Luke 11
Read or listen The Gospel of Luke, chapter 11 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)
Jesus teaches to pray – Luke 11:1-13
The Lord's Prayer is also found in Matthew 6:9-13. Luke does not have the 3rd petition of Matthew's Lord's Prayer, "thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," and the 7th petition, "but deliver us from evil" (verses 2 and 4).
The differences between Matthew and Luke's Lord's Prayers are most simply explained by the fact that Jesus apparently taught this important prayer more than once. It is also possible that there are two different translations of the same Aramaic text.
The Lord's Prayer is not only a model prayer, but also a teaching on what and how we should pray. The most important thing is the kingdom of God, worldly needs come second (Matthew 6:33).
The word "for" in verse 4 has caused much trouble for those praying. Does it teach that we are only forgiven as much as we have been able to forgive our neighbors? The Greek word "gar" has a broader meaning than "for". The passage could be translated as "that's what we do, too".
But perhaps more clarifying is the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:22-35: he lost forgiveness after being unmerciful to his neighbor. That is, we cannot earn mercy, but we can lose it by being unmerciful to others.
Tourists in Israel are shown the Lord's Prayer Chapel on the Mount of Olives, built on the site where Jesus is said to have taught the Lord's Prayer. The chapel contains the Lord's Prayer in a total of 62 different languages. It is possible that the location is correct, although Luke does not mention the location.
The Lord's Prayer can also be understood through "the last days", eschatologically:
- The sanctification of God's name is fully realized only when his enemies are defeated
- The kingdom of God will come fully only at the return of Christ
- the daily bread refers to the wedding feast in heaven
- the forgiveness of sins is sealed on the day of judgment
- deliverance from evil is finally a reality in the glory of Heaven and the defeat of the Devil.
Unceasing prayer
"You desire and do not have, so you murder.
You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.
You do not have, because you do not ask."
(James 4:2)
Jesus also taught perseverance in prayer. The story presented in verses 5-8 is not a model, a description of God's actions, but a parable. An unexpected guest put the host in a difficult situation: bread was baked every day only as much as was needed for that day. In the evening, there was no more for the guest, and there was no help but to go and ask a neighbor for help. The three loaves (v. 5) was one person's daily ration.
But the neighbor was already asleep and did not want to get up. The whole family slept on one mat, so getting up one person would have woken everyone up. But the persistent supplicant got his way despite the opposition. God is "better" (the verbs in verses 9-10 are in the passive voice, so the subject is God) than the wicked people.
But the neighbor was already asleep and didn't want to get up. The whole family slept on one bed mat, so one person getting up would have woken everyone up. But the relentless requester got his way despite the resistance.
God is "better" than evil people. The verbs in verses 9-10 are in the passive voice, so God is the subject.
Finally, Jesus teaches that we do not always receive what we ask for (verses 11-13). A father does not give bad gifts to his son, so the heavenly Father will not give us what we ask if it would harm us. But we humans tend to see, hear, and perceive only what pleases us, so often in this passage we only notice the promise of hearing prayers, but not the teaching of what answers to prayer can be like.
God hears our prayers, but he doesn't just give us what we ask for, he gives us what is best for us.
Jesus and Beelzebub – Luke 11:14-23
Matthew tells us that the man was not only mute but also blind (Matthew 12:22-30). The Pharisees and other opponents of Jesus were unable to deny the miracle that had occurred. Since they could not accept it as the work of God, they had to find another explanation.
In verses 17-23, Jesus shows the accusation of his alliance with Beelzebub to be absurd. Why would Satan have begun to fight against himself?
The exact meaning of the name Beelzebub is uncertain. Originally the name referred to a Canaanite idol, Baal (2 Kings 1:2), but the Jews twisted it into the mocking name Baal-Zebub, which means "lord of the flies", "lord of the dunghill", which referred to Satan (compare verse 15).
