29 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the tzaddikim, 30 and you say, ‘Had we lived when our fathers did, we would never have taken part in killing the prophets.’ 31 In this you testify against yourselves that you are worthy descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead then, finish what your fathers started!
21st Week in Ordinary TimeYou are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. (Matthew 23:27)
What would you think if someone called you a “whitewashed tomb”? If you had lived during Jesus’ times, you would have been terribly insulted. In his era, tombs were usually carved into a rocky hillside and protected from marauders by a heavy stone door. Often times these tombs were hidden in the landscape, which could be inconvenient because Judaic tradition believed that any contact with a tomb—especially the bones or bodies inside a tomb—would render someone “unclean.” The purification process after such contact could take up to seven days.
So to help prevent accidental contact with a tomb, every year around the beginning of March, graves were whitewashed, or marked with lime powder, which would give them a beautiful whitish glow. And so the tombs would become more conspicuous, keeping people from accidently rendering themselves unclean.
As we see, Jesus is being extremely graphic in his words with the scribes and Pharisees—both graphic and pointed. Such an insult must have had a shocking effect on his audience. Even today, the term “whitewash” is used to indicate when someone is deliberately covering up his or her mistakes.
Jesus doesn’t want us to be whitewashed tombs either. He doesn’t want us to project a fake glowing façade that hides any interior mess. He doesn’t want us to try to cover up our mistakes and pretend we are someone we aren’t. No, Jesus wants us to be real, inside and out. He wants us to find the courage to open up the unclean parts of our lives and ask for his help.
Here is one way to lower your guard and let Jesus in. The next time you receive the Living Bread at Mass, tell Jesus about one area of your life that needs some attention. Imagine him entering that part of your heart and scrubbing it clean. As you keep praying, see if you can sense his presence. What is he saying to you? How is he helping you? Finally, listen as he tells you how beautiful and valuable you are. You are not a whitewashed tomb; you are his beloved child!
“Dear Lord, open my heart, and clean it out with your unconditional love.” Amen!
1 Thessalonians 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship, how we worked night and day not to put a burden on any of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless our behavior was in the sight of you believers; 11 for you know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his children — 12 we encouraged you and comforted you and appealed to you to lead lives worthy of God, who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
13 Another reason we regularly thank God is that when you heard the Word of God from us, you received it not merely as a human word, but as it truly is, God’s Word, which is at work in you believers.
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
12 even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.
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