Now
as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces.
Luke 11:37-43
Luke 11 [33.] “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”
Luke 11 [37.] Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
Luke 11 [45.] One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just warned the crowd to make sure that the light within them is not darkness (Luke 11:33-36). Now, at a Pharisee’s dinner table, he exposes a religion that looks bright on the outside but is dark within. These verses begin a series of woes on the Pharisees and the experts in the law that continues to the end of the chapter (Luke 11:44-46; Luke 11:47-54).
- “he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner”
The washing in question was not about hygiene but ritual purity. Mark explains, “For the Pharisees and all the Jews, don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:3). These washings were not commanded in the law of Moses but had been added by tradition. Jesus deliberately did not follow them, which opened the way for his teaching.
- “you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter”
Jesus uses a vivid picture. A cup washed carefully on the outside but left dirty inside is useless. The Pharisees were careful about outward purity, yet inside they were “full of extortion and wickedness.” Matthew records the same rebuke: “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also” (Matthew 23:26).
- “didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?”
God created the whole person, body and heart. He cares about what is inside. When Samuel was choosing a king, God told him, “For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus then gives the remedy: “give for gifts to the needy those things which are within.” Generosity that flows from a changed heart makes a person truly clean.
- “For you tithe mint and rue and every herb”
The law required a tenth of the produce of the land to be given to God. The Pharisees went so far as to tithe the tiny garden herbs used in cooking. Jesus does not condemn their care; he says, “You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.” What he condemns is that they bypassed “justice and the love of God,” the heart of the law. Matthew speaks of “the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23).
- “For you love the best seats in the synagogues”
The best seats in the synagogue faced the congregation, where everyone could see who sat there. Public greetings in the market honoured important men. The Pharisees loved this recognition. Jesus later warns the disciples about the scribes who love the same things (Mark 12:38-39).
The Significance of Luke 11:37-43
- Inside first
God is not impressed by outward religion alone. Prayer, church attendance and good habits matter, but they must flow from a heart made clean by God.
- Keeping the main thing the main thing
It is possible to be careful about small details while neglecting justice and love. Believers are called to do both, but never to let lesser things replace the greater.
- Seeking God’s approval
Love of recognition is a quiet danger for anyone in religious life. Jesus calls his followers to seek the honour that comes from God.
Cross-References:
Matthew 23:26: "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also." Matthew’s parallel.
Matthew 23:23: "and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith." The heart of the law.
1 Samuel 16:7: "For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart." God sees within.
Mark 7:3: "don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders." The tradition of washing.
Conclusion: At a Pharisee’s table Jesus did not perform the ritual washing, and he used the moment to show that God looks at the heart. The Pharisees cleaned the outside of the cup while their hearts were full of greed; they tithed the smallest herbs but neglected justice and the love of God; and they loved public honour. Jesus calls for inner cleansing that shows itself in generosity, justice and love.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible