Rudy Ross is the owner and dishwasher at Fric & Frac, his restaurant on 39th Street in Kansas City. Many of his employees have worked their entire careers with Rudy, which speaks volumes about his character and support of his staff. No doubt, Rudy had something to say on today’s video about Jesus’ take on washing dishes.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside also may become clean.” (Matthew 23:25-26)
Rudy tells us that he likes his pots to shine on the outside, but he also pays careful attention to their inner cleanliness.
The words “hypocrite” and “blind” are reserved for people who only want a shiny outside appearance.
Not too long ago, I read a statement worth remembering. The author said it is strange that a thief would stop and run away when he hears a dog bark, yet in the presence of God, he has no problem finishing his theft.
The same foolishness appears in people who want a polished exterior to impress others but ignore that God looks at the heart.
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Jesus’ words are part of a larger confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees in the courtyard of the temple. Human beings seem to have an insatiable desire for prestige, power, recognition, and wealth. These externals may impress other people, but the One who looks on the heart only sees “greed and self-indulgence.”
In verse 4 of this passage, Jesus tells blog writers like me not to load people with heavy burdens and fail to help lift them. Like you, I need to change from the inside out, but how is this accomplished?
One of the best ways is to fill our minds and hearts with God’s word. I don’t mean a little bit of God’s word, like taking our morning vitamins. If we follow the directions of the first Psalm, we will be on our way to a better inner self.
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread
or sit in the seat of scoffers,
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)
A New Orleans Graveyard Tour
When I lived in New Orleans during the early 1970s, Grey Line Bus Tours would hit all the attractions of the city for their customers. The above-ground graves were one of their stops. Because New Orleans is below sea level, all the graves had to be placed above ground.
I never took the bus tour, but I often drove by these graveyards. The monuments were beautiful, even from the road. Like the shiny pots in the kitchen, Jesus had something to say about beautiful tombs.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of uncleanness. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)
A cemetery may be so remarkable that it is an attraction for tourists. At the same time, inside the tombs are decaying and dead humans. It is entirely appropriate to honor a loved one with a funeral that displays love and honor.
It is not advisable, however, for a human to look bus-tour-ready on the outside, but actually be filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness on the inside.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Matthew 23:25-28 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 