Matthew 23, 23-26
Jesus
said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”
We have heard that it is who is on the inside that
matters. The person on the inside is our true self. The word persona in Latin means mask. Our
persona, our personality, is the mask we wear when we face the world. A mask
doesn’t always reflect the true self.
Woe to you who perfect your mask and neglect your true
self. At the end of the party all masks will be removed and people will see you
for what you really are. Instead, make yourself a lantern with clean clear
glass. Carry the light of Christ within you and allow it to shine through you
in everything you do. The light, truth,
and love of Jesus are more beautiful than any mask you can ever make. When you
reflect this beauty you yourself are beautiful.
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