Church Fathers Commentary Luke 11:37-44

"Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first bathed himself before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now ye the Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter; but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. Ye foolish ones, did not he that made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over [them] know it not." — Luke 11:37-44 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: While our Lord was still speaking, a certain Pharisee invited Him to his own house, as it is said, And while he was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him.

The Venerable Bede: Luke expressly says, And he spoke these things, to show that He had not quite finished what He intended to say, but was interrupted by the Pharisee asking Him to dine.

St. Augustine of Hippo: To relate this event, Luke makes a variation from Matthew’s account. This occurs at the place where both had mentioned what our Lord said concerning the sign of Jonah, the queen of the south, and the unclean spirit. After this discourse, Matthew says, While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Luke, however, having also included some of our Lord’s sayings in that discourse which Matthew omitted, now departs from the order he had until now kept with Matthew.

The Venerable Bede: Accordingly, after He was told that His mother and brethren stood outside, and He said, For he that does the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother, we understand that He went to the dinner at the Pharisee's request.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For Christ, knowing the wickedness of those Pharisees, purposely condescended to admonish them, like the best physicians who bring their own remedies to those who are dangerously ill. Hence it follows, And he went in and sat down to eat. But what gave occasion for Christ’s words was that the ignorant Pharisees were offended that, while people thought Him to be a great man and a prophet, He did not conform to their unreasonable customs. Therefore it is added, But the Pharisee began to think and say within himself, Why had he not first washed before dinner?

St. Augustine of Hippo: For every day before dinner the Pharisees washed themselves with water, as if a daily washing could cleanse the heart. But the Pharisee thought this within himself and did not speak a word aloud; nevertheless, He who perceives the secrets of the heart heard him. Hence it follows, And the Lord said to him, Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now our Lord might have used other words to admonish the foolish Pharisee, but He seizes the opportunity and frames His reproof from the things at hand. Specifically, at mealtime, He takes the cup and the platter as His example. He points out that sincere servants of God ought to be washed and clean, not only from bodily impurity, but also from that which is concealed within the soul, just as any vessel used for the table ought to be free from all inward defilement.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now mark that our bodies are signified by these earthly and fragile things, which break to pieces when dropped even a short distance. The things the mind meditates on within are easily expressed through the body's senses and actions, just as what the cup contains inside shows on the outside. Hence, later on, the word "cup" doubtless refers to the passion of the body. You see, then, that it is not the outside of the cup and platter that defiles us, but the inner parts. For He said, But your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But why did He not spare the man who invited Him? On the contrary, He spared him by this reproof, so that, once corrected, He might spare him at the judgment. Furthermore, He shows us that the baptism which is given once also cleanses by faith; but faith is something within, not without. The Pharisees despised faith and used external washings, while within they remained full of pollution. The Lord condemns this, saying, You fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

The Venerable Bede: It is as if He is saying, "He who made both natures of man wants both to be cleansed." This is against the Manicheans, who think the soul only was created by God, but the flesh by the devil. It is also against those who abhor sins of the flesh, such as fornication and theft, while they disregard sins of the spirit—which are no less condemned by the Apostle—as trivial.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now our Lord, as a good Master, taught us how we ought to purify our bodies from defilement, saying, But rather give alms of such things as you have; and behold, all things are clean unto you. You see what the remedies are: almsgiving cleanses us, and the word of God cleanses us, according to what is written, Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.

St. Cyprian of Carthage: The Merciful One bids us to show mercy; and because He seeks to save those He redeemed at a great price, He teaches that those who have been defiled after receiving the grace of baptism can be made clean again.

St. John Chrysostom: Now He says, give alms, not injury, for almsgiving is that which is free from all injury. It makes all things clean and is more excellent than fasting; for though fasting may be more painful, almsgiving is more profitable. It enlightens the soul, enriches it, and makes it good and beautiful.

He who resolves to have compassion on the needy will sooner cease from sin. For just as the physician who is in the habit of healing the diseased is easily grieved by the misfortunes of others, so we, if we have devoted ourselves to the relief of others, will easily despise present things and be raised up to heaven. The anointing of almsgiving, then, is no slight good, since it can be applied to every wound.

