Summary
Jesus highlights the hypocrisy of the Pharisees by criticizing their focus on outward rituals, such as washing, while neglecting inner righteousness and genuine compassion. He admonishes them for their obsession with appearances and their failure to embrace justice and love, emphasizing the need for internal purity and authentic spiritual practice.
The teaching highlights Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees for focusing on external rituals like handwashing, while neglecting the internal purity of heart and mind. Jesus emphasizes that true cleanliness and spiritual well-being come from aligning one's actions with inner integrity and charity, rather than merely adhering to outward practices.
The teaching criticizes the Pharisees and lawyers for their hypocrisy and self-righteousness, highlighting their focus on outward actions while neglecting essential spiritual virtues like judgment and the love of God. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for being like hidden graves that deceive others with their appearance and reproaches the lawyers for burdening others with laws and expectations they themselves do not uphold.
Jesus taught that true greatness comes from being a servant and emphasized humility over self-promotion, contrasting the Pharisees, who burdened others without offering help and sought public admiration through outward displays of piety. He criticized their practices, such as enlarging phylacteries and garment borders, aimed at showcasing their supposed righteousness, and warned against seeking honorific titles like "Rabbi" to emphasize equality among followers as all are brethren under Christ as the single Master.
Jesus teaches that distinctions in titles, such as "Rabbi" or "Pastor," should be avoided as all believers are equal under one teacher, Christ, and titles can lead to unhealthy separation and authority. He criticizes the Pharisees for honoring prophets with tombs, while highlighting their continued participation in the legacy of persecuting God's messengers, ultimately predicting their rejection of Him and the fulfillment of their ancestors' actions.
Jesus warned that the blood of all the prophets, from Abel to Zechariah, who were killed throughout history, would be accounted for in the judgment against the generation that ultimately crucified Him, resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Despite His offer of protection and salvation, the nation rejected Him, leading to prolonged suffering until they would eventually recognize those who come in His name.
Jesus' Interaction with the Pharisees
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Okay. After talking about light and dark, Jesus has a direct face to face with the Pharisees. So let’s reread our text for the day beginning at verse 37.
Luke 11.37-51
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
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.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Context of the Pharisees' Meal
Okay back to verse 37:
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
While he was addressing the people, and particularly while he was reproving that generation and declaring that it was headed for destruction, a “certain Pharisee.” We know by now who the Pharisees were but for some reason, this one wanted to investigate Jesus more closely or learn more from Him and so he invited Jesus to eat with him and Jesus, for some reason, agreed. Some think that the Pharisee used this as a way to draw Jesus away from the crowds and his preaching and reaching to them. If this was his intention I doubt Jesus would have been duped by it. In other words, I would believe that Jesus had the reason for going with the Pharisee and not the other way around.
The Jews, as well as the Greeks and Romans, had two primary meals. The first was about ten or eleven o'clock in the morning and was not heavy but consisted of fruit, milk, cheese etc. The second meal was eaten around three in the afternoon and this was the primary meal of the day. It appears that it was the first meal taking place. The Pharisee, from what we can see, appears to have some evil designs and yet Jesus didn’t refuse the invite. What we do see from the Lord in this is just because the man was a Pharisee Jesus did not decline. Secondly, it seems that whenever He had a chance to do good he did it. And so they sat down to eat. (Verse 38)
38 And when the Pharisee saw it (that Jesus sat down) he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. He was amazed (probably at how improper it was) that Jesus sat down without performing the expected, demanded, ritual of first washing himself. The practice of washing
External Cleanliness vs. Internal Purity
Before meals, the act of washing was especially important when a Jew had engaged with the masses of the Great Unwashed – the sinners, publicans, and Gentiles, as they saw their very existence as polluting. Therefore, they never ate without washing. This was developed in part because they did not use forks and knives but their hands to eat their food. Of course, washing before eating with one's hands is pretty normal, but the Pharisees made it a demanded ritual and would treat those who did not obey it with disdain. Why? Because all hands were reaching into shared plates and bowls and the germs were then being shared with others.
Jesus was making a point here, and His points were always to the souls involved and not the earthly practices of hygiene. Remember, His Kingdom was NOT of this world – so his dictates were speaking to the world inside, the world of the heart, the world above. It is to this angle that Jesus now replies to this particular pharisee, saying at verse 39:
39 Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
Jesus admits to the external cleanliness of the Pharisees – they clean everything up on the surface, BUT their inward parts, meaning their hearts and minds, in my estimation, are full of what the King James calls, Ravening and wickedness. The Greek for those terms means extortion and pillage and depravity – heavy terms and they relate to robbing people of their material well being and preying upon them as a means to do this. “Sure, you wash your hands, as a means to appear clean and upright, but your hearts are evil and filthy.”
Fools and Inner Wickedness
Then Jesus adds:
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
Essentially, he is telling them that their conduct – the external appearances and washings – are a cloak for their sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., which emanates from within them – from their souls. And because this is the approach they take to living their lives, Jesus begins by saying: “You fools.” As an FYI, when Jesus says whoever calls their brother fools are in danger of hellfire (in Matthew 5) that Greek word is Moros, and means blockhead or moron – meaning it’s a personal insult. Here when he calls the Pharisees fools (as translated in the King James) the term is Af-rone, and the word is a bit softer and means, “unwise, due to wickedness.”
