The Story:
• Jesus had just finished warning the people that they needed to hear and obey the word of God when a Pharisee (one of the religious leaders in the community) invited him to dinner
• When Jesus got there, the Pharisee noticed that Jesus did not wash his hands before sitting down
o The interesting thing about this is that it was owner of the house’s job to make sure his guest washed up
o Yet this Pharisee seems to have been “surprised” that Jesus did not wash up
o While I’m not sure, it could have been that Jesus refused the water and oil and sat down simply to make a point
o If so, then his actions would have been a lesson just as much as his words
• Cleaning the inside and outside (vs. 39-42)
o Jesus uses his actions to point out to the house owner and everyone else that cleaning the outside is not as important as cleaning the inside
o If our insides are “full of violent robbery and wickedness” then what we do does not matter that much
o Jesus came not to make us act ok – or to give us a new method of living – Jesus came to radically clean our inside
• This may sound strange or hard for some of you so I want to dive into this for a moment
o First off, know this – God the creator created each of us and love each of us
* We do NOT have to change in order to gain or keep His love
* He loves each one of us and is pursuing a personal relationship with each of us!
* This is a fact!!
o With that said, if we are honest with ourselves, there are things about ourselves that we don’t like
* I’m not talking about being short, tall, thin or big, loss of hair or any of that
• That is all outside stuff
* I’m talking about pieces of us that don’t really belong…
• Getting angry and snapping at your spouse or kids…only to afterwards think “why did I do that? I’m not like that…that isn’t me!”
• That piece of us that pulls and drags us into eating that item we wish we wouldn’t….having that last drink of alcoholic that we know we shouldn’t….getting out that item that you know will cause heartache later, but at the time it’s all you can think about..
* These are the pieces of us that we don’t like to talk about….the pride, the un-forgiveness, the bitterness, the pain, the brokenness of life….
* These are the things that Jesus came to clean and repair!!!
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. –Titus 3:3-6