Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Luke Chapter 11 mean?

Luke 11 finishes the first section of what some biblical scholars call “The Travelogue to Jerusalem” and encompasses the second. In Luke 11:1–13, Jesus teaches the disciples about prayer, rounding out a series of stories on how those who follow Him are blessed (Luke 9:51—11:13). Luke 11:14–54 describes how the Jewish religious leaders willfully reject Jesus, ending with an intense description of their sins.

The section on prayer can be divided into three short teachings. In Luke 11:1–4, Jesus acquiesces to the disciples’ request to teach them how to pray by presenting what is often called call “The Lord’s Prayer.” The words reveal that we are dependent on God for the smallest things, both physical and spiritual. Luke 11:5–8 is the parable of the persistent neighbor which sets the stage for a description of God’s love. In Luke 11:9–13, Jesus shows us that if human fathers will give us what is good, we can be sure God will even more so.

The larger section begins with the Jewish religious leaders’ rejection of Jesus (Luke 11:14–23). Experts in the Mosaic law from Jerusalem watch Jesus heal a demon-possessed mute man (Matthew 12:22–30; Mark 3:22–27). They declare He does so through the power of a demon. Others demand more signs. Jesus responds to the leaders’ illogical conclusion by pointing out that if He casts out demons, He is working against Satan, so how could Satan empower Him? Jesus then illustrates that if He can defeat Satan’s minions, He can destroy Satan’s kingdom, an explanation that includes a veiled warning for these lawyers.

In Luke 11:24–26, Jesus gives a puzzling explanation of the workings of demons. Readers on this side of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) can apply it to mean that freedom from demons is precarious if we do not fill the void of our hearts with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:27–28 seems to be an aside. It builds Jesus’ argument about true spiritual understanding as opposed to cultural honor. A woman blesses Mary for bearing Jesus; Jesus responds that the blessed are those who know God’s Word and obey it.

In Luke 11:29–32, Luke returns to the crowd members who wanted to see more signs (Luke 11:16). Jesus explains they will see a sign: the people of Nineveh and the queen of the South standing in judgment in the end times. The Ninevites heard a short warning from Jonah and immediately fell into mourning for their sin (Jonah 3). The Queen of Sheba heard Solomon and knew he spoke God’s wisdom (1 Kings 10:1–13). If the Jewish spiritual leaders do not open their eyes, former pagans will shame them.

Jesus warns them to interpret what they experience carefully in Luke 11:33–36. If someone’s “eye,” or way of interpreting what they see, is bad, they will be filled with darkness: they will misunderstand what Jesus is doing. If someone is faithful to God, however, the light in them will reveal the truth.

Finishing out the chapter, Luke records Jesus’ pronouncement of “woes” on the religious leaders. In Luke 11:37–44, a Pharisee challenges Jesus because He does not ceremonially wash His hands before eating. Jesus replies that no exterior washing will cleanse a person of the greed and wickedness the Pharisees are known for. He lists ways Pharisees refuse to act out of love for God. Instead, they follow manmade rules that make them look good but lead others astray.

In Luke 11:45–52, a lawyer recognizes Jesus’ words apply to them, as well, and Jesus presses harder. Pharisees did not exist in the Old Testament, but scribes did; they had a hand in killing God’s prophets when the prophets came with convicting messages. Lawyers were supposed to be teachers, wise in the Law, using that wisdom to validate God’s prophets. Instead, the lawyers killed the prophets who proclaimed what they didn’t want to hear.

Luke 11:53–54 provides a summary of the fallout of Jesus’ altercation with the Pharisees and lawyers. They doubled down on their attempts to provoke Jesus into saying something that would blaspheme God or disrespect Moses. Their attack continued right up through His arrest.

Luke begins the account of Jesus’ intentional travel to Jerusalem by describing what it looks like to follow (Luke 9:51—11:13) and reject (Luke 11:14–54) Him. Having set the stage, Luke will continue with two sets of teachings comprised of three sections each. Each contains a teaching about the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—13:9; 16:1—17:10), followed by two repetitions of a pattern of a miracle, a teaching on the kingdom, and a teaching on salvation (Luke 13:10–35; 14:1—15:32; 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27). Luke then records Jesus entering Jerusalem and preparing for the crucifixion.

Chapter Context
In what some scholars refer to as “The Travelogue to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51—19:27), Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and resurrection and the establishment of the church. The description begins with Christ teaching the disciples how to spread the news of the kingdom of God and reaffirming how they will be blessed, culminating in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 9:51—11:13). Luke 11 finishes with accounts of leaders who reject Jesus. The remainder of the travelogue gives a pattern of teaching on the kingdom of God, miracles, and explanations of salvation. Then Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Luke often focuses on Jesus praying (Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28). Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He has an eternal relationship with the Father and Spirit so close we cannot fathom its depth. During His incarnate ministry on earth, that closeness is often expressed through times of prayer, both in solitude and when among His disciples. He models how we need to communicate with the Trinity. We need to intentionally take the time to speak and listen to God. We will never be as close to the Father as the Son is, but prayer, obedience, and knowing His Word are essential to growing in our faith.

