Matthew 23:27-28
Jesus said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

Yikes! Jesus is throwing shade at the scribes and pharisees! While Jesus was a wise teacher, a lover of peace, a supernatural healer, and well, God, there are a number of occasions in which he lays the smack-down of truth on people. This is definitely one of them. At face value it might not seem like there is much to be gained here for you and me 2,000 years later. But… there just might be a profoundly important message here for all of us.

Being a part of a christian community is an amazing and vital part of the christian life. However, over the years I’ve observed a trend that I believe to be super relevant to this passage. What does it “look like” to be a Christian?

The problem is hidden in the question. We’re trying to “look like” Christians. Regardless of what denomination you are a member of, you have likely observed that the community you are a part of has unspoken expectations about physical appearance and behavior that have nothing to do with the Gospel. Maybe you’re in a community that places an unhealthy importance on wearing a suit and tie for Sunday worship. Maybe you’re a part of a community that takes pride in an unhealthy emphasis of “exhibiting” the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Whether you resonate with these examples or can think of your own, the bottom line is, the trap. The trap of “fitting in” and being “accepted” by the people around you.

The fundamental problem with this is we can inadvertently find ourselves working to emulate the people around us instead of working to emulate Christ. God made every person uniquely. Moreover, all of our life experiences and varying journeys have made us all even more unique than we started out. The one constant we should be striving for is to emulate the love, power, sacrifice and humility of Christ - ESPECIALLY when no one’s looking.