Woe to Me!

²⁵ “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. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” – Matthew 23:25-28

These are powerful words from Jesus the Messiah, Son of the one true living God.  He directs them to the church leaders, those who were considered the best and most knowledgeable people regarding God’s Word and His ways.  Jesus describes their position in verse 2 saying they sit in Moses’ seat.  Jesus’ condemnation in this chapter is incredibly strong and confronting to these leaders.

I am forced to wonder, how are they not convicted?  How do they not see in their heart what He is saying to them?  Or do they see it and refuse it?  Jesus undoubtedly spoke in the Spirit of God so I believe they knew the conviction, but chose to reject it and believe they knew better.  They found a way to crucify Him so they would have no more to do with Him.  I know people like this.  They know what He says, they reject it, and they crucify anyone who does not reject it if they are in their life.  They will have nothing to do with truth.  I shudder in fear over their position under God.

On Friday a very large oak tree fell in our backyard.  It was a perfectly clear blue sky day with virtually no wind.  The tree broke about 20 feet above the ground and crushed a cedar tree on the way down.  The tree was completely full in leaves and acorns.  It looked in every way to be the healthiest tree in the yard.  But it wasn’t.  The inside core of the tree from the roots up to about 25 feet was rotten.  The top was healthy, but the trunk couldn’t support it because it was rotten on the inside. 

This is a perfect example of those who believe they’ve got the world fooled and they do everything they can to create a perception of who they want people to believe they are.  They would have everyone believe they are perfectly healthy while they are rotten on the inside.  Personally, I know this is me.  My best hope is to read, pray, and have my wife, kids, and really close Christian brothers as close to me as I can get them so they can help me see when I’m getting more rotten.  I've got a sin disease and I know it.  A sure sign of a rotting heart is one who does not want anyone close to it.  They fear that anyone close will see what is inside.  By keeping those who love you the most as close as possible and believing them when they talk to you is one of the most important accountability measures we can take to keep us walking on the path.  Ultimately, it is Jesus and Him alone who keeps us, but we can set up a “prevent defense” in football parlance to make good choices.

A rotten core will eventually fall, no matter how wonderful and full the perception and appearance is on the outside.  Regardless of where we might think others are, it is enough for us to make sure that we know our foundation is set upon the steady rock that does not move and the most beautiful healthy part of us is on the inside where Jesus is dwelling.