Scripture Reading: Matthew 23:13-28
As is so often in life, things are not what they appear, especially when viewed only from their outside appearance.
Jesus noted the whitewashed tombs of His day were beautiful on the outside, yet full of decaying bodies on the inside. Even today, our cemeteries are deceiving. On the surface, a cemetery is lush, green, and neat. Yet, six feet below the manicured lawn lay ornate caskets “full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
Just like that garbage and those tombs and cemeteries, the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time presented external wrappings of unparalleled righteousness. Despite the packaging, Jesus denounced them as hypocrites, a word that refers to a pretender or an actor. The Pharisees claimed strict obedience to the law but they were just playing the part. Like fine museum pieces, their faith was for display only, not to be used in any meaningful way.
We can look the part of a disciple, and others can hold us in high esteem. But what do they find when they “unwrap” the packaging? Even more, what does Jesus find underneath our exterior? Is He pleased with the condition of our hearts? Once the wrapping is removed and the box opened, the truth of who we are comes to light.
Lesson to Remember: No matter how we package ourselves, no matter what others think of us, what God finds in our hearts is the true reflection of who we are.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”—1 Samuel 16:7
