https://odb.org/2025/04/21/deep-clean
Matthew 23:23–26 (NIV): 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 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 will also be clean.
Jesus has always emphasised that the thing that makes us unclean lies within us. That is, what comes out matters more than what goes into us. Thus, the argument by Paul against not eating certain foods as it makes us unclean before God and, in the process, removed from our faith the Jewish concept of kosher. As Christians, there is no prohibition on us eating pork as is being practised by the Jews. The only restrictions we have are not to consume blood and food offered to idols.
In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks of giving tithes while observing justice, mercy, and faithfulness and not only doing the former but neglecting the latter. It is what’s inside that really matters. Jesus is always focusing on the heart as the heart is where evil resides. We may be all good and holy in our appearance but harbour hatred, conceited and bitter thoughts on the inside. We may be praising God with our lips, but if our heart is unchanged, we will remain selfish, egoistic, greedy, and self-serving. Our focus in life is still ourselves, rather than the interests of others and God’s plans and purposes.
It is a fundamental tenet of our faith that what is unseen is what matters. God sees our hearts while others can only guess. Faith is believing in things unseen, which are eternal, and yet God also sees what’s unseen in us, and that is our heart.
We are, of course, not perfect. Our natural and old selves are still powerful. But we need to be on that journey to transform from within us to be more Christ-like. Allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. Don’t resist the work of the Spirit. Strive to become the person God wants us to be. Leave behind our own dreams and ambitions and sanctify them before God. Allow Jesus to take control of our lives.
Jesus speaks of the heart and to the heart, and on that day, He will also see our heart!
Ronnie's Thoughts 