In other words, because of their wickedness they are unwise in their conduct, LIKE trying to hide their sinful nature by over-emphasizing the importance of cleaning the hands or cups. Then Jesus adds: “did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?” Of course, he is speaking of God – did not God who made the external of a person ALSO make the internal? As if to say, “You Pharisees take great pains to cleanse the body, under a pretense of pleasing God. Did he not also make the mind? and is it not of as much importance that it should be as pure as that the body should?”
Giving from the Whole Person
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
This is a difficult passage as far as I can tell. And the commentators all interpret it a bit differently. Jesus has charged them with robbery and of being polluted in their minds and hearts. I think that here in verse 41 he is saying the following: Instead of being how I described you, as being full of extortion and depredations, GIVE alms of such things as you have. And what such things are these? He has just told them that God made both the external and the internal of them – and so that is what I think Jesus is speaking of them giving alms FROM their whole being – what they possess and what is in their heart and minds, and then he adds: “and, behold, all things are clean unto you,” meaning, you will stop focusing on the external cleaning of the hands but will have focused on the internal cleaning of the heart and mind too, and when you do this, behold, everyone, everything will be clean unto you.
However, having given this somewhat complex (for us to understand) advice to them, where again, Jesus says: You ought to give of your whole person – what is without and what
The Woes of the Pharisees and Lawyers
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
In other words, they were willing to give and tithe on the herbs and rue (a small garden plant that was used as medicine). But they would pass over judgment and the love of God, which are things they ought to have done along with the tithe paying on the plants for the workers in the temple’s well-being. Again, the external was the giving of a tenth of the plants, but they ignored the giving of the internal – judgment and the love of God! This was the Pharisees' manner and way. And it was hypocritical and troubling to the LORD.
Woes to the Pharisees
So, he warns them with the first “WOE!” a word that means alas and is an expression of grief toward someone or a situation. This first woe seems to have launched him into what I call the “WOE-FOR” series and at verse 43 we get woe number 2 as he says:
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
To understand this, we have to remember that it was the custom among the Jews to eat reclining on couches. The table was made up of several raised tables with an open space in the middle of them and one of them was chief or most accessible to the conversation and food. But while this is what it means, the principle remains the same with most humans – we love having or sitting in the best seats at things, right? Again, it speaks to the core of the self and flesh – which the Pharisees seem to have strongly fed much to the chagrin of Jesus. And then he adds:
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
The Hypocrisy Compared to Hidden Tombs
In Matthew 23:27, Jesus tells the Pharisees that they exactly resembled white-washed tombs. In that day they would whitewash tombstones so that no Jew would step on the grave not realizing it was below their feet. But here he says they are like hidden tombs, graves which were not distinguished by any outward demarcation or color and ones that were not elevated above the ground, so that those who walked over them did not consider what corruption was within.
In other words, in this situation he accuses them of being hidden, under the colors of hypocrisy, which covered their iniquity and which would cause passersby to step on them (engage with them) not even knowing that they stood on a dead person. I’ve never really considered this application and find it an interesting twist.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
Another way to say this is: “In your saying these things you insult us (the scribes of the Law) also.” I checked the Greek and other translations of it and the best way to understand the apparent meaning of this is the Scribe or Lawyer was joining himself and the group He was with to those of the Pharisees and saying in other words: “Lord, when you say these things to them you are also saying them to us.”
What this did was cause Jesus to redirect his comments and focus now on them, and so he says at verse 46:
46 “Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.”
The line, “for ye lade or bind burdens grievous to be born, etc. probably comes from the custom of loading animals where the cargo – whatever it is – is bound up then placed on the beast. Jesus applies this practice to the Pharisees who take weighty burdens – demands, manipulations, guilt – and insist others carry them but they offer them no assistance, “they touch not the burdens with one of their fingers.”
In Acts 15:10 Peter described such things, saying that "neither our fathers nor we were able to bear." Of course, the Pharisees strictly required that all the people should pay the temple tax, give of their property…
Jesus' Teachings vs. Pharisaical Attitudes
The Pharisees were known for their strict adherence to the law and their self-righteous behavior, believing themselves too holy and advanced to assist others. In contrast, Jesus taught that greatness comes from being a servant and that it is more blessed to give than to receive, as stated in Acts 20:35.
Matthew expands on this by describing how the Pharisees burdened others without helping. Jesus criticized them for doing works to be seen by men, broadening their phylacteries, and enlarging the borders of their garments—all for self-promotion rather than genuine piety. This desire to be seen and honored, while treating others as inferior, exemplifies the Pharisaical mindset. Their actions, such as broadening phylacteries, were meant to display religious commitment but ultimately sought to elevate themselves above others.