The Venerable Bede: He speaks of what is "over and above" our necessary food and clothing. For you are not commanded to give alms to the point of consuming yourself with need, but that after satisfying your wants, you should supply the poor to the utmost of your power. Or it must be understood this way: do that which remains in your power—that is, the only remedy remaining for those who have until now been engaged in so much wickedness—give alms.

This word "alms" applies to everything done with beneficial compassion. For it is not only the one who gives food to the hungry and things of that kind who gives alms, but also the one who gives pardon to the sinner, prays for him, and reproves him, visiting him with some corrective punishment.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or He means, "That which is most important." For wealth rules the heart of the covetous man.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The whole of this beautiful discourse, then, is directed to this end: while it invites us to pursue simplicity, it condemns the luxury and worldliness of the Jews. And yet even they are promised the abolition of their sins if they will follow mercy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But if they cannot be cleansed unless they believe in Him who cleanses the heart by faith, what does He mean when He says, Give alms, and behold, all things are clean to you? Let us pay attention, and perhaps He explains it Himself. For the Jews set aside a tenth part of all their produce and gave it in alms, which a Christian rarely does. Therefore they mocked Him for saying this to them, as if they were men who did not give alms.

God, knowing this, adds, But woe to you, Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God. This, then, is not giving alms, for to give alms is to show mercy. If you are wise, begin with yourself, for how can you be merciful to another if you are cruel to yourself? Hear the Scripture, which says to you, Have mercy on your own soul, and please God.

Return to your conscience, you who live in evil or unbelief, and you will find your soul begging, or perhaps struck dumb with need. Give alms to your own soul through judgment and love. What is judgment? Do what is displeasing to yourself. What is charity? Love God, love your neighbor. If you neglect this kind of alms, you can love as much as you like, but you accomplish nothing, since you are not being merciful to yourself.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Or He says this to censure the Pharisees, who ordered their people to strictly observe only those precepts that resulted in profitable returns for themselves. Thus, they did not omit even the smallest herbs, but they despised the work of inspiring love for God and administering just judgment.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Because they despised God by treating sacred things with indifference, He commands them to love God. By "judgment," He implies the love of our neighbor, for when a man judges his neighbor justly, it proceeds from his love for him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or "judgment" refers to how they do not examine everything they do, and "charity" refers to how they do not love God with their heart. But so that He would not make us zealous for faith while neglecting good works, He summarizes the perfection of a good person in a few words: these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

St. John Chrysostom: Indeed, when the subject was Jewish cleansing, He passed over it entirely. But since the tithe is a kind of almsgiving, and the time had not yet come to completely abolish the customs of the Law, He says, these ought you to have done.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He also reproves the arrogance of the boasting Jews in seeking preeminence, for it follows, Woe to you, Pharisees! for you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, etc.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Through the very things for which He blames us, He makes us better. For He wants us to be free from ambition and not to desire empty show over reality, which the Pharisees were then doing. For greetings from people and authority over them do not make us truly useful, for these things can be obtained even by those who are not good. Therefore He adds, Woe to you, who are as graves which appear not. For in wanting to receive greetings from people and to exercise authority over them so that they might be considered great, they are no different from hidden graves, which may glitter with outward ornaments but are full of all uncleanness within.

St. Ambrose of Milan: And like unmarked graves, they deceive with their external beauty and impose upon passersby with their appearance, as it follows, And the men that walk over them are not aware of them. In truth, though they give an outward promise of beauty, inwardly they contain all kinds of pollution.

St. John Chrysostom: It is no wonder that the Pharisees were like this. But if we, who are counted worthy to be the temples of God, suddenly become graves full only of corruption, this is truly the lowest form of wretchedness.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Here the apostate Julian claims that we must avoid graves, which Christ says are unclean. But he did not know the force of our Savior’s words, for He did not command us to stay away from graves, but rather compared the hypocritical Pharisees to them.