Luke 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.”

Context:In this passage, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, who were known for their strict adherence to religious rituals and external appearances of righteousness. Jesus points out their hypocrisy and emphasizes the importance of inner purity and righteousness.

Symbolism of the cup and the platter:Jesus uses the metaphor of a cup and a platter to illustrate his point. The Pharisees were meticulous about outward purity, ensuring that the vessels used for eating and drinking were ceremonially clean. However, Jesus highlights that while they focused on external cleanliness, they neglected their inner spiritual condition.

Importance of inward righteousness:Jesus emphasizes that true righteousness comes from within, not merely through external rituals or appearances. The Pharisees may have looked righteous on the outside, but their hearts were filled with greed, self-centeredness, and wickedness. This passage highlights the need for genuine transformation of the heart and the importance of aligning our inner lives with God’s standards.

Application to our lives:As believers, this passage challenges us to examine our own hearts and motives. It is not enough to go through religious motions or maintain a righteous appearance if our hearts are not truly aligned with God. We need to seek inner purity and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts, leading to a righteous life that reflects God’s love and character.

• Avoiding hypocrisy:This passage also serves as a warning against hypocrisy. Jesus confronts the Pharisees for their external show of righteousness while their internal lives were far from godly. As followers of Christ, we should strive for authenticity, avoiding hypocrisy and ensuring that our outward actions align with our inward convictions.
• The balance between external and internal:While Jesus critiques the Pharisees’ emphasis on external purity, it does not mean that external actions are unimportant. True faith should manifest in both our internal and external lives. The point is not to neglect external acts of righteousness but to ensure that they flow from a genuine and transformed heart.