Luke 11:39
And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus points out that the Pharisees meticulously clean the outside of their cups and dishes, yet their inner selves are overflowing with greed and wickedness. This highlights that their obsession with outward ritual was a smokescreen, hiding a deep corruption that God truly cares about.
Jesus has just been invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee, and upon entering, he immediately sits down to eat without performing the ritual washing that was customary. This act surprises his host, prompting Jesus to address the deeper issue behind such outward observances. Jesus is exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who meticulously focus on external purity rituals like washing dishes, while their inner lives are corrupted by greed and wickedness.
Why did Jesus call out the Pharisees for their meticulous cleaning rituals? It wasn't about the dirt on their cups, but the deeper impurity they ignored.
Jesus confronts the Pharisees with a powerful analogy: they are obsessed with making the outside of their cups and dishes clean. This refers to their strict adherence to religious traditions and ceremonial washings, often going beyond what God commanded. They were known for their public displays of piety, ensuring that any vessel used for food appeared ritually pure to onlookers.
However, Jesus reveals their hypocrisy. This external cleanliness was a facade, a way to present a righteous image without genuine inner transformation. Their focus was on the visible, the ceremonial, the easily inspected aspects of their religious life.
Jesus doesn't just point out a flaw; he reveals a deep-seated corruption. What was truly filling these 'clean' cups?
While the Pharisees were diligent about external purity, Jesus declares that their 'inward part is full of greed and wickedness.' This isn't just a little dirt; it's an overflowing contamination.
'Greed' points to an insatiable desire for more – possessions, power, status. 'Wickedness' encompasses a broad range of evil, including cruelty, injustice, and deceit. Their religious observance was a cover for a heart dominated by selfish desires and ungodly actions. The food they ate, even from ritually clean vessels, was tainted because its source was often dishonest gain and their hearts were full of malice.
Jesus challenges the very foundation of the Pharisees' religious system. What does this mean for how God evaluates us?
Jesus' core argument is that God, the Creator of both the external vessel and the internal content, looks beyond superficial cleanliness. He made the inner person—the heart, the mind, the will—and He demands purity there.
The Pharisees, by prioritizing outward rituals, acted as if God was easily fooled by appearances, like a mortal who only sees the surface. Jesus reminds them (and us) that God's standard is internal righteousness, faithfulness, and love. True worship isn't about performing religious acts perfectly; it's about having a heart rightly related to God and others. The external actions should flow an inwardly cleansed life, not be a substitute for it.
Understand the original words
Kyrios · Greek Noun
A title acknowledging Jesus' authority, sovereignty, and divinity; it is the primary Greek term used to address God or Jesus as the supreme Ruler and Master of one's life.
harpagē · Greek Noun
An inordinate, selfish desire for wealth, possessions, or status; it is condemned in Scripture as a form of idolatry that displaces trust in God.
ponēria · Greek Noun
A broad term for moral evil, depravity, or malicious intent; it represents a heart that is actively turned away from God's standards of righteousness.
Jesus' sharp words to the Pharisee were not a random outburst, but part of a consistent pattern of challenging the outward religious performances that masked inner corruption, a critique deeply relevant to the tensions of his time.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Public Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, gathering disciples and teaching, healing, and challenging the religious establishment.
c. AD 28-30
Jesus' Conflicts with Pharisees
Jesus frequently engages in debates and confrontations with the Pharisees, criticizing their hypocrisy and their interpretation of the Law.
c. AD 29— this verse
Pharisee Hosts Jesus for a Meal
A Pharisee invites Jesus to his home for a meal, providing an intimate setting for Jesus to address religious hypocrisy directly.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Ministry Culminates in Jerusalem
Jesus travels to Jerusalem for the final Passover, where his confrontations with religious leaders intensify, leading to his crucifixion.
barnesLuke 11:39: "And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
See Matthew 23:25 . "Ravening." Robbery, plunder. Here the sense is that the cup and platter were filled with what had been unjustly taken from others. That is, they lived by their wickedness; their food was procured by dishonesty and extortion. This was a most terrible charge; and as it was applied, among others, to the man wh…
vincentLuke 11:39: "And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
Platter (πίνακος)The word rendered charger in Matthew 14:8, on which see note. Compare, also, παροψίς, platter, Matthew 23:25.
Jesus points out that the Pharisees meticulously clean the outside of their cups and dishes, yet their inner selves are overflowing with greed and wickedness. This highlights that their obsession with outward ritual was a smokescreen, hiding a deep corruption that God truly cares about.
Jesus has just been invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee, and upon entering, he immediately sits down to eat without performing the ritual washing that was customary. This act surprises his host, prompting Jesus to address the deeper issue behind such outward observances. Jesus is exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who meticulously focus on external purity rituals like washing dishes, while their inner lives are corrupted by greed and wickedness.
Jesus has just been invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee, and upon entering, he immediately sits down to eat without performing the ritual washing that was customary. This act surprises his host, prompting Jesus to address the deeper issue behind such outward observances. Jesus is exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who meticulously focus on external purity rituals like washing dishes, while their inner lives are corrupted by greed and wickedness.
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"And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." — Jesus points out that the Pharisees meticulously clean the outside of their cups and dishes, yet their inner selves are overflowing with greed and wickedness. This highlights that their obsession…
