Articles
CLEAN, From The Inside Out
“For you clean the outside of the cup, and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). No matter what kind of front the Pharisees put up, God could always see right through them to their innermost thoughts. In the same way, it does not matter how clean the outside of a cup is if the inside is filthy. Does one drink liquid on the outside? Although having a clean exterior may seem like a productive means to an end, it really accomplishes very little in the practical sense. A shiny, clean car with a coat of wax is worthless to the driver if he has not changed the oil in fifteen thousand miles. So why do any of us think that exterior religious seemliness means anything to God? What an abomination it is before the Lord to come before Him with sin in one’s heart, as is exemplified by Matthew 5:23-24. Even preachers can fall into this trap, for it was Paul who explained that many men were going about preaching with ulterior motives (Philippians 1:15-17). A heart that is full of envy, selfishness, and self-indulgence will always keep us separate from God, no matter what actions we may take on a pragmatic level.
“You blind Pharisees, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also” (Matthew 23:26). It is interesting to see the connection that Christ makes between the blindness of the Pharisees and the fullness of their sin. When we blind ourselves to the truth of the Gospel, everything else in life will be spoiled. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:22-23 that it is the eye that helps determine how pure the rest of the body is. If the eye is closed to the good things in the Bible, then what will be the result? Surely, every other aspect of life will be adversely affected.
“For you clean the outside of the cup, and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). No matter what kind of front the Pharisees put up, God could always see right through them to their innermost thoughts. In the same way, it does not matter how clean the outside of a cup is if the inside is filthy. Does one drink liquid on the outside? Although having a clean exterior may seem like a productive means to an end, it really accomplishes very little in the practical sense. A shiny, clean car with a coat of wax is worthless to the driver if he has not changed the oil in fifteen thousand miles. So why do any of us think that exterior religious seemliness means anything to God? What an abomination it is before the Lord to come before Him with sin in one’s heart, as is exemplified by Matthew 5:23-24. Even preachers can fall into this trap, for it was Paul who explained that many men were going about preaching with ulterior motives (Philippians 1:15-17). A heart that is full of envy, selfishness, and self-indulgence will always keep us separate from God, no matter what actions we may take on a pragmatic level.
“You blind Pharisees, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also” (Matthew 23:26). It is interesting to see the connection that Christ makes between the blindness of the Pharisees and the fullness of their sin. When we blind ourselves to the truth of the Gospel, everything else in life will be spoiled. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:22-23 that it is the eye that helps determine how pure the rest of the body is. If the eye is closed to the good things in the Bible, then what will be the result? Surely, every other aspect of life will be adversely affected.
