August 25, 2010
It’s Not About the Lipstick
Luke 11:37-54
Truby McDougal
Central Truth
God wants us to focus on the inside and be transformed from the inside out, not change the outside hoping the inside will be transformed, too.
Key Verse | Luke 11:39–40
But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?" (Luke 11:39-40)
Luke 11:37-54
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 While Jesus 1 11:37 Greek he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Dive Deeper | Luke 11:37-54
More than once, I’ve heard Todd Wagner say:
“If you like what you’ve got, keep doing what you’re doing. But, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re not going to like what you get.”
“God’s not trying to rip you off. He’s trying to set you free.”
But as I read Luke 11:37-54, I was reminded of one of my favorites: ”If you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.” Translation? If you just pretty-up the outside, the inside will probably stay the same. Action? You can’t hide what’s inside from God, so focus on it first, and the rest will come.
Seven times, Jesus said, “Woe to you!,” warning the Pharisees and lawyers about partial obedience (11:42), pride (11:43), and hypocrisy (11:46), to name a few. The Pharisees had taken the focus off what God truly desired and humanized it to something that they could measure and control. What happened was they became corrupt through their motives, and the result was separation away from God instead of growth toward God.
Unfortunately, I’ve often fallen into the same trap of letting my selfish desires get in the way or guide my pursuit of Christ. I've chosen things that appear to be good on the outside while the motive behind it was not 100% biblical. Signing up to lead a group for Summit (Watermark's Bible study for men) and not investing enough time in the men in my group (pride), hurrying through my “daily” time in God’s Word and not meditating and praying on it to see how it applies to me that day (partial obedience), encouraging others to spend time praying with their wives when I’m not consistent (hypocrisy).
All of these examples look good on the outside (the lipstick), but the inside, the heart under it all, can still be pursuing these things for the wrong reasons (the pig). So I must focus on my heart (a/k/a the pig—the inside of the cup). If my heart is pursuing Christ, oneness with my wife, and discipleship of others, then the outside will be as it should be.
Discussion Questions
1. What "pig" are you putting lipstick on that is stopping you from fully surrendering to God? (What hurt, habit, or hang-up are you covering up that is not allowing your full devotion to God?)
2. Who in your life can you ask to help you remove the lipstick and focus on the pig? (Who knows you well enough to help hold you accountable?)
3. What are some practical steps you can take today to remove the pig? (What can you pray to turn over to God that will allow your heart to start to be transformed?)
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Try this object lesson with your kids based on verse 39. Take a dirty bowl (or pan) and comment to your kids how dirty it is. Proceed to wash the dirty bowl, but only on the outside. When you are finished washing, comment on how clean and shiny the outside is. Ask for your kids’ opinions on whether the bowl is clean. When they tell you it is still dirty, wash it again on the outside. When they continue to tell you it is still dirty say, “I washed it twice now. It is clean on the outside. What else do I need to do?” They should tell you that you still need to clean it on the inside. Talk about how we are like the dirty bowl. We have an outside (our behavior) and an inside (our heart). Sometimes, we can look clean on the outside because we do the right things, but inside our hearts are dirty and selfish.
2. Read 1 Samuel 16:7 with your kids and discuss how God is most concerned about our hearts. How can we get clean on the inside? See 2 Corinthians 5:17 for the answer.