After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. 38 The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. 40 You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? 41 But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you. 42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Amid the rising tension between Jesus and his adversaries, Jesus was invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee. The Scribes and Pharisees were also in attendance at the meal. Reclining on a cushion or low couch while dining indicated freedom (from slavery in Egypt) and status and was usually associated with wealthy individuals. The Pharisees were amazed that Jesus did not observe the ritual washing of hands before the meal as the Law of Moses required. The purification was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean. The Pharisees and Scribes lived in a way contrary to the teachings of Jesus (Mt. Chaps. 5-7). Jesus told them not to be foolish but to commit their whole selves to God and be more concerned with their interior life than with exterior rituals. They should do charitable works from the heart which would make them cleaner than all their repeated ritual purifications.
Jesus strongly criticized the Pharisees for observing the minor details of their religious practices like tithing for small things like herbs but neglecting more important things like justice and love of God (v. 42). He rebuked them for desiring honor and recognition in synagogues and marketplaces, and scolded them for appearing to be righteous and honorable but actually being corrupt hypocrites internally leading astray those who unsuspectingly follow them (vv. 43-44).
Almsgiving was a part of the Jewish culture, but the Gentile Christians would not have been familiar with the practice of almsgiving. The Evangelist appears to be making it an essential part of Gentile Christian life (Mt. 6:3). The Scribes and Pharisees demonstrated neither love of God nor love of neighbor. Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and challenged them to acknowledge their true motivations and to have an inner transformation of heart. He told them to focus on justice and the love of God.
Almighty God, it is by your grace that we can do sincere works of charity. We pray that you strengthen our hearts so that we may be as charitable to others as you are to us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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