No. 5. Scrubbing the Box.
HOW silly we should think anyone who called a cup clean which was only washed outside, and was still full of dirty water? This is a lesson which the missionaries are always trying to teach the people of India; that the inside is of more consequence than the outside, that it is the heart which must be cleansed from sin, not only the person’s ways made better.
Here is a little story which may help you to understand just what I mean.
It was the middle of the day in the city of Benares. Up and down the steps leading to the river Ganges, toiled a great Many more pilgrims than at other times. The priests standing on the bank were very, busy putting yellow or red idol paint-marks on the foreheads of the worshippers, and selling marigolds and other offerings for the sacred river.
The reason of this large crowd was that there was an eclipse. The poor people had been taught that if they bathed in’ the river Ganges during the time the sun was hidden, and gave money to the Brahmins, all their sins would be forgiven.
Whenever a crowd of heathen meets for any special purpose, the missionary comes and tries to talk to them about Jesus, the only Saviour from sin. So on the day, of the eclipse he was there, and presently he told them this story:
“A dhobie (that is a washerman) and his wife, lived in this great city, and he went down and bathed in the Ganges to have his sins washed away. As he and his wife stood in the water, he thought, ‘If, washing my body makes my heart clean, I know what I will do. There is that big box with all the dirty clothes in it. I will bring the box down to the river and scrub it; and that will make the clothes inside clean.’ The box was fetched, and the man scrubbed until his arms ached; but when he opened the box, the dirty clothes in it, were as dirty as ever, and still needed washing. “So,” said the missionary “will your hearts be dirty in God’s sight, in spite of all your bathing, till you come to Jesus and ask Him to take your sins away. Only when He cleanses it, will it indeed be white as snow.”
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”
“Man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord seeth the heart.”
“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
“The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
“Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
ML 03/24/1912