The writers of the Gospels tended to give chronological accounts from Jesus’ birth to His temptation and from His entrance into Jerusalem through His resurrection. The part in the middle, His ministry, is often developed thematically, not chronologically. With that in mind, it’s interesting to find Luke grouping three stories about prayer (Luke 11:1–13) before a longer section about the Jewish religious leaders’ rejection of Jesus (Luke 11:14–54). We do need God’s help to keep our faith strong to resist false teaching and speak the truth.

Looking closer, we find the Lord’s Prayer is related to His commission of the Twelve and the seventy-two disciples to go out to the surrounding towns to heal, cast out demons, and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–12). The first instruction Jesus gave the seventy-two was to pray that God would send more workers to “harvest:” to bring people to repentance and loyalty to God’s kingdom (Luke 10:2). Even if the stories are not in chronological order, it’s interesting to see how the Holy Spirit placed them.

We have no account of how John taught his disciples to pray. We know John’s disciples added fasting to their prayers while Jesus’ didn’t (Luke 5:33).

Context Summary
Luke 11:1–4 is the last in a series of stories about the blessings people receive when they follow Jesus. In three sub-sections, Jesus teaches the disciples about prayer (Luke 11:1–13). First, He provides “The Lord’s Prayer” which illustrates how completely dependent we are on God (Luke 11:1–4). Next, Jesus will challenge the disciples to trust that God works for their good, better than a friend or even a father. The Lord’s prayer is also recorded in Matthew 6:9–13, although possibly at a different time and event.

Verse 2. And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come.

The core elements of the Lord’s Prayer are strongly related to Jesus’ instructions to His disciples as they spread the message of the kingdom of God.

After a general acknowledgment of God’s holiness, they pray that His kingdom would come. The message they spread was that God’s kingdom had come (Luke 9:2; 10:9) in the form of localized healings and exorcisms (Luke 9:1; 10:9, 17). We know His kingdom will not be fully realized until Jesus returns. To pray for God’s kingdom to come fully mirrors John’s plea in Revelation 22:20: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Jesus’ words, “When you pray, say…” suggests it’s acceptable to recite pre-written prayers so long as they’re prayed sincerely.

“Father” is from the Greek pater, which has the same connotation as the Aramaic abba. However, it’s important to understand that abba does not have the same implications as the modern English word “daddy.” Abba is a recognition of God’s authority and our close relationship with Him, but with a strong note of respect and awe, as the next word shows. “Hallowed” means to be holy or set apart. “Name” isn’t just the letters and sounds that identify a person; it means their character, reputation, authority, and position. Even as the world takes God for granted, His children are to give Him the respect He deserves.

God’s kingdom is the manifestation of His power, glory, and sovereignty and the nullification or destruction of evil forces. The aspect related to God the Son began when He took on human form and culminates when He takes possession of and authority over the earth during the end times. In Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom of God was made manifest through healings and exorcisms (Luke 10:9, 17). But those signs also led to judgment when people saw Jesus’ works and rejected Him as their savior (Luke 10:12–16).

Verse 3. Give us each day our daily bread,

Jesus’ prayer continues to reflect His instructions for His disciples’ ministry. When He sent out the Twelve and then the seventy-two, He told them not to bring extra supplies (Luke 9:3; 10:4); in this training stage, God would provide what they needed through others (Luke 10:7–8). Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus gives the disciples different instructions for their work after His ascension, including to take a moneybag (Luke 22:36). On their mission establishing the church, they would need to be more mindful of getting food, but the source would always be God, often through those they had ministered to (Acts 2:44–47; 11:27–30).

The word interpreted “daily” is troublesome. It is only found in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:11). It refers to something that is necessary for life that has a time element, but scholars debate what “life” means: does it mean the regular sustenance required to keep our bodies going or does it refer to eternal life? Is the time element “this day,” “tomorrow,” or the future? Biblical scholars have many debates over these definitions.

The wording doesn’t quite make sense as a prayer for eternal life. Although the rest of the prayer is more spiritual than practical, we only need to ask for salvation once. As a prayer for food, “each day” and “daily” are unnecessarily repetitive. The verse may mean, “Give us each day the bread we need to live.” This is consistent with Proverbs 30:8–9 wherein the writer requests not too much, lest he feel he doesn’t need God, nor too little, lest he be tempted to steal. It also is reflected in the following teaching on prayer which focuses on God’s provision when His children ask (Luke 11:5–13).

Verse 4. and forgive us our sins,for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.And lead us not into temptation.”

The end of the Lord’s prayer contrasts the disciples with those who reject their message. As the disciples spread the news that the kingdom of God has come, many will reject their words, refusing to repent and ask forgiveness for their sins. The disciples are to quietly judge the people by shaking the dust from their feet and leaving (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–11). They are to forgive these enemies who sin against them (Luke 6:27–36), not call down fire from heaven to destroy them (Luke 9:51–56).

The term “indebted” here refers to what someone owes because of a sin. By requesting that God forgive our sins, we acknowledge that we don’t deserve His mercy. If we don’t deserve His mercy and yet boldly request it, we must be willing to offer that same mercy to others. This is the message of the parable of the unmerciful servant: a man forgiven a debt no human could ever possibly pay off in one lifetime who would not forgive another’s debt to him (Matthew 18:23–35).

