But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:15-18
Some people have the experience of watching as one of their children or grandchildren take on the project of raising a pig for a 4-H club or a county or state fair. They carefully work to make sure the pig gets the right food because winners frequently weigh well over 1,000 pounds and a skinny pig won’t get a ribbon. When it is about time for the pig to be judged, one of the last steps of preparation is a thorough washing. All of the dirt and debris the pig has accumulated is removed, leaving it shiny clean. But as anyone who has been part of or watched that process knows, washing the pig only changes the outside. As soon as the pig gets home and back in its pen, it will be wallowing in the mud again. After just a few minutes, any evidence that it was ever washed will be long gone.
The only kind of change that lasts is change that comes from the inside out. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were expert at appearing holy on the outside, but Jesus rightly condemned their hypocrisy, pointing out that no matter how much whitewash you use on the outside of a grave, the nature of what is buried inside doesn’t change. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). Rather than trying to gain God’s approval by making external changes, we must allow Him free rein to work on the inside.
