day no. 16,297: outside in

Luke 11:39-41

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?"

Despite what many have come to think, Jesus did not say that the outside of cups and dishes do not matter. What He implied is that everyone understands the value of the outside of the dish. Just ask any engaged couple picking out plates for their registry. They are not so much concerned about the insides of the bowls as they are with the patterns on the outside and what impressions they imagine they will make. Granted, they are looking at brand new, clean cups and dishes and don't have to concern themselves with the insides yet. That comes later, after love and marriage, but before the baby carriage (for those playing at home)

Functionally, the inside of the bowl is far more important than the exterior. When it comes to eating, the outside is less important than the inside. The food goes on the inside and that is what needs to be cleansed from the last food that was eaten in the bowl. But even then, hand me a bowl clean on the inside but still dirty on the outside and I'll still have a hard time finding my appetite.

We are well acquainted with the process of putting lipstick on a pig. We know how to make things look good, which is to say, better than they really are. We come equipped with the ability to put on a favorable face or to telegraph a good impression. We do not need to be trained in this deception. Yet, we do need to be reminded not to throw the outside of the dish out with the dishwater. Yes, the inside counts as Jesus points out and we should never forget or minimize this, but Jesus never meant for us to forget or minimize the outside. His teaching could be summarized as saying: the inside of the dish matters too. Everything matters, inside and out.

In summary, do not neglect what things look like or what they are like under the surface. Hold on to them both. Concern yourself with both. Understand how and when they may be played against each other and from where pressures and temptations may come to prefer one when the other is required or to settle for the other when the one is demanded.