I love Luke 11:41. I love Jesus for the person he was and the perspective that he offered, that influences so many people today. And in this scripture particularly, Jesus is sharing his perspective of righteousness. For more context:
37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first [aa]ceremonially washed before the [ab]meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but [ac]inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give that which is within as charity, and [ad]then all things are clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 Woe to you! For you are like [ae]concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
Jesus is condemning these men, these Pharisees because their life models incongruity. While they show the world, that they have understanding and are justified, inwardly they are ignorant and baseless. For the seeds that are sown within their hearts are of deceit, lies and injustice. Yet, they want to profess the “knowledge” and “wisdom” of righteousness.
I find myself, that often I want to profess to others of my high morals and values, and show off my righteousness. And this particular scripture humbles me.
Because while my mind or a part of me wants to be consumed by what I am showing the world, I entirely forget about the posture of my heart. I entirely forget about what seeds are taking root within.
When I cannot show the world how righteous I am, who am I then? Do I give when no one is looking? Am I happy when I have nothing? Am I kind to those who are mean to me, even if I know they will go unpunished?
If the world could not see any of my deeds, what kind of man would I be?
That is the question I want to hold dear to my heart as I continue this journey of life. Because the man I want to be, is the man that Jesus describes as one who “…gives that which is within as charity…”.
I want to be the man who gives that which is within infinitely.
I want to give freely of what is within and I want what is within to be pure and good.
I want what is sowed externally to be a manifestation of what is internally.
May I remember from this piece that it is my internal world that needs far more focus then my external actions. Because, when lost in the external world, I cannot give any recognition of what is occurring internally, and if i cannot give any recognition of what is occurring internally, then I am a Pharisee.
May I be congruent. May I be true within so that I can be true without.
