<p>11:39 <i>And the Lord said to him: Now you the Pharisees cleanse- </i>The Lord Jesus is described using the same word for &quot;cleanse&quot; as making others clean (Mt. 8:2,3; 10:8; 11:5). The Pharisees were concerned with making&nbsp;<i>themselves&nbsp;</i>look clean externally. They are a parody of the Lord. He was concerned with making&nbsp;<i>others</i>&nbsp;clean, and really clean. This tension, between making ourselves look clean and making others clean, is highly relevant to us all. For there is such a thing as being spiritually selfish.</p><p><i>The outside- </i>The tension between outside and inside, along with the idea of cleanliness, is to be found in the Lord&rsquo;s earlier teaching in Mk. 7:15,18. Nothing on the&nbsp;<i>outside</i>&nbsp;can defile a man, it is the&nbsp;<i>inside</i>, the thoughts, which must be cleansed. If we ask&nbsp;<i>why</i>&nbsp;there is a desire for good appearances externally, the answer may not simply be &lsquo;so as to look good to others&rsquo;. It can also partly be a recognition of our own inner defilement and our sense that we ought to be doing something about it. Peter explores the same tension in 1 Pet. 3:3, teaching that a woman should not focus on&nbsp;<i>outside</i>&nbsp;s.w. adorning, but not on&nbsp;<i>internal</i> attitudes. He&rsquo;s not saying that &lsquo;outward adornment&rsquo; is wrong of itself, but rather that her focus should be on&nbsp;<i>inner</i>&nbsp;spirituality rather than focusing on the&nbsp;<i>external</i>&nbsp;to the exclusion of the&nbsp;<i>internal</i>. Thus obsession with external cosmetic issues, and literal cosmetics, can likely be a running away from internal issues which need serious addressing. So often pedantic attitudes to externalities conceal insecurity, and in spiritual terms, that insecurity is a reflection of disbelief that the inner conscience has been cleansed of sin in Christ.</p><p><i>Of the cup and plate, but your inward part is full of extortion- </i>The plate and cup refer to the Pharisees personally. The picture is of silverware being cleansed and shining outwardly, whilst it contains unclean things within. &ldquo;Even so&nbsp;<i>you also</i>&nbsp;outwardly appear righteous&rdquo; (Mt. 23:28). Here Lk. 11:39 speaks of 'them' as their inward part: &ldquo;<i>Your&nbsp;</i>inward part is full of ravening Gk. &lsquo;extortion&rsquo; and wickedness Gk. &lsquo;plots&rsquo;&rdquo;. They were ever scheming how to get money out of people. But why choose these two items as examples? The presence of the article both times,&nbsp;<i>the</i>&nbsp;cup and&nbsp;<i>the&nbsp;</i>plate, suggest they have specific relevance. The Gospels were written as the handbook for the early Christian converts and ecclesias. They would largely have been recited or read at the breaking of bread meetings. It&rsquo;s hard therefore to avoid the reference to the memorial cup and plate of the communion meetings. And again, the warning comes so close to home. The memorial meeting is the time to look within, at the likely wickedness within us, rather than appearing in our Sunday best and making ourselves shine externally.</p><p><i>And wickedness</i>- The Greek suggests complete lack of restraint. And here is the paradox. The most rule-governed people were actually without any sense of restraint. Obedience to rules, and elevating rules, does not of itself mean we are restrained. It can mean the very opposite.</p>