Thoughts for the Day

Jesus said, 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Jewish tombs in 1st century Jerusalem were often painted with whitewash before Passover so that no-one would accidentally touch them, become unclean and therefore unable to worship. Jesus' words are stingingly cutting, and we still hear the phrase "whited sepulchre" today, that is, someone who seems fine on the outside, but inside all is evil.

Jesus includes both the Scribes and the Pharisees in this condemnation. The Scribes, as we have seen, were the official interpreters of the Law of Moses, and often held places on the ruling council, the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees existed from around 200 BCE to the time of the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD. They were a powerful group who sought to separate themselves from any kind of impurity as described in the Book of Leviticus. They emphasised the oral tradition, and took Jewish practices to the ordinary people. But many stuck outwardly to their own interpretation of the Law, while inwardly ignoring God's call to love Him and their neighbur.

The question for us is, 'Are we also whited sepulchres?', do our thoughts and feelings match up to our appearance? Do we appear outwardly to be faithful, loving, Christians while inside we are anything but? If, like me, you know the answer to this question, then its time to confess our faults!

Wednesday 26th August, follow up thoughts

Lord God,
You know what we're really like,
You know our faults and failings,
and You know how we try to appear to others.
Forgive us these sins, and help us to
match our thoughts and our feelings
with how we appear outwardly.
Amen.