Whitewashed Tombs

“‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.’” Matthew 23:27, NIV.

I visited Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya, a Buddhist university in Chiang Mai, with another Pacific Rim worker. Behind the main wat (temple) there was a large cemetery. The markers were large and ornate, and had obviously just been whitewashed. My colleague explained that this cemetery held the remains of the former kings of Chiang Mai, and had been whitewashed in honor of the Thai New Year (called Song Kran).

The cemetery was spotless, and against the blue sky it was a dazzling site. The Thai people love to make beautiful things. This is also true in the beauty they present in their worship and the veneration of leaders. I was reminded of Jesus’ reprimand of the religious leaders of Israel. They have beauty in their appearance, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones.

To the Northern Thai, these kings represent the height of power and attainment, but their end was still death. My heart ached for the people of Chiang Mai to know the path to life that only the King of Kings can give to them. I was grateful for people, like my co-worker, who are living out their faith before the Northern Thai so they might come to know Jesus.

Pray that:

God will reveal Truth (Jesus) to the people of Chiang Mai.

Attachments to culture and history will not keep the Northern Thai from making a decision to follow Jesus.

Students that come to Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya from all over North Thailand will have an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.