Matthew 23:25-26
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Pharisees meticulously cleaned the outside of their cups and plates, symbolizing their outward show of religious observance, yet Jesus reveals the deeper truth: the contents – the very things they consumed and profited from – were tainted by greed and injustice, showing their internal corruption was the true defilement.
Jesus is in the midst of delivering a series of pronouncements, known as "woes," directly to the scribes and Pharisees. He has just condemned their hypocrisy in meticulously observing minor aspects of the law, like tithing herbs, while neglecting its weightier matters such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This verse continues that critique, using the imagery of clean vessels to expose their focus on outward appearances over inner reality.
Ever feel like you're performing for others, putting on a good show while your insides are a mess? Jesus calls out this exact behavior.
Jesus uses a powerful image here: cleaning the outside of a cup and plate. Think of it like polishing the silverware until it gleams, but never washing the food inside. The scribes and Pharisees were masters of this outward show.
What fills your 'cup' and 'plate' on the inside? Jesus warns that what's hidden can be far more destructive than what's seen.
The core of Jesus' accusation isn't just what they missed, but what they filled themselves with instead. The 'inside' of their cups and plates represent their hearts, motives, and actions.
Understand the original words
harpagēs · Greek Noun
An intense craving for more, specifically wealth or possessions. It is condemned in Scripture as a form of idolatry that prioritizes material gain over the worship and service of God.
akrasias · Greek Noun
The lack of restraint or self-control regarding desires and passions. It reflects a life driven by personal indulgence rather than submission to the Holy Spirit and divine wisdom.
This passage presents Jesus using a very similar metaphor, directly addressing the Pharisees' outward purity versus inward corruption, highlighting the consistent theme of hypocrisy.
Matthew 23:27Jesus compares the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but full of death and decay within, reinforcing the 'clean outside, dirty inside' principle.
Psalm 73:13This Psalm reflects on the prosperity of the wicked, a theme that resonates with the Pharisees' outward success despite their inner corruption, questioning God's justice until the psalmist's perspective shifts.
1 Samuel 16:7This verse from Samuel emphasizes that God looks at the heart, directly contrasting with the Pharisees' focus on outward appearance, showing God's true standard for purity.
Titus 1:15This New Testament passage describes believers whose minds and consciences are defiled, even though they claim to know God, mirroring the internal corruption hidden beneath a religious facade.
vincentMatthew 23:25: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."
Platter (παροψίδος)παρά, beside, ὄψον, meat. A side-dish, with the accompanying sense of something dainty; later, as here, the dish itself as distinguished from its contents.Excess (ἀκρασίας)ἀ, not, κράτος, power. Hence conduct which shows a want of power over one's self' incontinence or intemperance.
barnesMatthew 23:25: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."
The cup and the platter - The drinking-cup and the dish containing food. The Pharisees were diligent in observing all the washings and obligations required by their traditions. See the notes at Mark 7:4 . Full of extortion and excess - The outside appeared well; the inside was filled with the fruit of extortion, oppressi…
The Pharisees meticulously cleaned the outside of their cups and plates, symbolizing their outward show of religious observance, yet Jesus reveals the deeper truth: the contents – the very things they consumed and profited from – were tainted by greed and injustice, showing their internal corruption was the true defilement.
Jesus is in the midst of delivering a series of pronouncements, known as "woes," directly to the scribes and Pharisees. He has just condemned their hypocrisy in meticulously observing minor aspects of the law, like tithing herbs, while neglecting its weightier matters such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This verse continues that critique, using the imagery of clean vessels to expose their focus on outward appearances over inner reality.
Jesus is in the midst of delivering a series of pronouncements, known as "woes," directly to the scribes and Pharisees. He has just condemned their hypocrisy in meticulously observing minor aspects of the law, like tithing herbs, while neglecting its weightier matters such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This verse continues that critique, using the imagery of clean vessels to expose their focus on outward appearances over inner reality.
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"“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outsid…" — The Pharisees meticulously cleaned the outside of their cups and plates, symbolizing their outward show of religious observance, yet Jesus reveals the deeper truth: the contents – the very things t…
