It all started with the mental health post. Then I followed it up with two more posts to reinforce the idea that transformation happens from the inside out, and not the other way around. But it’s such a neglected truth that it can’t be restated enough. So let’s consider Jesus’ rafter strong words on the subject.
““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” -Matthew 23:25-28
His words are directed at the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Jesus’ perpetual example of a bad example. As he said in verse 3 of the same chapter “don’t do as they do.” This time he blatantly accuses them of cleaning up the surface but leaving the inside filthy with the cup analogy. Then goes on to say, that if we would focus on the inside instead, the outside would become clean as a result. Yet how often do we do the exact opposite, even when Jesus flat-out says it doesn’t work that way.
Then he goes on with the whitewashed tomb analogy. Getting exposed to a dead body made you ceremoniously unclean under Mosaic law (Numbers 19:11-13) so they whitewashed tombs with lime as a warning to stay away. So in a way, this metaphor would be the equivalent of a red flag today. So Jesus is actually warning us about people who look too put together. That their appearance may very well be completely deceptive.
This backward thinking all comes back to comfort. We are not comfortable with facing our inner scars, leading us to fake holiness instead. Plus our comfort level with others often lies in how they present themselves externally, especially with new people. So we are often more than comfortable with allowing people to fake it as we do, instead of how to clean the inside of the vessel. Not that we have any experience to teach from. So if you’re following comfort, you’re not really following Jesus, and merely have a whitewashed faith.
His words are directed at the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Jesus’ perpetual example of a bad example. As he said in verse 3 of the same chapter “don’t do as they do.” This time he blatantly accuses them of cleaning up the surface but leaving the inside filthy with the cup analogy. Then goes on to say, that if we would focus on the inside instead, the outside would become clean as a result. Yet how often do we do the exact opposite, even when Jesus flat-out says it doesn’t work that way.
Then he goes on with the whitewashed tomb analogy. Getting exposed to a dead body made you ceremoniously unclean under Mosaic law (Numbers 19:11-13) so they whitewashed tombs with lime as a warning to stay away. So in a way, this metaphor would be the equivalent of a red flag today. So Jesus is actually warning us about people who look too put together. That their appearance may very well be completely deceptive.
This backward thinking all comes back to comfort. We are not comfortable with facing our inner scars, leading us to fake holiness instead. Plus our comfort level with others often lies in how they present themselves externally, especially with new people. So we are often more than comfortable with allowing people to fake it as we do, instead of how to clean the inside of the vessel. Not that we have any experience to teach from. So if you’re following comfort, you’re not really following Jesus, and merely have a whitewashed faith.
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