IT's really interesting that some animals 'wash' their food before eating it. Racoons are the most well known for this behavior. Wild boars and rats have also been observed doing this. I learned that it's more to get a 'feel' for the food to determine its size, shape, and if it is harmless to eat.
Many of us humans wash our vegetables, fruit and meat before cooking and eating them. We examine them for acceptability, much the same as the animals' behaviour with their food. It's almost like we are sanctifying it. We set apart the good bits to eat that hopefully won't make us sick when we do.
Christians are well known for giving thanks to God for their food before eating. This is seen as another way to sanctify our food. It acknowledges that we believe God is the ultimate source of our provisions. They come from Him, and giving Him such thanks, makes it 'holy.' Further to this, eating can then be seen like an act of worship.
It bothers me very much then, when we give God thanks for our food and then a few mouthfuls in, we begin to complain and criticize the food. I have been guilty of this. For this behavior we do need to repent.
Anyone looking on and eavesdropping could be confused. On one hand Christians give God thanks for their food but in the next breath they are bad-mouthing what they'd just declared thanks for. It is something to do more than just think about, to rectify this behavior.
But I digress ...
What I really want to focus on is that Jesus, in His prayer for His disciples asks His Father, God, to ...
"Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17 KJV).
It's like Jesus 'washes' His disciples with the washing of the water of His Word. Jesus' act of giving Himself up for the church was also His way to sanctify her, again with the
"washing of water with the word" (Ephesians 5:26 ESV).
If this is so, how imperative it is for us to continue to read the Word of God. We were initially sanctified through our salvation. But in the wear and tear of our daily lives we need to be rinsed off again and again. We do so through the truth of God's Word when we read it and put it into action.
I always like that addendum in John 17 and verse 20, where Jesus adds,
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word" (KJV).
The sanctified eleven had their mission to pass the baton of God's sanctifying truth on to others and all down the ages it has continued to us brothers and sisters-in-Christ today. May we diligently do likewise until death parts us from this world or until Jesus calls us all up to be with Him forever.
Let's live sanctified lives until then.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on John 17:6-20 KJV, especially vs 17-20.
Sing, Sanctify Us in Your Truth, along with Uplifting Christian Song House of Faith Voices and Purify My Heart, along with Brian Doerksen.
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