How to Clean for “Passover” of the Heart

Years ago I read a newspaper article that told about the Jewish women of Israel and their cleaning efforts in preparation for Passover. Jewish law required a month-long ritual cleaning of a house, purging it of all traces of hametz, or leavening, before Passover began. Women turned their houses upside down, beating rugs, emptying closets and white washing walls. They pulled clean dishes from cupboards to boil them, scrape the cracks between floor tiles and even dust spines of books, in case a family member had eaten a cookie while studying sometime during the year. One rabbi was known to lecture women saying that if there was a crumb in the kitchen hiding in the corner, she should do everything to remove it. If need be, she should take a hammer and chisel and destroy the wall until the crumb was removed. The article did mention those who regard the law with more balance, but I was fascinated by this spring-cleaning ritual.

If I were a part of that culture, I would be leading the charge to get rid of anything that might break the law. Then I could add it to my list of accomplishments.

But, thank God, I don’t have to have a perfectly clean house or be perfect to consider myself significant in God’s eyes. I am significant and important regardless of whether or not I keep my house clean—because God declares me perfect in His eyes because Jesus died for my sins and He is my Savior.

In Philippians 3:4-5, the Apostle Paul writes,

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”

Paul is recounting a long list of things he was given through his human inheritance and through self-effort. Paul says that if anyone has the right to claim success and consider himself important to his society—it is him! He did it all correctly. His parents gave him the perfect pedigree and his own deeds were impeccable.

It might be like someone saying, “I was born into a family that can trace its ancestors back to the Pilgrims. My family has always been loyal to America, and I have ancestors who signed every major document in the United States. In addition, they were all senators and congressmen. And I myself have kept the United States’ laws from my youth. In fact, I’ve been a policeman and I am now a state prosecutor. I make sure other people keep the rules and I prosecute those who don’t. Everyone says I am the toughest attorney around. I pride myself on the fact I’ve never broken a law. I even stop fully at every stop sign. I have achieved great success and maintained integrity. I am perfect and deserve every blessing there is.”

I don’t know about you but I would be ready to hit such a person. What pride in his heritage and accomplishments!

Yet, those are the sentiments of Paul before he found Christ. Paul took great pride in his pedigree and achievements. He was the Jewish epitome of success, religiously speaking.

In the same way, Paul had tried to keep his human house free from spiritual leaven. However, after repenting of his sin and trusting in Christ, he became willing to exchange his earthly values of:

• respect from others
• privileges of righteous standing
• comfort of wealth
• self-satisfaction of pride
• efforts of self.

The Apostle Paul traded them for a true satisfaction, peace, contentment, and lasting joy. He continues writing in Philippians 3:7-10:

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

If we define our worth and value based on an earthly perspective of achievements—or a clean house—then we will ultimately be disappointed. The satisfaction from such accomplishments and achievements are fleeting and dependent upon succeeding perfectly and gaining more and more.

But a heavenly perspective brings satisfaction because it is based on something much more solid: our identity as a child of God. That is a gift from God that never changes or becomes devalued. TWEET THAT!!!!

My previous posts tell you specifically what is involved in that identity. Check them out!