It’s important to know that while this is a part of the Christian life that God expects, it does not have anything to do with salvation. Jesus is not saying that if we do not forgive others, we either aren’t saved or could lose our salvation. This forgiveness is related to the spiritual closeness we have with God. We repent of our own actions and ask God’s forgiveness for cleansing or for restored intimate fellowship with God (1 John 1:9). Once we are made His child, we remain His child (1 John 3:1–3; Ephesians 1:3–14; Romans 8:1–17). We cannot lose our salvation by sinning, but we may grieve the Holy Spirit and damage our relationship with Him (Ephesians 4:30). The person who cannot—or will not—extend forgiveness to others demonstrates a lack of appreciation for their own sin debt to God.

The last part of the verse seems to contradict James 1:13: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” The Greek word for “temptation” is the same for “testing:” to subject something to stress to determine its strength. Testing is good; it gives God glory and us confidence when we triumph over trials. It is not good if the testing is so difficult that we fail. Considering the two meanings of the word, we do not want God to test us to the point that we would fail and sin against Him, thus requiring more forgiveness. As a group, a church, or a family we do not want to experience so much stress that we dishonor God and hurt each other.

Verse 5. And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

In Luke 11:1–13, Jesus talks to His disciples about prayer. Here, He presents a question in the form of a parable. The gist is, “If you were desperate, wouldn’t you seek help from a friend, even if it would annoy him? If an annoyed friend will provide help, why think God the Father wouldn’t?”

The setting is highly culturally specific. Cultures of the Middle East have taken the concept of hospitality very seriously for many thousands of years. A man is surprised in the middle of the night by a friend who has been traveling. For some reason, the man has no bread baked. He goes to his neighbor, knowing he will irritate the neighbor, but feeling even more obliged to feed his friend. The neighbor is also torn; the same expectations of hospitality apply to him, but if he rises to give the bread, he may wake his children. And even though the neighbor is only borrowing the bread and will replace it, he may not do so by the time the children need to eat.

The man and his neighbor are caught in the intersection of cultural expectations, pragmatism, and friendship. Yet they have the power to do what is right. God has no such limitations, and far more power, though no such obligation. He answers our needs because He loves us (Luke 11:13).

Context Summary
Luke 11:5–8 is often called “the parable of the persistent neighbor.” This is the second of three parts of Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Luke 11:1–13). Having given the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells the story of a neighbor who reluctantly answers the request of a man because the man is persistent. Jesus finishes by comparing the neighbor to God the Father who answers prayers well because He loves His children. Luke is the only gospel author to include this parable.

Verse 6. for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

In response to His disciples’ request, Jesus has taught them how to pray (Luke 11:1–4). In the center of the prayer is a request for God to fill our practical needs, specifically “bread” (Luke 11:3). Here, Jesus tells a parable to illustrate why we can pray to God and why we can trust Him to fulfill our prayers in the way that is best for us.

Jesus’ example placed the disciples in the role of a man who is surprised by a friend in the middle of the night. He has no bread and must ask a neighbor to borrow three loaves (Luke 11:5). The neighbor is sleeping; if he gets up to get the bread, he may wake his children (Luke 11:7). And if he gives his neighbor his bread, the neighbor may not return fresh loaves by the time the children awaken to eat.

At first, the neighbor refuses. But if he does not get up and get the bread, the man will not stop knocking. Reluctantly, he fills the need (Luke 11:8). The man and his neighbor are bound by friendship and a culture of hospitality, but the neighbor doesn’t fill the need until he realizes the man will continue to annoy him. In contrast, God answers our prayers out of love (Luke 11:11–13).

Verse 7. and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

Jesus continues His question-as-parable. He has just given a basic prayer for the disciples to request what they need from God, including “daily bread,” which represents the regular needs we have (Luke 11:1–4). Here, Jesus begins to explain why the disciples should trust God with their needs.

He tells the disciples about a man who must show hospitality to a traveling friend who has arrived in the middle of the night. The man has no bread, so he goes to his neighbor’s house and asks to borrow three loaves. The neighbor understands the importance of hospitality, but he also understands the importance of not waking up children. At first, he refuses to disturb his kids and get bread for the man (Luke 11:5–6).

It is not the fact that they are friends that causes the neighbor to get up and give the man bread. It is because the man will not stop knocking. If he keeps up the racket, no one will get any sleep. In contrast, God will meet our needs because He loves us—even more than our own fathers (Luke 11:8–13).

Jesus isn’t judging the neighbor for wanting to stay in bed or the man for waking the neighbor up. In the end, they both do the charitable thing. Jesus is merely showing the disciples why they should be bold in asking God for what they need: God loves them.

Verse 8. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

This completes Jesus’ parable explaining why believers should feel free to ask God to fill their needs. A man is awakened in the middle of the night by a neighbor who desperately needs bread for a sudden visitor. The neighbor doesn’t want to get up and disturb his children, but if he doesn’t, the man’s knocking will disturb them, anyway. The man is a friend. The neighbor understands the social responsibility of hospitality. But in the end, it’s the man’s persistence that forces the neighbor to get up and hand over the bread (Luke 11:5–7).

