MAY 14, 2014
Looking
Good
Read: Matthew
23:23-31
First cleanse the inside. —Matthew
23:26
Your hair is really
healthy,” said my hairdresser after giving me a haircut. “I hope it’s because
you use our products.” “No. I’m sorry,” I said. “I just use whatever product is
cheap and smells good.” But then I added, “I also try to eat well. I think that
makes a big difference.”
When I think about the
things we do to make ourselves look good, I’m reminded of some of the things we
do to make ourselves look good spiritually. Jesus addressed this issue with the
religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matt. 23). They followed an elaborate set of
religious rules that went well beyond the ones God had given them. They worked
hard to look good to their peers, to prove that they were better than others.
But their hard work didn’t impress God. Jesus said to them, “You cleanse the
outside of the cup and dish, but inside [you] are full of extortion and
self-indulgence” (v.25). What the Pharisees did to make themselves look good to
others actually revealed that they were not good at all.
Every culture values
different religious behaviors and traditions, but God’s values transcend
cultures. And what He values isn’t measured by what others see. God values a
clean heart and pure motives. Spiritual health is expressed from the inside
out.
You know me, Lord, for
who I am. My motives
and heart are open
before You. Cleanse me
from the inside out.
And help me to live as
Jesus did—with pure
and true motives.
We might look good on
the outside without really being good on the inside.
Insight
Matthew 23 uses the
phrase “woe to you” eight times when Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of the religious
leaders. They displayed outward religiosity and piety, but neglected the truly
important matters of justice, mercy, and faith (v.23; Mic. 6:8). They presented
themselves as upright and holy, but inside they were utterly corrupt and evil
(vv.25-31).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
