What's in Your Cup?

You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:24-28 ESV).

I was trying to counsel a young man the other day that was less than receptive to taking advice. He said he wanted help, but in fact he wanted someone to fix his problems. He said he wanted advice, but instead he wanted to be right. Here was someone who was broke and had no job. His life wasn’t working. You’d think he would be willing to learn, but sadly, this was not the case.

It reminded me of the story of the young mystic who traveled a great distance to study at the feet of a revered sage. When the young man arrived, he proceeded to try and impress the master with how much he knew and how wise he was. Instead of asking questions, the student ranted on about his beliefs and philosophies. The master listened quietly for a long while. Finally, the student stopped talking for a few moments. The master asked his guest if he would like some tea. "Why, yes," the young man replied. The old man began to pour the tea into his visitor’s cup. But he didn’t stop when the cup was full. He continued to pour as the tea overflowed into the saucer and then onto the tabletop where it began to run out on the floor. "Stop!" the young man said. "The cup is full. Can’t you see? It can hold no more." "It’s true," the wise one said. "We cannot put more into an already full cup. And you are like that cup. Until you empty yourself of yourself, your fullness will prevent you from learning."

At times we can all be a bit like the young man. We sometimes have to let go of what we think we know in order to embrace new ideas. We’re always free to pick up our old beliefs and "knowings" at a later time, but we need to be open in order to look at things in a new way. We need to approach knowledge with the wonder and openness of a child. This way, we keep from missing important lessons and learning helpful life strategies. It’s not easy, but we CAN learn to suspend our habits in order to listen with a clear and open mind. If we do, we won’t be one of those people referred to when people use the cliché, "You can’t teach an old dog new tricks."

Jesus’ most severe warning came to that he called “hypocrites.” They were those who had a closed mind and refused to explore anything new simply because it was new. New is NOT always better. However, new is not always wrong either. Empty yourself of your pride and arrogance and examine the truth of God in the things you experience today. Then you will have the joy of new birth constantly building itself in your life. The Christian life is meant to be dynamic, not static.