“Impudence” means to be bold, even with no regard for what is proper. A child who runs to her father during his online, on-camera meeting, because she knows he loves her, is bold and improper. She doesn’t care if he’s being interviewed live for a news broadcast; she just knows she is free to go to her father at any time. We can have the same freedom with God.

In the next section, Jesus uncovers this application of the parable. The two men are neighbors and friends, linked by a common cultural expectation of sacrificial hospitality. Even so, the man only gets out of bed because the neighbor is annoying. God the Father, to whom the disciples pray (Luke 11:2), will readily give to His children because He loves them (Luke 11:9–13).

Verse 9. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jesus’ disciples have asked Him to teach them to pray. He does so in a way that will provide for their needs when they go out and spread the message that the kingdom of God is near (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–11). He then tells them a parable about how a friend will fill an inconvenient request if the request is persistent and annoying (Luke 11:1–8).

Now, Jesus explains that God is happy to give the disciples what they need. The man asked his friend for bread, he sought help to fulfill his responsibility to be hospitable to his guest, and he knocked on the door. If Jesus’ followers do the same to God, He will graciously meet our needs. This does not mean that God will automatically give us anything we want, simply because we want it.

If we ask, God will provide; if we knock, God will open the door. If we seek, He will allow us to find what we need. Too often, people ask God for blessings but don’t make the effort to look up and see them. Their minds may hold an extremely specific idea of what they need, but that idea may be counter to the better things God wants to give them. Or they may be so distraught and downcast they can’t see any good at all. We need to have the attitude of Paul who sees God’s blessings in feast and famine (Philippians 4:11–13).

Context Summary
Luke 11:9–13 is the last bit of the last story (Luke 11:1–13) of the first section (Luke 9:51—11:13) of what some refer to as “The Travelogue to Jerusalem.” The larger section is on the blessings and responsibilities of following Jesus. This last story is on prayer: here, on how God is good and will answer our prayers because He loves us. This is also found in Matthew 7:7–11, although Luke’s account may be a later event.

Verse 10. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

This continues Jesus’ comparison of God’s generosity to that of an annoyed friend. He has told the disciples the parable of the persistent neighbor. In the middle of the night, a neighbor bangs on a man’s door requesting bread for a traveling friend who has just arrived. The man doesn’t want to get up and awaken his children, but the neighbor will not stop asking, seeking, and knocking for bread. Eventually, the man gets up and gets the bread (Luke 11:5–8).

Jesus says God will not be so reluctant. He is more than willing to fulfill the requests He outlined in the Lord’s Prayer: those that align with the commission to His disciples to go out and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 11:1–4; 10:1–9). In this context, Jesus is talking about equipping His followers in ministry. If they ask for an open door to spread the message of the kingdom, they will receive it. The narrow door of Luke 13:22–30 is a different situation, talking about people who refuse to follow Jesus but expect to go to heaven. In that case, their request for an open door is too late.

Next, Jesus will compare God’s graciousness with the natural love of a father. If a son asks for food, an earthly father will not give him a deadly animal. The disciples should understand that their heavenly Father will be even more generous (Luke 11:11–13).

Verse 11. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

Jesus has explained that if a man is persistent, eventually his neighbor will meet his needs, even if to do so is inconvenient (Luke 11:5–8). Here, Jesus explains that if a son makes a reasonable request for food, his earthly father will not give him something harmful, instead.

Even more so, if Jesus’ disciples ask God, their heavenly Father, for that which will help them accomplish God’s will, God will generously fill their request (Luke 11:1–4, 13). Jesus has mentioned more laborers to help in the work of spreading the news that the kingdom of God has come (Luke 10:2). Now, He includes that the kingdom would continue to come, that the disciples would receive enough food for each day’s needs, that forgiveness would characterize their relationships with God and others, and that they would not fall into temptation (Luke 11:2–4). Later, the Father will provide the Holy Spirit who will empower Jesus’ followers to spread the message of how God’s kingdom through Jesus offers salvation (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:1–4).

Prayer doesn’t annoy God. Unthinkingly repeating words as if reciting a mantra or magic spell does not please Him (Matthew 6:7). However, asking for the same thing over and over doesn’t anger Him (Luke 18:1–8). It is true that He won’t always answer our prayers in the way we want (Luke 22:42). We should pray humbly, knowing that He knows what is best for us and that He has a plan. But we should also ask boldly, as to a father who loves his child.

Verse 12. or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Jesus is concluding a teaching on prayer. The disciples ask Him how to pray; He responds with a short prayer that begins with worship and then gives a list of needs. Those needs parallel what the disciples need to perform their mission of preaching that the kingdom of God is near (Luke 11:1–4; 10:1–9).

Jesus then tells a parable about how a man will fill his neighbor’s need if the neighbor is persistent enough (Luke 11:5–8). Now, He points out that if a boy asks his father for a fish, the father will not give him a snake (Luke 11:11). Nor will the father give a scorpion instead of an egg.

