Day 290, Year 1

Ugly Reality

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27 NKJV)

Jesus called the hypocrites in the above verse, who were cleanly clothed and knew the law, “whitewashed tombs” and full of “dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” He looks at people’s lives not by their appearance but by what is inside. Jesus described them, a group of living people, as “tombs.” Perhaps this was because the Pharisees, etc., preached their interpretations of the law and demanded that people treat their views as their “final destination.” This may suggest that some idolized figures will more or less become “tombs” that fascinate others. The main reason people are drawn to worship idols is because of their “appealing appearance” with deception. Which idol in the world lacks an attractive appearance?

Those who follow idols may become stubborn and difficult to change. This is also a problem for those who converted from idolatry to believing in Jesus. I believe that the operation of idol worship is sustained by the strength of human “bones.” They find that their stubbornness in the past has made it difficult for them to follow God’s Word and grasp His guidance so as to change themselves. Thus, we believers need to deal with the problems of idolatry within us seriously.

If the above interpretation is correct, the “bones of the dead” and “uncleanness” in today’s verse refer not only to the greed for money, extortion, self-indulgence, and killing of God’s messengers by the Pharisees, etc., but also include all the sins of idolatry and the related problems. Besides, the uncleanness in people’s lives makes it difficult for the seed of God to take root. Hypocrites tend to habitually escape from their problems and related issues. Hence, these people are alive but dead.

The uncleanness of idolatry corrupts and defiles people. This uncleanness does not refer primarily to material ones, but to spiritual uncleanness, including a disobedient heart that is difficult to repent. It also pertains to a love for superficial beauty and resistance to pursuing deep life transformation through God’s goodness. It emphasizes human strength and the pursuit of community over God’s power, ignoring individual discernment by His wisdom. It also replaces God with humans as the center, conceals internal issues with external, beautiful appearances, and avoids proper dealing with the problems in life, and so forth. From this uncleanness of the heart arise various sins, which will bind and suppress even the new lives of believers. Hence, as soon as we recognize any one of these problems, we need to strive to overcome them with the help of the Lord Jesus, and further try to help the believers around us to overcome these problems of “dead bones and uncleanness.”

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think that you have the problem of idolatry? If so, how would you rely on the Lord to resolve it?

2) Referring to the above, have you dealt with the uncleanness of your life according to the Lord’s guidance? If you have almost completely dealt with it, are you willing to help others as God leads?