Having ‘clean hands’ without compassion misses the point of the gospel. After being invited into the home of a Pharisee to dine, Jesus made a choice. He knew that He was offending the Pharisee by not doing the ritual washing before a meal, and He confronted him about it.
And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. Luke 11:39-41 ESV
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word alms in this verse comes from eleos, meaning compassionateness. Compassionateness? Whenever I read a new word, I immediately look it up in the dictionary.
Compassionateness
A deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering. Giving alms is usually associated with donating money. But, here Jesus says, “give as alms those things that are within.” I wonder if compassionateness flowing from deep within is what purifies the heart, making the inside clean. And mercy toward others is the tangible result. Compassion is insufficient until it moves us to act. As we express inward mercy outwardly, then, as Jesus said, “behold, everything is clean for you.”
Offending the Pharisees
Should we ask ourselves what is inside the cup? Inside the cup is where our thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and decision-making is processed. Christ is setting the standard high and outward rituals won’t help us reach the mark. Have our words or actions made us guilty of offending the Pharisees? Our choices may not always set well with those who want to uphold church traditions, but what is more important, living as Jesus directs or people-pleasing? Without a deep awareness or sympathy for the suffering, we end up making choices that offend Christ.
Action:
Take a moment to kneel in prayer and then ask yourself: What it inside my cup? What thought, opinion, belief, or decision needs cleansing? Journal and/or pray over what the Holy Spirit reveals to you.
*For those of you who prayer walk, ponder the phrase ‘inside the cup’ as you walk. For your copy of this week’s screensaver, click here. And to access all of my YouVersion Bible App devotional plans, click here.