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25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:25-26. Christ, in His own words, rebukes the religious leaders. They follow strict oral rules about where to wash and clean and how to clean the pots, pans, and utensils used to eat with. Making sure all were spotless. Christ's point is they spent a great amount of time and effort to make sure everything was clean, that they ate and drank from. But what they were eating and drinking came by oppression and rapine. Rapine is the taking of property by force. They acquired their wealth by unjust claims on widows houses, oppressing the fatherless, the poor, and needy. The point is they taught to make an outward appearance of a pure and clean soul, but inside out of sight, the soul was a vessel so filthy it was like leprosy. The lesson is we can fool man from what is hidden. But God sees inside and out and is not deceived by looks. For He knows the deep hidden things of our hearts. If the mind and the heart are in right standing with God, at the last breath, it will matter very little what the body looks like. Amen.