We see today in a reading from Luke, Jesus is in conflict with the Pharisees.  It seems like He’s always in conflict with these teachers from His day.

They were very religious folk, they were actually the religious leaders of His day.

They were the ones that everyone turned too. They were the ones that everyone looked to for religious leadership, for how the Law should be in interpreted, and how they should live.

This sounds great. But, here’s the problem.

They were more in love with religion than they were with God.

They were more concerned with “looking” right instead of “being” right.

They were more concerned with “looking” religious for other folks to see than in being committed to God on the inside.

That’s why we see Jesus say today:

39 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.  I don’t know who said it originally, but I know it to be true – “Character is what we do when no one is watching.”

Are we one way in public, and another way when no one is watching? If we are not careful, we may live one way publically, and another when no one sees.

If we are not careful, we will find ourselves to be like the Pharisees, more worried about trying to appear to be religious, than actually seeking God from the inside out.

Does this mean that we should not try to live a religious life?  Or course not. We should try to glorify God with all the we do and all that we are.

But it does mean this. It needs to start on the inside.  God is most worried about our inside.  He’s most worried about heart.

Because if He has our heart, He’ll have our actions. It starts with the heart. And goes to the outside.

Today, may God have our heart.  And, when He has that, He will have our life.