I have a recipe in a cookbook that I got a long while ago called “Inside-Out Ravioli”. In case you've been living on the moon your entire life and don’t know it, ravioli consists of little pasta pockets filled with various good things like cheese and meat. In this recipe, the inside things are still there, they’re just not inside the pasta – they’re outside. It is seriously yummy. It’s yummy because even though the stuffing is on the outside, the ingredients are delicious so when what’s inside is brought outside, you get the same tasty meal.
There are lots of things in life that are great when you open them up and take out what’s inside. For example, we love to open presents because we believe what’s inside will be a good thing. If it’s not, then it’s not a good present in our estimation and we need to perhaps drop stronger hints when the next birthday or Christmas rolls around. What about molten lava cake? It looks good on the outside but is even better when you dive into it and find all that warm, ooey-gooey chocolate in the center.
There are also some things in life that aren’t so great when you open them up and take out what’s inside. Like a rotten egg. I’ve never personally come across one, but my mom grew up on a farm and the look on her face while just remembering the smell leads me to believe it is definitely not a pleasant experience. What about that stinky fruit they’re always showing on those weird food shows, the Durian? Hard to imagine that some people eat this thing considering the flesh inside the husk has been described as smelling like gym socks. What makes someone decide to put that in their mouth in the first place?? We have an aversion to opening envelopes with bills in them, smelly garbage cans, and our teenage son’s gym bag. Why? Because what’s contained in them is distasteful.
People are the same way. Some leave a great impression when we experience what’s inside them and others, not so much. Most of us have come across at least one person in our lives who just has a wonderful presence about them. We enjoy being around them. Conversely, everyone has met someone who might look great on the outside, but the minute they open their mouths to speak, they get ugly really quickly and you start looking for the nearest exit.
Sometimes, the impressions we get about people based on their outward behaviors aren’t very accurate. For example, there’s the person who puts up an angelic front to everyone in public, but turns into a tyrant at home with their families. Everyone outside the family thinks, “What a terrific person,” while the family is thinking, “If you only knew…” At the opposite end are the folks that might look quite rough around the edges or may be a little more blunt than we’d like, but upon further investigation, they have a heart of gold. Appearances can indeed be deceiving, but what’s inside is what truly defines someone.
Jesus dealt with this very thing when some religious folks pointed out some of His disciples' outward behavior that they were offended by (see Mark 7:1-23). The gist of it is this: the religious crowd had a little ceremony they did with washing their hands to get ready to eat. Jesus’ disciples skipped the ceremony and went straight to the buffet. This didn’t sit well with the church set. They assumed that the disciples were no-good because they didn’t do what was traditionally expected of people who claim to know God. Jesus proceeds to set them straight about what is most important in a person – what’s on the inside.
In other words, you can’t judge a person by what they’ve had for dinner or whether they use the dinner fork for the salad and the salad fork for the entrée. You can’t judge a book by its cover. You’ve got to look at the inside to see if there’s anything good in there. You’ve got to crack open the egg to see if you’ll be eating a fabulous ham and cheese omelet for breakfast this morning or whether you’re going to lose your appetite. It’s what’s inside that counts.
We need to remember this.
The same kind of thing happens today. Modern-day religious folks decide that there’s something wrong with the person who doesn’t do what they think good church people ought to do. They look at the outside and don’t really care to know what’s on the inside. They’ve got lots of silly rules that I can’t seem to find any basis for in Scripture. Rules like:
~ You've got to dress up to worship God.
~If you miss a church service, you’re obviously not really committed to God.
~God’s people don’t have nose piercings, black nail polish, etc., etc…
~God only approves of the following music: hymns from the 1700s and 1800s; or Southern gospel; or contemporary (yes, some contemporary music lovers are just as dogmatic), etc., etc…
~It’s not church unless you have an opening prayer, 2.5 songs (see above approved list), an offering, and a 30 to 45 minute sermon.
Really? I don’t see any of this stuff mentioned as the fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23). What do the above have to do with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”?
Someone once said that when we get to heaven, we will probably be surprised at who is there, and also at who is not there. I think they’re right…