The Jews at that time were known for their exorcisms (verse 19, compare Acts 19:13-16). The "finger of God" of verse 20 is also found in Exodus 8:15, where the wise men of Egypt were unable to answer the plagues brought by Moses.
The healing of the mute was not enough for everyone as a sign that God was working (verse 16). Jesus answers this question in verses 29-32. No miracle will convince an unbelieving heart (compare Luke 16:31).
The kingdom of God came near in Jesus (verse 20, compare also Luke 17:20-21). If one does not want to follow Jesus, one will be left out of the kingdom of God (verse 23). There is no neutral territory: a person belongs either to the kingdom of God or to the forces of Satan. In matters of faith, one cannot declare oneself neutral. One must side with the stronger (verse 22), the victor, that is, Jesus!
The empty spaces will be filled – Luke 11:24-26
This parable is an example of the truth of verse 23: spiritually empty spaces will be filled. The evil spirit must be replaced by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19-20), otherwise the evil spirit will return. This story emphasizes the importance of "aftercare" for new Christians. Mere conversion experience is not enough, you also need to be rooted in faith. It is much more difficult for someone who has abandoned their faith to become a child of God again. Satan strengthens his defenses (verse 26).
It is possible that Jesus is speaking here of the Jewish exorcists (verse 19), who did not call those they healed to Jesus, but left them "empty". The psychology of this century has made the same mistake: there is no desire to give new content to life, there is only a desire to cure the illness. The person has been emptied, but nothing has been given in its place!
True Blessedness – Luke 11:27-28
This passage is often understood as Jesus denying Mary's beatitude. However, in verse 28 there is an expression of assent in Greek: "Exactly..." Mary was also beatitude (Luke 1:45,48). However, salvation is not only possible for Jesus' relatives (=Jews, cf. John 7:2-5) but for all who accept the word of God (=also Gentiles). Blood kinship is not enough, there must also be spiritual kinship (cf. Mark 3:31-35). However, eternal destiny is not determined by lineage, but by relationship with Jesus (verse 23).
The Sign of Jonah – Luke 11:29-32
Now Jesus responds to those who demand a sign from him (verse 16, see also Matthew 12:38 and Mark 8:11).
What did Jesus mean by the sign of Jonah? There are two possible interpretations of this:
The sign is that there is no sign (compare Mark 8:12): the Ninevites repented because of Jonah's preaching. Jonah did not perform any miracles in Nineveh. Even for Jesus' contemporaries, "the word alone" must be enough.
In Matthew 12:40 it is said that the sign was Jonah's being in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three nights. In Luke this is referred to in the future tense of verse 30: "so will the Son of Man be".
I think both interpretations are correct. Jesus' most important mission on earth was his message and his death on the cross, not miracles. Finally, the Jews got the sign they demanded (compare 1 Cor 1:22): Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, but they did not believe that sign either (compare Luke 16:31).
Demanding a sign is in a way the opposite of faith. When you ask God for a sign, you demand such evidence that faith is no longer needed. For those who demand a sign, God's promise and word are not enough (compare Judges 6:36-40, Gideon and the wool).
Once again Jesus speaks of the Last Judgment (verses 31-33). The Last Judgment cannot be ignored in today's proclamation either. It is the inevitable end point of history.
The "Queen of the South" came from Sheba (=modern Yemen) - about 2000 kilometers away - to hear Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 10:1-13, 2 Chronicles 9:1-12). She was willing to travel a long distance to hear Solomon. But when God came from heaven among the Jews, they turned their backs on him.
The lives of Jonah and Jesus resembled each other in that Jonah "almost died" and "resurrected in a way", but Jesus actually died and rose from the dead.
Darkness and light – Luke 11:33-36
Jesus is the light of the world (John 1:9-11, 3:19-21). It was not Jesus’ fault that the Pharisees and teachers of the law lived in darkness. God’s light shone in the world, but they did not want to receive it (Matthew 5:15, 6:22-23, Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16).
