Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. There are few things which the
Lord Jesus Christ spoke against with greater fervor than the
religious hypocrisy and deadness which was exhibited by the Pharisees.
These Pharisees were extremely moral men. They spent many hours
in prayer and the study of the Scriptures. They were sticklers
for tithing, even counting the number of leaves in their herb
gardens and systematically giving 10% of them to the Lord. They
would not even think of defiling themselves by entertaining or
conversing with a Gentile or coming near a dead body. Yet
the Lord likened them to graves. Such is the consideration of
all of the supposed righteousness of men. Well did Isaiah describe
the very noblest and highest of man's endeavors and accomplishments.
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. Men look upon the outward appearance,
but God looketh upon the heart, and he knows what is in the heart
of every man, regardless of his infidelity or his professed religiosity. If he considers even the most
sincere and devoted thoughts of men as filthy rags, then where
does that leave us as we contemplate our own depravity? From the sole
of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it,
but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed,
neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Thus the Lord
describes these holiest of men as unmarked graves and whitewashed
tombs. Those who have been taught by
the Holy Ghost to know themselves can testify that they too can
be described as such. Unmarked graves. To these Pharisees,
an unmarked grave is indicative of the fact that the innate religious
nature of man is like a deep hole over which some sticks covered
with leaves and grass have been placed. A man who is sincerely
desirous of avoiding the dead can nonetheless fall into this
pit because he cannot see it for what it is and cannot readily
tell where to step. Religion, especially modern Christianity
so-called, is a snare and stumbling block from which few are ever
rescued. The Lord said that the Pharisees
encompassed land and sea to make proselytes, and after they had
succeeded, they made those who were thus converted even worse
off than before. The average churchgoer today
has been lulled to sleep with the sweet lullaby of free will
and universal atonement. But there are a fair number who
have gone to sleep on the enchanted ground of supposed sound doctrine
and practice, which they embrace in the letter but are strangers
to the inner working of the Holy Ghost, who produces fruit of
the Spirit in those that he teaches. Those who are the subjects of
the Spirit's teaching are not unmarked graves. But as the Lord
said, he is the light of the world. A city that is set on
a hill cannot be hid. Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. And then he called them whited
sepulchers. It was common practice in Bible times to whitewash the
outside of a tomb to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
The Lord called the Pharisees whited sepulchers because they,
like natural religious men, desired to make themselves appear to
be holy in the sight of men, when in reality their hearts
were far from the Lord. Man is attracted to religion
because it affords him the opportunity to appear righteous in a measure.
It is within the power of men to join the church, but it requires
the work of God to be placed in the church, whose names are
written in heaven. A man can attend the meetings
of the church and even be involved, but only the Lord can cause him
to worship in spirit and truth. A man can become well-versed
in doctrine, history, and tradition, but only the Spirit of God can
conform him to the image of Christ. A man can be dipped in water,
but only the Lord can baptize him with fire. A man can say,
I'm sorry, but only the Lord can perform a work of repentance
in a man that needeth not to be repented of. A man may teach
others and even gain a following, but only the Lord can lead a
man into all truth. The Savior empties whom he fills
and quickens whom he slays. Our legal hope he kindly kills
to teach us gospel praise. He wraps in frowns as well as
smiles some tokens of his love, and if he wounds or if he heals,
in both his grace we prove. No sooner we begin to mourn and
feel a broken heart, but Jesus cries, return, return, and let
me heal thy smart. My legal self may Jesus kill
and make my heart alive. My guilty wounds may Jesus heal
and make my spirit thrive. Are you an unmarked grave or
a whitewashed tomb? Only the Lord can deliver you.
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