But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Parallel translations
- WEB When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.
- KJV And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
- ESV The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
- NKJV When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
- NASB When the Pharisee saw this, he was surprised that Jesus had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
- NLT His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Pharisee is surprised that Jesus does not perform the ritual washing before the meal. The omission exposes the gap between ceremony and true purity.
Overview
Ceremonial hand-washing was a tradition signaling ritual purity, not mere hygiene. The host's astonishment reveals his focus on external observance. Jesus will seize on this to expose the difference between outward ritual and inward cleanness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Matt 15:2–3“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
- Mark 7:2–5and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.
- John 3:25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 11:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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