OUR FATHER WHOSE SON CLEANSES US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

Matthew chapter 23 verses 25 - 26 continues with the condemnation of the practices of the religious leaders:

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

In this article of indictment, the Lord Jesus used the metaphor of dishes to illustrate the absurdity of the teachings being dispensed by the scribes and Pharisees.

Their fixation on outward appearances was represented by the cleaning of the outside of cups and plates while leaving the inside uncleaned. 

The dishes, representing people who are supposed to be vessels of God, were internally steeped in predatory attitudes while following the creed of self-indulgence.

The Lord Jesus prescribed to the Parisees that they should begin by cleansing the inner parts of the dishes which represented the internal attitudes and intentions.

Once the inner proclivities for abusing other people and being self-indulgent were extricated from the inner lives of people, then the outer appearance would be taken care of. 

This mirrors the teaching of Jesus  in Matthew chapter 15 verse 11 where, in countering the challenge of the Pharisee towards His disiciples for eating without washing their hands, He informed them that ingestion does not make people unclean but rather it is when the internal contents come out in the form of evil words and deeds that causes them to be unclean.

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Have mercy on us O God.

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