The Life Of Jesus Christ In Its Historical Connexion

While Christ was engaged in the conversation just referred to, a certain Pharisee, who did not display his hostile disposition so openly as the rest, but masked it under the garb of courtesy, came and invited him to breakfast, probably with a view to catch up something in his words or actions that might point a charge of heresy, or serve to cast suspicion upon him at a subsequent period.

In this spirit, he found it quite a matter of offence that Christ sat down to table without washing his hands. The Saviour took occasion from this to expose the hypocrisy of the sect; and availed himself, for the purpose, of illustrations drawn from the objects around him at the feast. "You Pharisees make the cups and dishes clean outside, but. leave them full of dirt within. So you are careful to preserve an outward show of purity, but inwardly you are full of avarice and wickedness. [440] Ye fools, are not the inward and the outward, made by the same Creator, inseparable? From within must true morality proceed; from the heart must the essence of piety be developed."

From this he takes occasion (v.41-44) to expose the mock piety of the Pharisees, displayed in their satisfying themselves, not merely in religion, but also in morality, with outward and empty show. [441] They manifested their hypocrisy (v.42) in giving "tithes" of the most trifling products (mint, cummin, &c.), and entirely neglecting the more essential duties of righteousness and love. Their vanity and haughtiness were shown (v.43) in their claiming to lord it over every body. They were (v.44), like tombs, so beautifully painted that no one would suppose them to be graves; but whose fair exterior concealed nothing but putrefaction.

At this point a lawyer [442] who was present asked Christ whether he meant to apply these censures to the class to which he belonged, also From this the Saviour took occasion, in the remainder of the discourse (v.45-52), to expose the crimes that were peculiar to the lawyers.