Jesus’ point is that the neighbor and the son have legitimate needs that deserve to be filled and will be filled. The neighbor reluctantly fills the need of his friend; a father will fill his son’s need willingly. How much more will the heavenly Father fill the needs of those sent out to do His work (Luke 11:13)? Why think He would respond with something evil?

In Matthew’s account, Jesus compares bread to a stone, suggesting this is either a similar teaching at a different time and place or both writers condensed the larger story (Matthew 7:9).

Verse 13. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

This is the climax of Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Jesus has promised that those who ask, seek, and knock will find their requests fulfilled. He then says that if a child asks for a good thing, his father will not give him something harmful (Luke 11:11–12). But Jesus doesn’t say if there are any limitations on God’s grace until now. God is not necessarily going to give us healing or riches or even bread (Luke 11:6). He will give us something far greater: the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ teaching on prayer is in the service of His followers’ mission to spread the news that the kingdom of God has come (Luke 10:1–11). To aid in this mission, He promised the disciples He would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Ten days after He ascended into heaven, He did just that. The larger group of Jesus-followers were together when the Holy Spirit came upon them all (Acts 2:1–4). From that day until they died, the disciples dedicated their lives to spreading the news of God’s kingdom offer of salvation. Although they faced many hardships, the disciples always received what they needed to serve God.

“How much more” is common in Jewish teaching as part of a “smaller-to-larger” argument. If a friend will fill a need for a neighbor, surely a father will for a son. And if a father will fill a need for a son, surely God will for His children.

This ends the first section of what some call “The Travelogue to Jerusalem,” which begins in Luke 9:51. In the travelogue, Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and trains them to build the church. This first section focuses on how the disciples can further the kingdom of God. The next reveals how the scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54).

Verse 14. Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

Jesus performed miracles for two reasons. First was to validate His teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived (Luke 10:9). Second was His compassion for people who suffer. That suffering was sometimes physical, due to living in a fallen world (Matthew 14:14). In other cases, it was spiritual suffering from abusive leaders (Matthew 15:14). In areas that outright reject Him, like His hometown of Nazareth, He does not perform many miracles (Mark 6:1–6). In this story, Jesus is ministering to a mixed crowd of Pharisees and laity; although they all “marvel,” they do so for different reasons. Evidently some believe, wondering if He is the promised Messiah (Matthew 12:23). Others want to see more miracles before they make up their minds about who Jesus is (Luke 11:16).

Still others, scribes from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22), don’t believe in Him at all. These scribes should know better. Isaiah 35:6 says the Messiah will cause “the tongue of the mute [to] sing for joy.” Besides God’s control of Ezekiel’s speech, there is no account in the Bible of a prophet or apostle causing the mute to speak. Yet Jesus healed many who were mute (Matthew 9:32–34; 15:30–31; Mark 7:37; 9:14–27). Even more so, Matthew mentions that the man was also blind (Matthew 12:22). Isaiah 35:5 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened…” Again, no one else in the Bible is recorded as having healed the blind except God.

For some, the association of muteness with demonic oppression is confusing. Scripture is not teaching that demons cause all muteness. Nor does it mean that people considered “non-verbal” are possessed. In the case described, a man was made mute by a demon and Jesus healed him. In fact, the Greek syntax here uses “mute” to describe the demon: it is a daimonion kōphon.

Context Summary
Luke 11:14–20 is the first of several stories that describe the Pharisees’ rejection of their Messiah and their coming judgment, in contrast to the disciples’ acceptance and blessing (Luke 11:14–54). The scribes, or lawyers, of the Pharisees have come from Jerusalem (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22) and determine that Jesus expels demons through the power of Beelzebul—Satan. Jesus responds by explaining the true nature of demons and their relationship with humans. Matthew 12:22–30 and Mark 3:22–27 cover the same accusation, but they also go on to address blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31–32; Mark 3:28–30).

Verse 15. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”

Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed man who was mute and blind (Luke 11:14; Matthew 12:22). Isaiah 35:5–6 specifically mentions such healings as coming from the Messiah. No other prophet was recorded healing a blind or mute person. In a stunning display of spiritual blindness, the legal experts who have come from Jerusalem to observe Jesus determine He must have driven out the demon by the power of Satan.

The word Beel is the same as “Baal,” which means “lord.” Beel-zebul was originally a Philistine god, the lord of the flies. Beelzebul is frequently confused with “Beel-zebub,” which means “lord of filth.” It’s uncertain if these are two distinct gods or if Beelzebul is a later derivation. By claiming that Jesus uses Beelzebul to exorcise demons, the scribes from Jerusalem are at least accusing Jesus of witchcraft, if not Satan-worship.

Jesus points out the absurdity of Satan telling his own demons to leave a man when removing the demon would cause damage to his own domain (Luke 11:17–18). Some readers wonder if this is necessarily true. Could Satan “reassign” his demons to fool people into thinking he is benevolent? That would be contrary to his behavior of “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He does not need to give up ground to further his conquest.

Verse 16. while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.

Matthew’s account places this comment after the conclusion of Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees about Beelzebul (Matthew 12:38–42). By placing it here, before the discussion about the sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29–32), Luke shows that this demand was ongoing. The placement also presents a striking convergence.