The Significance of Phylacteries and Garment Borders
Phylacteries, small parchment containing passages from Exodus and Deuteronomy, were tied to the body as a form of spiritual protection. The Pharisees exaggerated the size of their phylacteries and the borders of their garments, which were supposed to remind them of God's commandments, to show a presumed deeper respect for the law.
The Love for Public Honor
The Pharisees also sought out prestigious positions at feasts and in synagogues, as well as public greetings in markets where they were addressed as "Rabbi." This title, signifying authority and superiority, was a coveted form of acknowledgment among Jews, reinforcing their self-perceived eminence.
Understanding Titles and Hierarchies
Which is what all of this amounted to – pride. There were three titles in use among the Jews–Rab, Rabbi, and Rabban–denoting different degrees of learning and ability, just like academic degrees do among us. But Jesus says to this:
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
No titles of distinction – that is what Jesus said. And the reason he gives are two: “For ONE is your master, even Christ, AND all of you are brothers.” It is for this reason I am not fond of being called, Pastor. We are all in the same fold, with one shepherd, and we are all brothers and sisters. Titles are just another step to making distinctions, which lead to separation, and authority – where there is none.
The Pharisees and Their Fathers
Back to Luke 11:47 where Jesus continues His woes about the Pharisees, now speaking about their fathers, sepulchers and the prophets, saying:
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
Maybe you caught this but this is a true Hebrew style of speaking. Chaiasmus. Ready? On board:
1 for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets,
2 and your fathers killed them.
CENTER “Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers”
2 for they indeed killed them,
1 and ye build their sepulchers
In other words, when we make a place to bury the dead, even though the Pharisees of Jesus' day were doing so ceremoniously and not in reality for a prophet put to deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., we are playing a role in that person's DEATH. What Jesus is saying is your fathers put the prophets to death and you show the same heart for them by ceremoniously providing them burials – even today!
Jesus' Message to the Pharisees
In other words, Jesus was not buying into their public profession of allegiance to the prophets of old by their making them tombs. They, like their fathers, would have put the prophets to death had they been living in their day and age, is the point. In Matthew’s account of the woes, Jesus adds to them:
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Which seems to be a prediction of what they were about to do to Him.
Prophets and Persecution
When the prophets of Old spoke by the Spirit the Pharisees' fathers put them to death, is what he is saying. Now He was there and so were they – and so he tells them to fill up the measure of their fathers, meaning:
Go ahead – do what they do – and kill yet another person God sends to speak by the Spirit. And this is what they will do – in the end.
At verse 49, Jesus explains that this was the wisdom of God at play, saying in verse 49-51:
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Jump back to verse 49:
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Nowhere in the Tanakh does the wisdom of God say, “I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, so Jesus obviously means something different here when he says,
“Therefore also said the wisdom of God.”
Some think this is a liberal paraphrase of Proverbs 8, which speaks about the Wisdom of God, but to me that is a stretch. So, what do we say? Jesus is called the word of God (in John 1:1) and because when He was on earth He spoke for God, it could be that Jesus was referring to what He was saying then and there AS being the wisdom of God. This seems to be the reasonable interpretation of the words here. So . . .
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Judgment Upon a Nation
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of…this generation;
And then he reiterates
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
In order to get the best understanding of these verses let’s look to Matthew's account of them. The nation was guilty (as their fathers were guilty) and they had shown themselves to be just like them. Because they had slain the Prophets (and were about to slay the Son of God) the patience of God was about to be fully exhausted with them and that nation was about to be visited with utter vengeance. In Judaism, national crimes deserve national judgments – that is how it always worked, and Jesus is telling them that the judgments, for all these crimes, are about to come upon them in and through the destruction of their temple and city.
Accountability for Righteous Blood
Jesus specifically says:
“That all the righteous blood,” that was shed in that nation’s history was about to befall them. Not meaning that God held them accountable for the former blood of the prophets shed – but He was going to hold that nation accountable for the death of His Son – which was far worse. But again, in that former covenant temporal judgments descended on children in consequence of the wickedness of parents.
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Some have thought it was the Zechariah whose death is recorded in 2nd Chronicles 24:20,21 as he is there called the son of Jehoiada but that was okay because it was common for Jews to have two names in that day and age – so this could have been what Jesus references. Whatever he meant, Jesus plainly says that all these things will come “Upon this generation.” All the Prophets deaths. And this commenced in the 70 AD destruction and culminated in the return of Jesus for His bride.
A Lament Over Jerusalem
This is what led Jesus to say
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
And then to add
38 Behold, your house (meaning the temple in all probability) is left unto you desolate.
And then to conclude to them then:
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Meaning, the day of your mercy has passed. I have offered you protection and salvation, and you have rejected it. You are about to crucify me, and your temple to be destroyed; and you, as a nation, be given up to long and dreadful suffering. You will not see me as a merciful Saviour, offering you redemption any more, till you have borne these heavy judgments which will come upon you, and be borne, until you would be glad to hail the good news, from messengers of mine, causing you to say in that day: “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Which I interpret as individual Jews only receiving respite from their plight by receiving the Lord, and blessing the name of those who bring Him and His message, to them.
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