The lamp (verse 33) was usually a jug-shaped vessel, with the wick coming out of the "spout." Lamps were usually made of clay. The oil was olive oil.
If the best that is in us is darkness, how much more evil is the worst (verse 35). A distorted faith produces anything but a life according to God's will (compare Matthew 23:13 and Luke 11:39-52).
Woe to the Pharisees and the Scribes – Luke 11:37-54
Pharisaism was a sect of Judaism, a "revival movement." They tried to live apart from sinners (compare John 7:47-49).
The teachers of the law were a profession. Most of them were Pharisees, and most of Pharisaism was based on the teachers of the law's interpretations of the Old Testament.
This time Jesus was invited to a meal during the day, "to lunch." Perhaps this took place after the synagogue service (verse 37). The "washing" mentioned in verse 38 was not a literal washing, but a cultic purification. In Greek, this passage uses the same word that is usually used when speaking of baptism: "baptizing." So the point was that one wanted to cleanse oneself of the filthiness that one might have acquired while dealing with people. According to the Pharisees' doctrines, many things could make a person unclean.
Earlier, the same accusation had been made against Jesus’ disciples (Mark 7:2-5). The Old Testament did not require such washings. But the Pharisees considered breaking their own traditional rules to be an even more serious sin than breaking the laws of the Old Testament. This was because, according to them, the commandments of the law were uncertain in their interpretation, whereas traditional rules were certain and precise.
Jesus says four "woe cries" to the Pharisees and three to the teachers of the law.
The first "woe cry" (though without the word "woe") to the Pharisees (verses 39-41): Pharisaism was hypocrisy, pretense, and acting (Matt. 23:13,15,23,25,27,29). They took great care of outward cleanliness, but their inner selves were full of exploitation and wickedness. What makes a person unclean is what is within them (Mark 7:20-23), and its pollution is felt daily.
The second "woe" for the Pharisees (verse 42) is related to the previous one: the Pharisees' pedantic adherence to traditional rules had displaced justice and love for God.
The third "woe" to the Pharisees (verse 43) highlights their ambition and vanity (compare Luke 18:9-14, the Pharisee and the publican in the synagogue).
The fourth "woe" (verse 44) highlights the danger of Pharisaism. Visiting a grave made one unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:16). Jesus says that the doctrine of the Pharisees is like an unmarked grave:
Jesus says that the doctrine of the Pharisees is like an unmarked grave: no one notices that it defiles, rather they think the opposite: they think that the doctrine of the Pharisees is for life, but in reality it defiles and ultimately brings death.
The first "woe" to the teachers of the law (verse 46) highlights that they had nothing to give sinners but more burdens. When the old ones had not been solved, the new burdens only made the situation more hopeless. Jesus did just the opposite: he lifted the burdens from the shoulders of sinners (Matthew 11:28-30).
The second "woe" to the teachers of the law (verses 47-51) shows that they only honored dead prophets, not living ones, such as Jesus and John the Baptist.
"The Wisdom of God" (verse 49) may be a lost book or it may refer to Jesus (compare Luke 7:35). The quotation in question is not found in any book of the Old Testament.
Abel (verse 51, Genesis 4:8) was the first martyr in the Old Testament, killed for his faith. But why does Jesus take Zechariah as the second "head"? The explanation is very simple: Zechariah's killing by stoning is told in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22. Chronicles (in the Hebrew Old Testament our Chronicles are only one book) is the last book of the Hebrew Old Testament. So Jesus takes the entire Old Testament martyrs; not in chronological order but in "writing order".
An interesting "coincidence" is Zechariah's last sermon before his death: "Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you."
The third "woe" to the lawyers (verse 52): the lawyers themselves did not want to hear God's will. Not only that, they also prevented others from entering heaven.
Luke mentions four other times when Jesus was tried to be removed from the path of his opponents (verse 54, Luke 6:11, 19:47-48, 20:19-20, 22:2).