A crowd apparently surrounds Jesus (Luke 11:14). Some seem to believe, wondering if Jesus is the promised Messiah (Matthew 12:23). There are also experts in the Law, who have come to watch and listen and convince themselves that Jesus does not qualify as the Messiah (Luke 11:15).

This third group is undecided. They have a vague level of belief but want to see more miracles before they make up their minds. The fact that He has healed a blind and mute man—which is a direct sign of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5–6)—isn’t enough (Luke 11:14; Matthew 12:22). Later, Jesus will tell Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

For these doubters, however, Jesus tells them the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29–30). Doubters will be judged by the nations of old who heard the warnings and believed (Luke 11:31–32), a repeat of what He warned the disciples in Luke 10:12–15.

Verse 17. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

Jesus has healed a blind and mute man whose conditions were caused by demon possession (Luke 11:14; Matthew 12:22). Visiting scribes, experts in the Mosaic law and the extra-biblical Oral Law, have come down from Jerusalem to witness Jesus’ ministry first-hand. After seeing this incredible miracle, they have decided that Jesus cast out the demon by the power of Satan. Jesus is in the process of explaining why this is ridiculous (Luke 11:15–16).

It’s very possible that by talking about divided kingdoms Jesus is alluding to—and the people are reminded of—what happened when Solomon’s son Rehoboam took the throne. Rehoboam put such a burden on the people that his rival, Jeroboam, had no trouble taking ten tribes from the nation of Israel. This divided the northern kingdom of Israel from the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12:16–20). The nation was recovered for a short time under the Maccabees, but at Jesus’ time the land is divided into Galilee, Samaria, and Judea under the authority of the Roman Empire.

The illustration of the divided family is exemplified by the Herodians. At Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great ruled Idumea, Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Decapolis, Perea, and districts to the north. When he died, his territory was split, three of his sons taking smaller territories. Not long after, the largest region was placed under a Roman procurator.

So, in Jesus’ era, Jews were constantly reminded of what a divided kingdom and family look like. Jewish autonomy was definitively “laid waste.”

This is not the first time Jesus has known the thoughts of His adversaries (Luke 5:22; 6:8; 7:39–40). He knows both that the religious leaders from Jerusalem are intentionally being obtuse about His relationship to God and that more others haven’t made up their minds and want to see more miracles (Luke 11:15–16).

Verse 18. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

A man made blind and mute by a demon received healing from Jesus (Luke 11:14; Matthew 12:22). The lawyers, visiting from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22), quickly judge that Satan has empowered Jesus to do so (Luke 11:15). Jesus is pointing out that if Satan is enabling Him to cast out demons, Satan’s kingdom is divided and will fall. Jesus has given a concrete example of a split nation, probably referring to the division of the nation of Israel into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 12:16–20). He’s also spoken of a split family, which may refer to the failing Herodian empire (Luke 11:17).

Now, Jesus gets to his point: Satan does not work against his own purposes. Satan’s intent is to take glory from God. He does so in two ways. First is by convincing people made in God’s image to worship Satan, instead. Second is by destroying people made in God’s image (1 Peter 5:8). If one of the Devil’s demons so controlled a man that he was blind and mute, purposefully allowing that demon to be cast out would work against Satan’s purposes.

Some wonder if Satan may have arranged for false exorcisms as part of a larger strategy to win the trust of the people. That becomes an interesting thought experiment within the moment depicted by this passage. Yet it doesn’t hold weight against the wider picture of Jesus and His ministry. Jesus proved in His temptation that He will not follow or worship Satan or in any way agree to his schemes (Luke 4:1–13). Jesus is God and is working through the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28–30; Luke 3:21–22). Satan’s larger strategy is right in front of him: to cause pain to God the Son incarnate and arrange for His murder. By hurting this man and steering the prideful thoughts of the religious lawyers, he has done both.

Further, as Jesus notes (Luke 11:19), the men criticizing Him believe their own family members cast out demons: if so, how can they then claim what Jesus does is Satanic?

When Jesus says, “Beelzebul,” He’s using the same terminology the Jewish lawyers do (Luke 11:15). They are equating Satan to the Philistine god called the “lord of the flies.”

Verse 19. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Scribes from Jerusalem watched Jesus cast a demon out of a man and decided He did so under Satan’s authority. Jesus has already explained how this is counter to Satan’s intent and, therefore, illogical (Luke 11:14–18). Now He gets personal.

Demonic activity seems to have been more common in Jesus’ era. We know of one man who cast out demons in Jesus’ name (Luke 9:49). We also know that sons of a Jewish priest tried to cast out demons under the name of “the Jesus whom Paul proclaims” (Acts 19:13). It didn’t go well; the demonized man attacked them, ripped their clothes off, and sent them running out of the house (Acts 19:14–16). We also know that Jewish “healers” charged a lot of money for useless spells and treatments (Luke 8:43). What we don’t know is whether all these exorcists trulydid what they claimed.

To Jesus, right now, the legitimacy of Jewish exorcists is not the point. It’s that the sons of at least some of the religious leaders in the crowd claim to cast out demons by the power of God. If these fathers affirm their sons’ abilities, then they affirm that the power of God casts out demons. And if it’s the power of God that casts out demons, how can they claim that Jesus uses the authority of Satan?

