Cleaning the Inside

My mother-in-law’s upright freezer resided in her garage and was layered with dust. As I prepared to move the freezer to my house I removed the contents and started to wash down the outside, but after one swipe it was obvious the water would be filthy in no time. Remembering how I was taught as a child to wash dishes I switched course and started on the inside first. For all practical purposes once the inside was clean, the freezer was clean…especially considering that it was going back into a garage setting. Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law 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, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matt 23:25-26 NIV).