Christ did not prevent people from cleaning, but objected to the thought that washing purifies man as the then professors believed, and supported their worship with such washings. He said to the Pharisees, "You deceive yourselves, ignorant, thinking of keeping the law by external ceremonies, while your hearts are full of enmity, stinginess, jealousy, evil, and impurity. Realize your hypocrisy; be converted; ask your Lord for illumination, for he knows you both within and without; be ashamed of the state of your hearts that the light of the Lord may overcome you; return all the goods you have stolen from people to their owners; and divide the profit among the poor. It is not the tithe, which you sacrifice that saves you, but the gospel alone, which teaches you compassion to the needy.
Our heart will show great love whenever the power of God changes it, and then you will not sacrifice only the tithe, but your whole life will become a sacrifice, as Christ sacrificed his life for us. So what about your sacrifice? How does it appear?
Be aware, dear brother, that Christ is not satisfied with your tithe, but he wants to sanctify your whole life as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. All your thoughts, diplomas, and deeds are unavailing to you. If you hated someone, your heart would become disobedient, and then you would stop the power of God’s love. Forgive your enemy immediately and completely. Pardon him, love him, and sacrifice for him and for everybody as much as you can. Live for Christ, God’s sacrifice who redeemed the world by his death. By that, you strive for truth by your prayers, and clean the atmosphere in your job. Do not struggle with your fist uttering obscenities and curses, but with your humility, practical suggestions, and humble patience. Spread the knowledge of Christ who is the incarnate truth that your friends may know their sins in his righteousness, and obtain their sanctification in his Spirit. Penetrating deeply into Christ alone saves you and your people.
A boy stood before a mirror, and looked for a few minutes at himself. He loved himself and did not see his sins, for he was self-conceited. As such people strut and swagger like a peacock in the streets. They become puffed up when they read their names in newspapers. Their eyes flash and blink when they are invited to a banquet, if they won a game, or if they were honored or seated in the front seats at festivals. They greet people in the streets pompously, and wish people to greet them and bow to them. They look forward to receiving many letters from their admirers. They become inflated from within, but pretend humility falsely and hypocritically. They are the monkeys of Satan who became proud and fell from heaven. Blessed are you if you did not deceive yourself and imagine yourself to be important, distinct, and righteous. We are all unrighteous. Look at the glory of God that you may not ignore the truth of his kingdom.
In the past, it was considered as impurity to touch a tomb with one’s foot. However some tombs were overgrown with grass, and the people who walked over them were unaware of them. So if anyone treaded on it by ignorance, he was considered impure for one week, and had to purify himself before God. Christ considered the professors of his time not only impure, for passing over some commandments, but also a reason for making others impure just as concealed tombs. From outside, the Pharisees looked like saints, but their hearts were filled with death, malice, lying, hatred, and covetousness. With this spirit they infected others, and spread the disease of spiritual deadness concealed artfully with false profession of devotion.
This was the first part of Jesus’ statement to his host during the feast. Do you consider it inconvenient that the Son of God so loved his enemies that he spoke the truth openly before them to save them? Do you flatter your enemies and friends, or do you help them honestly by telling them the truth?