Woe to you, scribes 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, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Matthew 23:25 and 26
BSB
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What is in the cup
The Pharisees took great care over cleaning cups and dishes. Jesus picks up on that, but he looks at the inside. Many interpreters think of what is literally in the cup: food and wine, obtained through greed. The King James Version even speaks of extortion.
It isn't only about a pure heart, but also about how you come by your things. How you earn, what you pay, who bears the cost. A clean cup full of stolen wine is still stolen wine. Start with what is inside, says Jesus. Then the outside will be clean too.
Question for today
How do I come by what I have, and who pays the price for it?
Prayer
Lord, nothing I own is hidden from you. Make me honest in what I earn and in what I buy. Amen.
My prayer
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