your healing with whatever Moses ordered [Lev. 14:1-9], as evidence to people [that you were completely healed]."

Just then a person with an infectious skin disease came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can heal me." Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man, saying, "I do want to; you are healed." And immediately his infectious skin disease was healed. Jesus said to him, "Be sure you do not tell anyone [about your healing yet]; but [first] go and show yourself to the priest and then offer the [sacrificial] gift required by the law of Moses [See Lev. 13:49; 14:2ff], as evidence to them [that you have been healed]."

And it happened while Jesus was in one of the towns [i.e., surrounding Lake Galilee], that a man covered with an infectious skin disease appeared and, when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face [to the ground] and begged Him, saying, "If you want to, you can heal me." [Note: Throughout this narrative the terms "heal/healing" are originally "clean/cleansing" because the Jews viewed a person with such a disease as ceremonially "unclean." See Lev. 13:1-3]. Then He reached out His hand and touched the man, saying, "I [do] want to; be healed." And immediately the infectious skin disease left him. Then He ordered the man not to tell anyone [about the healing], saying, "Go on your way and show yourself to the priest and offer the proper sacrifice for your healing that Moses required [Lev. 13:49; 14:2ff] as evidence to people [that you were healed]."

but to write [urging] them to avoid [eating] what is contaminated by [its association with] idol worship, from sexual immorality, from [eating] strangled animals and from [drinking] blood.

But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law of Moses to do on a Sabbath day."

And the Pharisees asked Him, "Look, why are they [i.e., Jesus' disciples] doing what is against the law of Moses on the Sabbath day?"

But certain Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is against the law of Moses on the Sabbath day?"

Now the practice of circumcision [i.e., the Jewish rite of identity, signifying the responsibility to observe the law of Moses] is worthwhile, providing you obey [the rest of] the law of Moses. But if you disobey the law, you might as well have never been circumcised.

And He replied, "Are you still unable to understand? Do you not realize that whatever enters a person's mouth goes into his stomach and [eventually] passes out into the toilet? But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from his heart. These are what [spiritually] corrupt a person.read more.
For evil thoughts, murder, extramarital affairs, sexual immorality, stealing, perjury, slander --- [all these] come from a person's heart, and are what corrupt him [spiritually]. But eating [a meal] with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not [spiritually] corrupt him."

He said to them, "Are you also as lacking in understanding [as the others]? Do you not understand that whatever enters a person's body from the outside cannot [spiritually] corrupt him? It is because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and [eventually] passes out into the toilet." By saying this He made all foods [ceremonially] acceptable. And He said, "Whatever proceeds out of a man's life is what [spiritually] corrupts him.read more.
For from within, out of people's hearts, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, extramarital affairs, greedy desires, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained indecency, envy, slander, arrogance and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within [man's heart] and [spiritually] corrupt him."

"It is too bad for you hypocritical experts in the law of Moses and [you] Pharisees! For you [carefully] wash the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they [i.e., such evil people] are full of greed and uncontrolled desire.

For that person is not a Jew who is one [merely] on the outside. And circumcision is not [merely] an outward physical ordinance. But the [true] Jew is the person who is one on the inside, and [his] circumcision is a heart condition, [produced] by the Holy Spirit and not by the written law of Moses. [Note: Some translate "Spirit" here as "spirit" and make it simply an amplification of "heart"]. This person receives his praise from God and not [merely] from people.

Being circumcised does not matter [with God], nor does being uncircumcised matter [either]. But observing God's commands is what matters.

But [eating certain] foods will not improve our relationship to God; we are neither any worse off if we do not eat [certain things], nor are we any better off if we do eat them.

These things are [only] a shadow of future things, but the body [i.e., the real substance of things] belongs to Christ. [Note: The idea here is that the ritual observances of the Mosaic law were like shadows pointing to the reality of life in Christ].

And Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath day was made for man's [benefit], and not man for the Sabbath [day's benefit]. So, the Son of man is lord [i.e., has authority] even over the Sabbath day."

In [fellowship with] Him you people were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human beings, but performed by Christ, consisting of the removal of the body of [sinful] flesh.

For the law of Moses was [only] a foreshadow of the good things that [were] to come [i.e., in the Messianic age], not the exact image of those things. It can never, by the same sacrifices, continually offered year after year, make [morally] perfect those who draw near [to God in worship]. If it could, would not those sacrifices have stopped being offered [by now], since the worshipers would have been [ceremonially] cleansed and would not have had a sense of guilt anymore? But those sacrifices were [only] a reminder of [the people's] sins year after year,

since, with foods and drinks and various [ceremonial] washings, they are only outward regulations imposed until the time when everything would be made right [i.e., under the New Agreement].

It is because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and [eventually] passes out into the toilet." By saying this He made all foods [ceremonially] acceptable.

AM], while he was wide awake, he had a vision in which an angel of God came to him [and spoke his name] "Cornelius." He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while lunch was being prepared he was overcome by a "trance" [i.e., a semi-conscious, vision-like state] and could see the sky open up and a huge sheet-like container being lowered to the ground by its four corners.read more.
It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling [reptiles] and birds. A voice then directed Peter with the words, "Get up; kill and eat [one of] them." But Peter answered, "No, Lord, I cannot. I have never eaten any such ordinary or [ceremonially] unfit creatures." So, the voice spoke again, saying, "What God has made [ceremonially] acceptable, you must not consider ordinary [and therefore defiled]."

But now that we have died to what controlled us and have been released from [the requirements of] the law of Moses [i.e., under the Gospel age], we serve [God] in a new way [directed] by the Holy Spirit [Note: Some take "Spirit" here to be "spirit" and see it as describing the inner person], and not in the old way [directed] by the written law of Moses.

As one who is in [fellowship with] the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that nothing in itself is [ceremonially] unclean. But to the person who considers something [ceremonially] unclean, it then becomes unclean to him.

For in [our relationship with] Christ neither the practice of circumcision nor refraining from its practice matters in any way; but [all that really matters is having a genuine] faith [in Christ] that causes us to work [for Him] out of a genuine love [for Him and others].

For it does not matter whether a person practices circumcision or refrains from practicing it; what really matters is [whether or not he is] a new creature [in the eyes of God].

by abolishing in His fleshly body the [entire Jewish] law of commandments contained in decrees. [This was] so that He could create in [unity with] Himself one new person [i.e., the church] out of the two peoples [i.e., Jews and Gentiles], thereby bringing about peace [between them].

And when you were [spiritually] dead because of your sins and your lack of being physically circumcised [Note: This refers to their having been unconverted Gentiles and therefore outside of a relationship with God], God made you alive [again] together with Christ, having forgiven us for all of our sins. He canceled the document written in ordinances [Note: This obviously refers to the Mosaic law] that was against us and was opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. [In doing this] Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities [i.e., evil forces] and made a public display of them, triumphing over them through the cross. [Note: This could possibly be rendered "God triumphed over them through Christ"].read more.
So, do not allow anyone to judge [i.e., condemn] you for what you eat, or what you drink, or regarding [your non-observance of] a [yearly] festival, or a [monthly] "new moon" observance, or a [weekly] Sabbath day.