Matthew Poole and continuators on Luke 11:40

40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make that which is within also?

We have much the same tho delivered in another form, with a denuntiation of a Woe, Matth. 23.25. See the Notes on that v. We must not imagine that our Saviour here reflecteth upon the cleansing of Vessels, in which we put our Meat and Drink, for undoubtedly as to them, the Pharisees washed both the inside, and the outside. And the conceit of them is amiss who think that by the inward part, v. 39. he means the Meat in their Dishes, which was gotten indeed, by ravening, and Wickedness, Extortion, &c. for it is an hard Interpretation of the inward part of the platter, to say, by it is meant, the Meat in the platter; but neither doth our Saviour say, the inward part of the Dish, but your inward part, by which he plainly means the Soul. Our Saviour doth therefore certainly compare the Pharisees to Dishes or Platters, washed, or scoured only in the outside; and blameth their Hypocrisie in this; That they were mighty sollicitous about an outside purity, and cleanness; but for the inward purity of the Heart and Soul, they took no care at all about that; they were very scrupulous about undefiled hands, but nothing at all about having their Souls, and inward Powers, and affections undefiled. This he telleth them was most egregious folly, for God that made the Body, made the Soul also, and therefore would exact a purity in the inward, as well as the outward Man, especially considering that he loveth truth in the inward parts.