Day 3 – Tuesday: When Truth Hits a Nerve
A Jacked Up Holy Week - An Eight Day Devotional
📖 Matthew 23:25 (NET)
“Woe to you... hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
🎭 Why We Get Defensive
You know that feeling when someone calls you out—and they’re right? That split second of embarrassment that morphs into defensiveness, excuses, or blame-shifting? Yeah, that’s what Jesus triggered in the religious elite.
The Pharisees had mastered the performance. Outwardly holy. Inwardly hollow. Jesus saw through the layers and said what no one else dared to say: “You look clean, but you’re rotten inside.”
He didn’t say it to cancel them. He said it to wake them up.
⚙️ Our Inner Pharisee
Before we throw stones at the Pharisees, we should probably check our own cup.
We scrub the outside: Sunday smile, social media faith, work ethic, volunteer résumé. But inside? Unspoken bitterness. Addiction. Secrets. Envy. Fear. We live in a world that rewards appearance. But Jesus isn’t impressed with our filters—He’s after our freedom.
And to get there, He hits the nerve.
🫗 The Clean-Up That Counts
Cleaning the inside of the cup is slow work. It means honesty. Therapy. Apologies. Confession. Unlearning. It means we stop asking, “How do I look?” and start asking, “What’s real?”
Jesus isn’t just calling you out—He’s calling you forward. The goal isn’t exposure for shame’s sake. It’s excavation for healing.
When truth hits a nerve, it’s a sign the infection is close to the surface. Don’t push it back down. Let Him in.
🙏 Reflection Questions:
What’s a truth I’ve been resisting?
Where have I been polishing the outside of my life while neglecting the inside?
What’s the invitation Jesus might be offering through discomfort?
👉 Hit reply or share in the comments to share where God is convicting you!