Judging Covers

Matthew 23:26 – “You blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of your cup, then the outside will also be clean.”

I think this is what Paul tries to get at when he talks about freedom from the Law. As our brains become washed, we will no longer be tempted by actions that dirtied them in the first place. As our hearts become clean, our actions will reflect our new desires. Of course, this is not a one-time event as any recovering alcoholic can tell you. It takes dedication and help from others to begin to clean our minds and keep them clean. To be clear, I’m not talking about language, but our actions, our desires, our thoughts. They all change as our hearts and minds become whole. This can take a life-time and very few, if any, of us become perfectly clean.

Therefore, Jesus is also saying, or at least implying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Seeing a person who looks dirty or unkempt to us does not tell us anything about that person. It might tell us something about us, though. An illustration: I lived in Japan for a few years. One summer, I took a vacation to the northernmost island, Hokkaido. Coming back, I accidentally got on the wrong train. Oops! While I saw a lot of nice scenery, it took me much longer to get to Fukushima than I intended. We arrived in the evening. I went to the nearest hotel, which happened to be attached to the station (don’t ask). Here I am, wearing shorts, sweaty, tired, and generally looking like something the cat dragged in. I asked if they had rooms and rather than answer, the desk clerk gently pointed to their price list and began to direct me to cheaper alternatives. He changed his tune when I pulled my cash out of my pocket telling him that would be fine.

How often do we do the same thing with people who are asking for money or who are sleeping on a bench? What about someone who hasn’t showered in a while? Do we assume they are beneath us or defective in some way? Does our discomfort cause us to resent them? Do we assume that panhandler will spend their money on booze or drugs? Do we judge ourselves when we buy booze or drugs? If not, why would we judge another? Judging covers is a classist act, usually with a side helping of racism, sexism, homophobia, or ableism as well. We in the US are big on “assimilation.”

Jesus wasn’t. If we believe all are equal in Christ, why not make such equality a reality now? Accepting others as they are is a great way to begin washing our minds and hearts.