Now often times people will go to a verse like this and they'll say, see God doesn't care about the exterior.
He says here, for ye may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
And they'll make the point, say God doesn't care about the exterior, he only cares about the inside.
But I will submit to you this morning, that's not what Jesus is saying.
Jesus is saying there's no point of cleaning up the outside when the inside is still rotten.
But he's not saying he doesn't care about the outside. Notice verse 26.
He says thou blind Pharisees, notice what he says, he says cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter,
that, notice these words, the outside of them may be clean also.
So notice he doesn't say don't worry about the outside.
Jesus says I want the outside to be clean as well, but I want you to focus first on the inside.
Our purpose for learning about things like this and what the Bible teaches about our appearance,
is not to create a bunch of Pharisees that have the outside right while the inside is corrupt.
The truth is that we should be more concerned with the inside.
You should be more concerned with your heart and having a heart that's tender towards God.
And learning what the Bible says and caring about what God cares about.
What the Bible is teaching is that when we care about God, when we're filled with the Holy Spirit from the inside,
when we cleanse first that which is within the cup of the platter, it is inevitable that the outside of them will also be clean.
That the outside of them may be clean also.