This echoes the extended point of Luke chapters 9—11. The arrival of the power of God corresponds with the kingdom of God, and Jesus’ ministry is its inauguration (Luke 11:20). So, if Jesus heals and casts out demons by the “finger of God,” why aren’t these scribes listening to Jesus’ teachings?

Commentors vary regarding who is said to be judging in this verse. Jesus may be saying that His disciples, who accept the truth about Him, will judge the Jewish religious leaders. Conversely, He may be saying that the assertion of the sons’ ability to cast out demons stands as evidence that the leaders are wrong. Either way, this separation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders takes a step in fulfilling Simeon’s prophecy in Luke 2:34–35 that “this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed…so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

“Beelzebul” was a Philistine deity, “lord of the flies.” The lawyers used the term to refer to Satan.

Verse 20. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Religious leaders from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22) claim Jesus casts out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus has given two reasons why they can’t make this argument. First, if Satan ordered a servant to cast out another servant, his kingdom would fall (Luke 11:17–18). Second, if the sons of the scribes and Pharisees cast out demons by the power of God, then how can Jesus do so by the power of Satan (Luke 11:19)?

Here, Jesus comes to His deeper point. He has healed a man who was blind and mute (Matthew 12:22; Luke 11:14). No one else in the Bible is recorded as healing the blind and the mute, but the prophecies do promise the Messiah will do so (Isaiah 35:5–6). If Jesus casts out demons by God’s power and provides healing only the Messiah can, then He is the manifestation of the kingdom of God. If He is the manifestation of the kingdom of God, why don’t they listen to Him? Why don’t these experts in the Jewish Scriptures recognize who He is? They have no excuse.

Here, as in other passages, interpreters differ on the nuances implied in Luke’s phrasing, specifically as related to the “kingdom of God.” The phrase gives scholars and theologians many opportunities to display their academic prowess (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Scholars who see the “kingdom of God” as something that is both “now and not yet” simply say that when Jesus arrived His kingdom was inaugurated and remains in His church. At His second coming it will be fulfilled (Acts 3:19–24).

Where Luke talks about the “finger” of God, Matthew uses the “Spirit” of God and, after the parable of the strong man, discusses blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28–32). God’s finger as a sign of His power is found in several places in the Mosaic writings (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10; Psalm 8:3). The lawyers should recognize it.

Verse 21. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;

Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem have accused Jesus of working under the power of Satan. Specifically, they have decided that Satan moved Jesus to cast out a demon. Jesus is explaining this doesn’t make any sense: why would Satan work against his own cause? And how can they make this claim if they believe their own people are casting out demons through the power of God? If Jesus defeats Satan’s work, then the Jewish teachers should know He does so under God’s power and God’s kingdom has arrived (Luke 11:14–20).

Here, Jesus starts a short parable. The strong man, fully armed, is Satan. He is “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), the dominant influence over human culture. Up to this point, God has given him significant leeway in leading individuals and nations to do evil. Thanks to his influence over humans and his many demons, his power, authority, and kingdom have been relatively secure.

With the arrival of Jesus, the stronger one, the weaknesses in Satan’s kingdom begin to show. Jesus’ power during His ministry reveals His authority over demons. His coming resurrection will be Satan’s defeat. The Pharisees and scribes need to figure out what side of the battle they’re on (Luke 11:22–23). Jesus has proven His authority over demons. His destruction of Satan’s entire kingdom is coming.

“Palace” in the Greek can mean castle, fortress, or court. It refers to a living place that is well defended.

Context Summary
Luke 11:21–23 contains Jesus’ parable of the strong man to show that just as Jesus can cast out one demon, He can destroy Satan’s kingdom. The Jewish religious leaders accused Jesus of casting out a demon under the authority of Satan. Jesus counters that not only does He control demons, He also can and will destroy Satan (Luke 11:15–20). In the next section, Jesus explains that if people do not choose Him, they by default choose Satan (Luke 11:24–26). This parable is also in Matthew 12:29–30 and Mark 3:27, right before their accounts of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which Luke skips.

Verse 22. but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.

Jesus continues His short parable about how Satan can’t empower him because He is working to destroy Satan (Luke 11:14–20). Jesus portrays Satan as a strong man who has many defenses—including demonic servants—to keep his kingdom and possessions—including demon-oppressed people—secured. Jesus is stronger, however. During His earthly ministry, Jesus “attacks” by casting out demons and teaching repentance, rescuing many who lived under Satan’s influence. At the resurrection Jesus will definitively defeat Satan (Colossians 2:8–15), and at the second coming Jesus’ victory will be complete (Revelation 19:11—20:15).

In this context, the “strong man” is Satan and “his own palace” is his control over the world (Luke 11:21). The “one stronger” is Jesus. The “armor” is demons. The “spoil” are those under Satan’s control and torment.

The Jewish religious leaders—Pharisees and their lawyers—cannot imagine that they belong to Satan’s spoils. Their own sons claim to cast out demons (Luke 11:19). They boldly declare that Abraham is their father (John 8:39). Jesus counters that their father is the Devil and they do his will (John 8:44). They are assets which Satan guards. Even if they are not possessed by demons, they, like the mute man, need to be freed from his palace (Luke 11:14).

