‘Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!’ ( Matthew 23:26 ) Jesus values the cleanliness of the heart rather than the cleanliness on the outside. ‘The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be!’ ( Matthew 6: 22-23 ) Jesus used eyes to represent the light within ourselves. ‘And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.’ ( Matthew 18:9 ) This light needs to be well preserved, or we will fall easily. ‘How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God a tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practise, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain a fly out of your drink, but swallow a camel!’ ( Matthew 23:23-24 ) Jesus does not mean the behaviour that can be seen is unimportant, but the behaviour that is seen by everyone means nothing if there is lack of holiness deep in one’s heart. God looks at the heart.