Ezra 8:1-8
The
Temptations released a song by this title in 1966. It’s about a guy who
discovers that what is important in a girlfriend is not what she looks like on
the outside as much as who she is on the inside.
This
song presented the same message that Ezra did as he read the Law. He was there
to point out to the Israelites that what is on the inside is more important
than what is on the outside.
On
the outside, the Israelites had rebuilt the Temple and the wall around
Jerusalem. They had even sacrificed to the Lord when they rebuilt the Temple.
On the outside, they looked good, but what about the inside?
Luke
7 tells the story of Jesus having lunch with some Pharisees when a prostitute
anoints his feet with her tears. Simon, a Pharisee, questions why Jesus would
allow someone like this to touch him. The Pharisees were notorious for trying
to look good on the outside but ignoring the inside. But here was this woman
who was repentant for her sins and as a result, Jesus forgave her and chastised
Simon and the others.
The
saying goes that “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the
bone”. We live in a culture that focuses on the outside so much that the inside
can easily be ignored. That doesn’t sound all that different from Ezra’s
culture or Jesus’ culture.
In
our world questions are asked like; is our hair right; are we overweight; do we
wear the right cloths; do we live in the right suburb? Even good things can
become window dressing in an effort to make ourselves look good. Do we have a
quiet time; do we go to church every Sunday; do we cuss? There are many
misdirected pressures on us that focus on the outside.
So
we need to ask ourselves the question: Do we look good on the outside, but are
ugly to the bone? Or has Jesus changed our heart to focus on who we are on the
inside and from there, serve Him by reaching out to others with the Good News?
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