Who or what do I look like?

Who can number how many times the Word addresses the condition of the inner man?

The Pharisees were regarded as keepers of the religious law. No doubt, if you had a question about the law or religious practice, they could answer it.

But Jesus said they were missing the point. To the extent He referred to them as a brood of vipers and hypocrites! The Pharisees were too concerned with religious practices and the appearance of the outer man. So much so that Christ referred to them as whitewashed tombs. While they were striving to be beautiful on the outside, they were actually full of of everything unclean. It’s as though they had life backwards or directly opposite how Christ would call us to live.

One such example is fasting. The Pharisees would make themselves look miserable so others would know they were fasting. The Lord teaches the opposite. Christ taught to fast in secret. He wants to be our single motivation for doing everything! No glory should come to us. He wants and deserves all the glory for our lives.

Jesus rebuked them in Matthew 23 as neglecting “the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”

So what’s more important, the outside appearances or the inner man? The reality of our Christian walk is that the condition of the inner man will dictate the appearance of the outer man. Christ is perfect from the inside out. He is the definition of holy. Our walk should be the daily pursuit of Christlikeness.