As Christ speaks about the importance of clear sight, pressing home the need to grasp and respond to the truth of God, a Pharisee invites him for a meal. Disturbed by Christ's neglect of the proper ritual cleansing, the Pharisee and his friends are confronted by Christ about the need to take account of the inside as well as the outside in pursuing true cleanliness. The occasion for this dispute is the meal- the offence lies in Christ's failure to wash his hands as the Pharisees expected- the real omission, though, is in the Pharisees neglect of the inner man in their concern for holiness, the prioritising of religious appearance over spiritual substance.

The Scripture says, -Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame- -Rom 10-11-. With all the certainty of the Word of God, an apostle quoting and interpreting a prophet, we see, first, the danger we face, that we shall be put to shame, confounded and exposed. Then, there is the Saviour God gives, the crucified and risen Jesus, providing a perfect righteousness which covers us before God. And we must not lose sight of the invitation held out- this is for whoever believes, for everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ will not and cannot be put to shame.

Christ, in himself and by his works, offers the clearest proofs of divine power and wisdom at work, and yet the people demand a sign. In response, the Lord delivers a sobering rebuke about the only sign they will have being that of the prophet Jonah- he declares a stark warning about the way the Queen of the South and the Ninevites will condemn the people on the day of judgment- and, he depicts a spiritual reality, the importance of clear perception if our lives are to reflect the true light of the gospel of Christ.