39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
What a great verse for the week of Easter! We are usually so busy scurrying around finding our Easter frocks and finery to be “dressed to the nines” on Easter Sunday that unfortunately, more often than not, we give little heed to our heart’s condition. We become far too concerned with the “outside of the cup” rather than the inside! Jesus gives us a slap on the wrist for doing such! I am reminded of God’s words to Samuel when perusing Jesse’s boys for God’s selection of Israel’s next King:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7 (NIV)
Do you want to please God? Get the inside right! When the inside is right, the outside will follow! I love the words from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” “But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...” Scripture is replete with verses regarding guarding our hearts. Proverbs gives it to us so succinctly: 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Prov 4:23 (NIV)
Within our hearts lie the motivation behind our thoughts, our words, and our actions. The heart also encompasses our values. Protecting it faithfully is the starting point of health, vitality and prosperity. The Bible also teaches us to beware because the heart is deceitful, all the more reason for us to guard it diligently. We can convince ourselves of anything to support our poor behavior: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve." Jer 17:9-10 (NIV)
Peter gives us great insight too regarding our priorities between our “outsides” and our “insides” in his address to women: 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. 1 Peter 3:2-5 (NIV)
The powerful purity of a godly life can turn even the stoniest heart. “In God’s sight” is a very important phrase. I am afraid we are all too often more concerned with “man’s sight” rather than “God’s sight”! Paul had a great response to this: 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Gal 1:10 (NIV)
This is a difficult point for sure but it is the path we must follow as we follow our Savior. He was always about His Father’s business always seeking to please the Father: “For I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 5:30 (NIV)
Indeed, even the Pharisees and the Herodians took note of this in Jesus’ life: 13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Mark 12:13-14 (NIV)
Lastly, recorded in John, Jesus states: 41 "I do not accept praise from men,” John 5:41 (NIV)
We would do well to follow His lead; seeking to please the Father, having our hearts lined up with His will – guarding them with all diligence as the very essence of our lives and loving Him with all our heart and soul and mind.