What you see is what you get

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

Matt 23:25-26

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.

NIV

This is certainly about building facades for the benefit of looking good on the outside. Back in the 70’s our culture was going through a revelation of sorts in design. We were, or rather someone was trying to bring the space age look into the everyday lives of the common people. Because we were in the race to space many of the furniture companies were manufacturing chrome and glass tables and chairs along with a host of other overly modern fixtures.  Architects were designing new chrome or aluminum looking Facades for old buildings in the downtowns of Middle America. All this was to give us the impression we entering into new and shiny stores. But in reality they were still the old rotten buildings that has been built back in the early 1900’s or even the late 1800’s. This is the idea Jesus was telling the teachers of the law and Pharisees. They though they looked good on the outside, nice and spiritual, all shiny and clean. But under that Façade was a rotten building, they inner being was filled with the ugly old stuff on man, greed and self-indulgence. This is what we say about ourselves when we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and confess all our sin, accepting Jesus as our Savior. We confess all that ugly stuff that is within our being, not matter what we look like on the outside. Although at that time many of us did look as ugly on the outside as we did in the inside. But that was then and here we are in the now. Is there any difference now between the outside and the inside? We know the Apostle Paul wrestled with that concept. He confessed that which he wanted to do, he did not, and that which he did not want to do, he did. He confessed that whenever he wanted to do go, evil was right there with him.

Rom 7:14-20

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

NIV

But he was not pretending to be righteous as the teachers of the law and Pharisees were. He was honest about the inner self still dealing with the ugly part of his humanity. This is where the truth resides. We might be aware of those ugly parts within, but do we hide them from others pretending to be a “Good Christian” on the outside? Sure we may not want to confess all the ugly details of our inner thoughts and desires and even behaviors, but the fact remains we need to be honest enough to admit we wrestle with sin in our lives. The teachers of the law and Pharisees were not that honest, that is why Jesus gave them this woe. We need that honesty both before God and men. God already knows the thoughts and desires of our heart and mind. But man does not. God sees us on the inside while man can only see us on the outside. Have we built that shiny new Façade, hiding all the ugly old stuff? As of recent years many towns have remove all those Façade fronts and brought back the old nostalgic looking buildings, upgrading them, tuck pointing the brick, new windows and old looking awnings giving us the sense of the “good ole days”. This is how our lives have been transformed in Christ. We have been upgraded, having the Façade removed and we have been become a new creator in Christ. Let us not rebuilt those fake fronts. Let’s us continue to live in the reality of Christ. Yes, we will never be totally free from some of that ugly stuff in the inside, but at least we can be honest about how we look on the outside. The same old building with upgrades. Some of the plumbing or electric still may have some faults, but we are still standing ready for business, the business of living in Christ and having Christ live in us. That implies what you see is what you get.