Mark 7:4

Unless they wash it first. "Wash" in this verse comes from the same word as "baptize" [BAPTISONTAI in the best manuscripts]. Food from the market, cups, pots, copper bowls and even beds were immersed in water to make them ritually pure. Abbott says: "Apparently, in the ritual of the Pharisees, washing by pouring on water sufficed for those who remained at home, but immersion of the hands in water was required of those who had gone abroad [outside the house]." The Law did require some washings (such as Leviticus 14:8), but Tradition had distorted the spirit of the Law. It had become a strict rule that before every meal, not only the hands, but also the dishes, beds (couches), and tables must be ritually washed. [The Jews ate their meals lying on beds (couches).]