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Listen "The Gospel of Luke: Clean for the Inside Out | Clean | Ceremony | Love - Video"
Episode Synopsis
Sermon Notes: 10/26/25
Luke 11:29-36
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"While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and
the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." Luke 11:37-54
In the Christian life, we need more than a public facing cleanliness. We need a clean internal form to have a true relationship with the Lord.
In these verses, Jesus explains what external cleanliness and internal dirtiness are. In the passage, Jesus does not wash His hands while eating a meal. Note that this wasn't about hygiene. Handwashing was all about ceremonial cleanliness in the Jewish community. But this wasn't a requirement; it was a Pharisaical tradition. To be “seen” as clean via things like this ritual, was to be “declared” as actually being clean. That’s what Jesus is calling out here. His point is that cleanliness flows from the heart. Those clean hands of the Pharisees won’t bless those outside of the temple.
The surprise of this moment is that Jesus won’t participate in this ceremonial cleanliness. He, the One who made the handwashing, is the same One who sees the filth of the inside of a person's heart. Only the fool thinks he can dress up and fool his Creator like everyone else. God sees all, despite how much cleaning we do externally.
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What does it look like to be concerned about the outside rather than the inside? A lack of love of neighbor, and lack of love for God. The Pharisees take the laws given by God to encourage love of neighbor above and beyond their requirements because they wanted to show how great they themselves were. This kind of person looks good on the outside, but fails to be an honest, loving person. Do we give in substance without a giving heart? Do we do a charitable act, but remain resentful of the objects of our giving? Do we mock or ridicule those who we help ,focusing on their shortcomings, rather than noticing the glimmer of light within them? If so, we care more about the outside than the inside
A surplus of love of self and platform is an indicator of our internal filthliness. The desire for elevation is a quick way to become cold to those that are standing in your way for elevation. A religion mired in the external is a religion that is lacking a love of God.
The next set of woes go to the lawyers in the room. Jesus points out that the lawyers create burdens rather than helping people work through those burdens. If you take more joy in showing how people are missing the mark rather than celebrating the wins of your fellow human, your religion is lacking a love of God.
Cleaning the outside of the cup and NOT the inside, is to be given the tools to lift people up but not doing so. Cleaning the outside of the cup AND the inside is to see the humanity in those beside you, and walk through their burdens with them.
The text shows two possible responses to this revelation - the Pharisees respond by getting angry. When Jesus uncovers their manipulation they don’t want their hearts addressed, but rather they just want to look good in front of others.
However, Jesus invites us to have a second response - mercy. Jesus says we can give as alms what is in us. Instead of external cleanliness, we can offer our heart to God and change when God shows us how we’re failing Him.
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When you invite God to search your heart, expect some pain. But that pain is mercy. He delights in healing the wounds within you.
Luke 11:29-36
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Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/
Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg
.
"While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and
the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." Luke 11:37-54
In the Christian life, we need more than a public facing cleanliness. We need a clean internal form to have a true relationship with the Lord.
In these verses, Jesus explains what external cleanliness and internal dirtiness are. In the passage, Jesus does not wash His hands while eating a meal. Note that this wasn't about hygiene. Handwashing was all about ceremonial cleanliness in the Jewish community. But this wasn't a requirement; it was a Pharisaical tradition. To be “seen” as clean via things like this ritual, was to be “declared” as actually being clean. That’s what Jesus is calling out here. His point is that cleanliness flows from the heart. Those clean hands of the Pharisees won’t bless those outside of the temple.
The surprise of this moment is that Jesus won’t participate in this ceremonial cleanliness. He, the One who made the handwashing, is the same One who sees the filth of the inside of a person's heart. Only the fool thinks he can dress up and fool his Creator like everyone else. God sees all, despite how much cleaning we do externally.
.
What does it look like to be concerned about the outside rather than the inside? A lack of love of neighbor, and lack of love for God. The Pharisees take the laws given by God to encourage love of neighbor above and beyond their requirements because they wanted to show how great they themselves were. This kind of person looks good on the outside, but fails to be an honest, loving person. Do we give in substance without a giving heart? Do we do a charitable act, but remain resentful of the objects of our giving? Do we mock or ridicule those who we help ,focusing on their shortcomings, rather than noticing the glimmer of light within them? If so, we care more about the outside than the inside
A surplus of love of self and platform is an indicator of our internal filthliness. The desire for elevation is a quick way to become cold to those that are standing in your way for elevation. A religion mired in the external is a religion that is lacking a love of God.
The next set of woes go to the lawyers in the room. Jesus points out that the lawyers create burdens rather than helping people work through those burdens. If you take more joy in showing how people are missing the mark rather than celebrating the wins of your fellow human, your religion is lacking a love of God.
Cleaning the outside of the cup and NOT the inside, is to be given the tools to lift people up but not doing so. Cleaning the outside of the cup AND the inside is to see the humanity in those beside you, and walk through their burdens with them.
The text shows two possible responses to this revelation - the Pharisees respond by getting angry. When Jesus uncovers their manipulation they don’t want their hearts addressed, but rather they just want to look good in front of others.
However, Jesus invites us to have a second response - mercy. Jesus says we can give as alms what is in us. Instead of external cleanliness, we can offer our heart to God and change when God shows us how we’re failing Him.
.
When you invite God to search your heart, expect some pain. But that pain is mercy. He delights in healing the wounds within you.
In God we trust