We are all familiar with the common scene where mom tells Junior to clean his room if he wants to hang out with the neighborhood kids. In his excitement and eagerness to go play, he quickly grabs the clothes and toys lying around and shoves them into his closet. His mom comes to inspect his room and is pleasantly surprised to see the room so clean. Junior goes out to play while mom secretly smiles, savoring the feeling of one more victory. However, later in the day mom finds herself searching for some household item. She makes her way into Junior’s room and opens the closet. To her utter shock, an avalanche of clothing and toys shower her. On the surface, everything looked clean. But, in reality, the mess was very well hidden, deeper within. 

Jesus came face to face with a similar scene. But unlike Junior’s mom, He immediately saw the mess that lurked beneath the surface. Jesus was out teaching for the day and, already having made many enemies, He again found himself in their midst. He turned to the crowd, made up of many Pharisees, and saw right through their self-righteous masks: “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. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23: 25-28)

The Pharisees of Jesus’ days made up the strictest sect of Jews who pledged their lives to following the law to the minutest detail. The problem didn’t lie in their desire to live righteously but rather in the emphasis they placed on human traditions and their interpretations of the law as opposed to God’s written Word and the very words of Jesus.  Their self-righteous, legalistic attitudes resulted in their living to be seen by men and focusing only on the external man while neglecting what lied deep within the heart. Earlier in His ministry, these Pharisees came to Jesus and criticized His disciples for not washing their hands before eating, as tradition was. Jesus, full of wisdom and truth, turned to the crowds and taught on what characterizes true purity: “Listen and understand: What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean. [. . .] The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:11,18-19)

Jesus defined purity as matter of the heart, not of what one is like on the outside. When one’s insides are clean, the outside takes care of itself. Oh, these Pharisees looked pure all right, adorned in beautiful attire and followed all the ritualistic laws for cleanliness. But Jesus saw beyond their “whitewashed tombs” into their hypocritical and wicked hearts. It seems that many of us, like these blind Pharisees, have this backward. We think that as long as we have an appearance of purity we are okay. So we submit to the laws and traditions of men while continuing to live a double-life, appearing pure and holy while behaving no better than unbelievers. We place such an emphasis on the external, on what we look like (clothing, hair, make-up) that we lose the ability to examine our hearts. We set up rules for others and judge them if they don’t adhere to our standard of holiness, as if we are the holiness police. We get so caught up in the do’s and don’ts that we miss Jesus’ message to abide in Him, develop a deep love relationship with Him, and see the fruit of a pure heart flourish.

 So let’s get practical. Let me ask a few questions. Do you merely have an appearance of purity? Do you adhere to the rules and traditions of men while your heart remains filled with anger, hatred, resentment, disobedience, jealousy and unforgiving? Do you go to church wearing all the clothing that people have labeled as necessary for holiness while finding yourself unable to truly worship? Have you lost the heart of worship? Did you ever have it? Did you grow up in a legalistic home and are still trying to understand what real Christ-living is all about?

     But how do we really get rid of this pharisaical purity and develop a pure heart? Ezra the priest asked the same question. “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The answer? “By living according to your word.” (Psalm 119:9). The Word of God purifies our hearts for it is pure: “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” (Psalm 119:140, KJV). It is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). We must get into the Word of God! If we desire hearts that are pure and set apart for God, we must begin to read, study, and memorize Scripture. The Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to convict us of impurities and sins that we are holding onto and that continue to taint our hearts. Our job is to respond in repentance and a subsequent commitment to walk in obedience and holiness. And more, prayer must go hand-in-hand with Bible study. It is through prayer that we connect with God and surrender our hearts to Him. You see, purity is ultimately the work of God in our lives: “God, who knows the heart . . .purified their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:8). However, we also have a responsibility in developing and maintaining a pure heart by monitoring what we allow in our lives (movies, music, literature etc.).  I challenge you to take some time within the next couple of days to get real with yourself and with God. Stop pretending you are something you’re not. Stop deceiving yourself into thinking you’re okay. “Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.” (James 4:7-10, MSG).