Why does Jesus call out the Pharisees dishwashing strategy?
For those willing to hear Jesus open their eyes, the instructions seem obvious.
First, clean the inside of the cup, and then what happens on the inside will overflow to clean the outside.
What’s implied is that the process doesn’t happen in reverse. You can scrub and wipe and polish the surface all you want, but a nice shine doesn’t bring a cup to its desired purpose.
It only makes for a good shelf display.
The cup is not intended to be merely viewed but to be wholly experienced. A cup is a vessel to be poured into and drank from. A cup pours out and fills other cups. A cup brings refreshment and relief.
And if the inside is left dirty, what good is the cup?
The challenge with a lesson like this is to imagine that Jesus is mainly concerned with us being usable. But God is not interested in simply using us. Just as we would not dare to say we have God to use God, neither would God say he has us to use us.
We are not a tool or a weapon for God to manipulate for His purposes.
We aren’t even a cup.
So, what else might Jesus be saying?
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Jason Martin 