CLEANING THE CUPS

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:25, 26).

 

Years ago, when my children were very young, I began using flannel-graph figures to more simply illustrate Bible stories and lessons for them.  After a short time, other parents in our fellowship asked if they could bring their children to sit in on our lessons once a week.  Before long, word got out in our neighborhood and a dear friend of ours began picking up kids and bringing them to our house for "kids' meeting" every week.  We often had 20-30 children of various ages crowding our living room to hear about the miracles of the Bible and the principles of godliness.

 

One particular lesson I remember involved white porcelain mugs and mud.  I took two white mugs out to our garden, and, after mixing some mud together, I smeared the inside of one with the mud, and the outside of the other.  Later, I presented the mugs to the kids with a pitcher of water and asked if anyone wanted a drink.  Of course, some said they did, and so I asked which mug they would like me to fill.  They could not see the inside of either mug, so they chose the one that appeared clean on the outside.  I poured the clear liquid into the mug and offered it to the first child; but when he looked inside and saw the filth, he reacted with disgust and refused the water.  I then showed the kids the mug that was clean inside and asked if they would rather drink from it.  They really didn't want anything to do with it either.  That's when I produced a mug that was clean inside and out, and they all were happy to drink from that one!  Then I read to them Jesus' words in Matthew that are quoted above, and explained how the mugs represent our lives and how people approach godliness in their lives. 

 

There are those who are very careful to maintain the appearance of goodness and holiness to those around them, but secretly they are consumed with lust, greed, hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, and the like.  The trouble is, there are people all around us who want to “drink” from us as Christians because they expect us to be filled with the pure Water of Life.  If we are muddy on the inside, then we taint and pollute that pure water that Jesus is filling us with.  On the other hand, even if we are clean on the inside, but allow ourselves to make bad choices and be involved in questionable activities, we can turn away people who might otherwise be willing to let us share the Lord with them.

 

The point is, as we allow Jesus to cleanse us on the inside, it should have a marked affect on the outside as well.  I find that the more I allow the Lord to change me inwardly, the more I find my choices are changing also.  I make decisions for my life that reflect the changes taking place inside me.  What I do then changes because of what I now am.  How different that is from just trying to make the flesh do what really isn't in the heart.  This is the difference between trying to live under the law and living under the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  As Jesus changes our hearts, what we allow in our life will change as well.  When we make bad choices, the Holy Spirit inside us will be grieved by those choices.  In warning the Corinthian Church about their association with idols and unclean elements of the world, the Apostle Paul gave this warning, “…what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).

 

The type of dramatic lifestyle change that we are talking about here can only come about in one way, and that is to let the Lord Jesus have His way wholly and completely in our lives.  Let Him have access to every hidden room and dark corner of our hearts, and let His light and His glorious grace cleanse away the mud and the filth.  Then let Him fill us to overflowing with the Living Water of the Word of God, and let it change our lives completely.

 

Understand that this is a process.  The more clearly we see the Lord, the more we will see areas of our lives that must be cleansed.  I am convinced that in me (that is, in my flesh) there dwells no good thing.  I am filled with pride and self-interest, but the Lord is changing me as I yield my life to Him and die to self.  As a result, I am transformed! 

 

Trust the Lord.  Bring to Him all that you are, and examine yourself in the light of His gaze.  Then let Him make your cup clean inside and out!  "For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap…And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Malachi 3:2b, 3).