Chapter

Luke 11:39

ESV 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.
NIV Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
NASB But the Lord said to him, 'Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inside is full of greed and wickedness.
CSB But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil.
NLT Then the Lord said to him, 'You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness!
KJV 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.
NKJV Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.

What does Luke 11:39 mean?

Jesus accepts an invitation to dine with a Pharisees and other lawyers. Jesus immediately horrifies His host by not adhering to the extra-biblical rule of ceremonially washing hands before a meal (Luke 11:37–38). Jesus now responds.

This metaphor is particularly appropriate. The Pharisees rinse their hands before a meal, but their hearts are still darkened: unclean. Jesus' reference to "cleanse" and "clean" follow the Pharisees' ceremonial interpretation. If an unclean insect fell onto a cup or plate, no Pharisaical tradition-abiding Jew would just wipe off the outside. A wooden bowl would be thoroughly cleaned and a ceramic bowl would be broken and thrown away (Leviticus 11:32–33). Jesus implies that these Pharisees are more concerned about how they look—how they're perceived by others—than how they really are.

Jesus elaborates on His charge of "greed and wickedness" at other times. He warns the disciples that the "scribes"—the lawyers of the Pharisees—"devour widows' houses" (Luke 20:47). They value the money in the temple more than the temple itself (Matthew 23:16–22). And they keep money that should go to the care of their elderly parents by "promising" it to the temple (Mark 7:9–13).

This event is not found in the other Gospels, but Matthew records Jesus saying similar words to His disciples shortly before the crucifixion (Matthew 23:25–26).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: