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.
In making the above statement, Jesus was accusing the scribes and Pharisees of appearing to be clean on the outside, but inside they were like a grave, full of the bones and carcases of dead men. Touching dead things, e.g. bones and carcases, would render a person ritually unclean–unable to enter the Temple and unable to worship G-d. It was something quite offensive to a religious Jew–the type of men Jesus was confronting.
What was Jesus on about? In the above verse and those which preceded it, He was dealing with the issue of holiness. Jesus was pointing out that holiness was not something to be measured by what could be seen on the outside, but rather it had to be found on the inside. In other words, holiness is not outward compliance with rules and regulations. Holiness is a heart transformed, desiring to go G-d’s way. For the truly holy man or woman, no outward rules are required. The genuine desire to please, obey, and maintain fellowship with G-d will keep one from evil. The Christian, in contrast to theJew, has few outward restraints on his or her conduct. The restraint evidenced in the life of a Christian is borne out of personal relationship with G-d.
May your heart be transformed so that you require no outward rules to make or keep you holy, but only a desire to please the heart of the Father, a love for the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.
