One of my morning breakfast time, I was preparing the breakfast by steaming a frozen meat bun on an electric steamer. After adding water into the steamer’s bowl, I set the steamer’s timer on.  After the timer is up, I was happy to see the meat bun puffed up nicely outside.  I started to enjoy the “hot” meat bun as my breakfast. In the middle of my tasting, I find that the middle of the bun is still cold. Two bites later, I decided to give it up because I didn’t feel like to have a hot bun with cold meat inside.

This interesting experience prompts me to think what I have done wrong. Apparently, I didn’t prepare it correctly – either the water in the bowl was too low or the steaming duration was too short for a frozen bun. The end result is, as is expected, a hot skin with a cold meat bun, which is an undesired one.

As I put the bun back to restart the steaming process, I was thinking: isn’t this undesired bun similar to the teachers of the law and Pharisees in Jesus’ time – looking good from outside but is not good inside? In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 23, Jesus used 7 woes to scold the teachers of the law and Pharisees. He called them hypocrites, blind guides, blind men, and whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. Obviously, Jesus was very dissatisfied with their inconsistent and self righteous behaviors, especially they are supposed to lead the Israelites to follow God truthfully.

Thinking about this, it makes me to examine my own behavior too. As a Christ’s follower, do I have the similar behavior as the Pharisees – serve God and others with my lips only? Do I look beautiful on the outside but on the inside is completely different? I have to admit that sometimes, I am guilty as charged. My wife oftentimes complains that I say a lot but have done little, including to my kids; in particular, she thinks I spend too little time with them. I guess I have to watch out myself. 🙁

My dear brothers and sisters, when we frequently didn’t do what we are saying, we quickly fall into the hypocritical state like the Pharisees. It is the state that our Lord has despised the most. Because He said the Pharisees are the descendants of the evil one – who is the father of lies (John 8:44). This is quite serious. Therefore, let’s encourage one another and be diligent to do what we are saying.