Frustrated. Angry. Confrontational. Unmasking. Exhorting. Rebuking. Passionate. Urgent. Admonishing. Honest. Direct. Earnest. Serious. Strong. Distressed.
The manner in which Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in Matthew 23 cannot be captured in one word. “Distressed” may be the most general banner we can fly over the descriptive words that apply to his approach. Jesus was deeply distressed as he spoke to the Pharisees. When we observe the son of God being passionately distressed, school is in session—because we stand to learn a great deal from what distressed him.
So what caused Jesus to be so passionately distressed? What greatly troubled Jesus in this context was simply the tendency for the Pharisees to focus on outward appearance rather than on internal reality—that is, focusing on polishing outer appearances while the inner private world is dull, dirty, scratched, and in need of repair.
Dallas Willard echoes Jesus’ words when he says “What matters most for how life goes…is what we are on the ‘inside.’ Things good and bad will happen to us, of course. But what our life amounts to…is largely, if not entirely, a matter of what we become within.” The Pharisees were “blind” to this truth.
“First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” The priority that Jesus placed on the internal life is clear and unmistakable. This priority helps us understand clearly that the depth of our relationship with God is determined first by who we are on the inside. We cannot have a deep relationship with God unless we allow God to help us deal with the depths of our inner lives.
Based on the priority Jesus gave to the internal life, there is a strong tradition throughout the history of the Christian church of the close relationship between the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves. In the 4th century, John Chrysostom said, “Find the door of your heart. You will discover it is the door of the kingdom of God.” In the 16th century, Teresa of Avila said, “It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves, coming to know ourselves, reflecting on our misery and what we owe God, and begging Him often for mercy.” In that same century, John Calvin said, “True and substantial wisdom principally consists of two parts, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves…. The knowledge of ourselves…is not only an incitement to seek after God, but likewise a considerable assistance towards finding him.”
May God give us the grace to consistently embrace the ordered priority of our lives in him: “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
