First clean the inside
“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 practiced 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 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.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”
In today’s passage, Jesus strongly rebukes the scribes and Pharisees, who appeared to strictly observe the law, but were full of greed and wickedness within. Jesus pointed out that while they gave tithes, they neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. They also outwardly honored the prophets by decorating their tombs and claimed they would not have killed them like their ancestors did, yet their hearts were no different from those who had slain the prophets. Jesus condemned their hypocrisy, highlighting how they were quick to judge others but blind to their own inner corruption.
Through this message, we understand that what Jesus truly desires from us is not mere outward religious performance, but genuine repentance and inner renewal. Rather than staying content with a superficial faith like the Pharisees, we must fully expose our inner selves to the Lord and allow His grace and love to transform us. Jesus knows our weaknesses and longs to heal and renew us.
This morning, may we all stand in the warmth of Jesus’ light, revealing our true selves, and experience the freedom that comes through His forgiveness and renewal. Let our lives today be filled not with outward appearances, but with true repentance and inner transformation before God.
Prayer: Lord, at this moment, we lay down before You our weaknesses, broken hearts, and the dark parts of us we wish to hide. You are the One who knows our frailty and bore the cross because of it. You are not one who overlooks our wrongs, but one who heals, renews, forgives, and makes whole. We come before Your grace. This morning, we pray that You would meet someone in desperate need of Your grace. May Your grace abound in our lives today. Amen.
(Note: This summary was created based on an AI draft.)
Devotional content is available on the Our Daily Bread website.