“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.”
Matthew 23:25-26 (NIV)
As a young girl, I always enjoyed doing “girly” things like playing with my dolls, dressing up, having tea parties, and so forth. I remember having a couple of miniature tea sets for tea parties during my childhood. I spent many hours pretending to serve my dolls and friends from these porcelain treasures. As an adult, I have maintained my love for beautiful, delicate bone china and have collected a number of special pieces through the years. One of my favorites is from the Royal Albert Covent Garden Fruit Series entitled, “Plums.” It is a simple, pearly white bone china with a curvaceous shape and curling handles, etched in gold. The bottom of the cup carries its seal of authenticity.
The cup sits atop our piano in the formal living room, and on occasion, I will “treat” myself and pick it up to use for a hot cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa. While it looks perfectly clean to my naked eye, I know it has been exposed to dust and other particulates in the air as it sits on the piano every day. If I poured my hot drink inside the cup before washing it, I would be ingesting all the dirt that had settled within. So, what do I do? I go to the kitchen and place the cup under warm running water and wash it gently with soap, then carefully rinse, and dry it. Now my vessel is suitable for my use and enjoyment. Likewise, when I finish drinking from the cup, I wash the liquid residue from the inside before returning it for display.
My Personal Musings From God’s Word:
As Christ-followers, can we not be likened to a beautiful china cup that appears to be clean and polished on the outside, but is filthy and corrupt within? Jesus was telling the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26, that they were giving the appearance of holiness, but their insides were filled with sin. Sin that is never removed, never washed, becomes caked on, and the vessel becomes unfit for its purpose and unable to provide its intended pleasure. Jesus is telling the Pharisees, and us, that cleanliness and holiness on the inside are what is most important to Him. We have been given Christ’s seal of authenticity when we accepted Him as our personal Savior and Lord. Let us live authentically before the Lord as daily we come before Him and confess the sin that is within us. Scripture tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (NIV)
I Samuel 16:7b (NIV)
“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Psalm 119:9 (NIV)
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.”
Matthew 5:8 (NIV)
“Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.”
Psalm 51:7,10 (NIV)
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow…10 Create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
