Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 23:25

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess." — Matthew 23:25 (ASV)

Jesus begins with the metaphor of the cup and dish (v.25a), reveals his nonmetaphorical concerns at the end of v.25, then returns to his metaphor in v.26, now that its real purpose has been exposed. The Pharisees have been occupied with external religion instead of that of the inner person (cf. v.23). Within themselves they remain “full of greed and self-indulgence.” In the metaphor, cleaning the inside is basic and guarantees cleanliness of the outside.