Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened graves which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness. So you also indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside." Matthew 23:27 (Good News Bible)

"A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things." Matthew 23:27 (The Bible in Basic English)

Jesus is continuing to drive home the message that outward appearances are nothing. It is what is inside a person that matters. In these texts He uses whitewashed tombs as examples. The tombs look nice on the outside, but the inside is dead. It's full of bones and decaying bodies. The same is true for people. A person might look good on the outside, but their souls are dead and decaying. God doesn't want dead people. He wants living people. In Romans it says God wants us to be living sacrifices.

"I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

Too often when a person becomes a born again Christian they assume that not only has their past been swept clean, but their present life is swept clean. It is true that the past has been swept clean, but the present can only be swept clean when the body has been offered to God to use however He sees fit. Once Jesus has full control over the eyes, lips, hands, mouth, desires, etc. only then can Jesus keep the inside of our minds, hearts, and souls clean. It is a day by day act of committing everything that is ours to Jesus which makes us a living sacrifice. There is no other way.

Those who try to do it on their own and make themselves look good are nothing more than dead bones, which can do nothing to serve God. It doesn't matter how good you make yourself look, how many people admire you, or pat you on the back, you're still nothing but dead, decaying bones.

Life, a true fulfilling life, comes from sacrificing everything to God and being willing to serve wherever and in whatever manner He asks. That is being a living sacrifice.