Luke 11:37-41 37While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him so that he might eat with him; so after going in he reclined at table. 38But when he saw, the Pharisee was amazed that he did not first wash before dinner. 39And 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. 40You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
The next passage continues the contrast and radicalness of following Jesus. Luke notes in the opening clause, while he was speaking, the continuity of ideas between this passage and the previous events when some in the crowd were questioning Jesus. The motive of the Pharisee for inviting Jesus to dinner is not clear. Some Pharisees did come to believe in Jesus. But as the story progresses and Jesus speaks at the dinner, it becomes apparent that this Pharisee and his guests were more interested in trapping Jesus in his words (verses 53-54). Another way to look at this passage is that Jesus was offering them an opportunity to repent and change their ways. His strong words should have served as a form of conviction. The Pharisee and his guests had a choice to make whether to believe Jesus and his words or to harden their hearts in rejection.
The first thing the Pharisee noticed was that Jesus did not wash his hands. Washing one’s hands before a meal was more than hygienic for the Pharisees; it had become a symbol of their piety. When Jesus did not wash his hands, the first thing the Pharisee would have thought was that Jesus was not pious, religious, pure, or obedience to the oral teachings built up around the laws of purity in the Old Testament. It may also be possible that Jesus did not wash his hands intentionally to provoke the Pharisee and his guests and to challenge their preconceived ideas.
Jesus used the situation as an opportunity to rebuke the Pharisees and help them get out of the little religious box they had made for themselves. This was a teaching opportunity carefully chosen to call them to repentance and faith. The Pharisees looked good on the outside, with clean hands, but their inside was full of greed and wickedness. Washing the cup and dish was not wrong, but not caring for the inside was what really mattered. The Pharisees were known for being “lovers of money” (16:14; 20:47). Often, pursuing personal gain is an indication of self-centeredness, which is a sign of sin.
Jesus gave the Pharisee and his guests the way they could change. They needed to make changes in their hearts and attitudes. Verse 40 refers to God who made all things. The Pharisees the answer to religious purity. It begins on the inside. If the heart is pure, then the outside will be also. Of course, hygiene is important, but that is physical and to avoid germs. Germs can be washed away. Outward acts of piety can be helpful but must be done from a clean heart and with the right motives, not to impress God or people but because of love, honor, and respect for God and all that God has created. The Pharisees had it all backward. This was an opportunity for them to get it right.
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