Nothing is Hidden

I’m pretty thorough when it comes to cleaning dishes, but every now and again some grime is left on the inside of a bowl. So, I go back and clean it again. Who likes a dirty dish? It makes me think of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth who exclaimed in her sleep, “Out damned spot!” Spots can haunt us. Apparently, Jesus even hated dirty dishes; though, he wasn’t referring to the dishes in my kitchen or to King Duncan’s blood. Rather, he questioned the Pharisees and lawyers in his day who focused intently on their purity rituals as dictated by the Law of Moses. The Law, or Torah, required the purifying of bowls and cups. Jesus poignantly used the metaphor to accuse them of cleaning the outside of the dish, but leaving the inside neglected. In the Hebrew world, the “inside” refers to the heart, but not the way we think of it in our Western culture. The heart of a person, in Hebrew tradition, holds a person’s thoughts, will, ability to reason, intentions and conscience. It is the center (heart) of a person. 

So what was Jesus saying then and what does he say to us today? Purify the inside. In other words, be aware of your thoughts, your will and motivations. Pray for understanding of God’s intentions and will for you. Pray for the desire to know and understand God better. Pray that your purpose reflects some of God’s purpose. On the outside, we may look holy or “good,” but it’s important to look at what’s going on inside. It’s time we cleansed the inside because, really, nothing is hidden from God. And God wants us to be clean from the inside out.