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus follows this parable with the accusation that the religious leaders are committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. To look on Jesus’ work that is by its nature only possible by the Holy Spirit and declare that it is from Satan is the highest blasphemy, and these religious leaders are in great danger of spending eternity with Satan in torment (Matthew 12:31–32; Mark 3:28–30).

Verse 23. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Jesus gives a proverb to complete the parable of the strong man. He explains that if the lawyers and Pharisees continue to claim Jesus’ power comes from Satan, they will share Satan’s fate.

The Jewish religious leaders think they are God’s servants, guarding God’s kingdom against Satan’s infiltration. However, they are Satan’s “spoils,” gathered by him and guarded by demonic forces. They think Jesus releases people from demonic captivity by Satan’s authority. Yet Jesus acts by the will of God the Father, and the leaders desperately need Him to storm Satan’s palace and rescue them (Luke 11:14–22). Until then, they are against Christ, serving Satan as their master and father (John 8:44), not fighting against him.

That they will “scatter” is ironic. One infamous Pharisee—Saul, later known as Paul—will be responsible for persecuting the church in Jerusalem so badly that Christians scatter into Judea, Samaria, and even Syria (Acts 8). The Christians will take the gospel with them and build new churches, thus foiling Paul’s plan to destroy them. But about thirty-five years later, in AD 70, the Jews will scatter as Rome destroys Jerusalem. God’s plan all along was for the church to scatter and spread the good news of reconciliation through Jesus around the world. For Israel, God long ago promised to gather the scattered Jews and return them to their home (Zechariah 10).

Jesus has already addressed the concept of being with or against Him in the reverse. When John mentioned that they saw an unknown man casting out demons in Jesus’ name, Jesus told the disciples, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50). The dividing line is clear. It doesn’t matter if you appear to be the leader of a religion of God-worshipers or if you appear to follow Jesus in an inappropriate way. Those on the side of demons and Satan are enemies of Jesus; those who join with Jesus in the war against demons and Satan are with Him.

Modern readers should be aware of how often entertainment and lifestyle trends cross this line. There are only two sources of supernatural power: Satan and demons, or God. “Spells,” performing rituals while wishing “with intention,” and interacting with any perceived supernatural being other than God is demon-worship. There is no “goddess.” There are no deities for different areas in life. There is only one God. He is the Creator of all, including all other spiritual beings (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:15–17). Anything in the spiritual world that is not of God and to His glory is from Satan and his demons who rebelled against God and seek to destroy His work (Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:12–19; Luke 10:18; John 8:44; Jude 1:6). God allows them certain power for the time being, but they will one day be completely destroyed (1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20).

In entertainment, it has become immensely popular to portray demons in a sympathetic manner. They can come across as lost, repentant, or even redeemable. That is not who demons are. They made a choice to rebel against God, and they will not waver. Their desire is to steal the rightful worship humans owe God and then destroy those humans who are made in God’s image (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8).

Jesus’ words are for all of us. Those who follow Him and rely on the Holy Spirit will join in His work of gathering more followers who worship God. Those who seek security, power, or even entertainment from demonic forces are actively rebelling against Jesus and are in danger of spending eternity with those same evil beings.

Verse 24. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

Jesus has taken advantage of a discussion about whether He is empowered by Satan or the Holy Spirit to talk about the distinctions of following Satan or Himself. He has talked about how Satan is like a strong man defending his authority and power within a fortress. Yet Jesus is stronger and will defeat Satan and redistribute what he’d held captive. Jesus then used an agricultural metaphor to put a dividing line between their followers: people show which side they’re on by how they act (Luke 11:14–23).

In this curious passage, Jesus shows that there is no middle ground. Even if you find yourself freed from Satan’s influence and as spiritually neutral as possible, you’re still vulnerable to Satan. In fact, you’re more vulnerable to Satan than before.

The parable begins with a man freed from a demon: an act already established as only possible through God. Although the man appreciates the blessings of freedom, he doesn’t make any positive movement toward God. He remains in a neutral human position. He doesn’t realize that makes him vulnerable to even more demonic oppression (Luke 11:25–26). It isn’t enough to “not worship” Satan. We must choose Jesus.

What this verse says about demons isn’t clear. Demons can certainly exist without oppressing a human. But we don’t know why the demon would travel through waterless places or need to seek rest. Nor do we know what “rest” would look like for a demon.

Context Summary
Luke 11:24–26 continues the extended section (Luke 11:14–54) about the conflict between the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus. Jesus has decisively shown that He and Satan are on two vastly different sides (Luke 11:14–23). Here, He reveals that there is no middle ground between them. Either people choose Jesus or they stay under Satan’s authority. Next, Jesus explains that not even His closest family members are exempt from this dichotomy (Luke 11:27–28). Matthew 12:43–45 also records this parable.

Verse 25. And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.

This parable (Luke 11:24) explains the foolishness of trying to be neutral in the spiritual battle raging around us. There are two sides: Satan and Jesus. We can choose Christ or choose Satan, but a vote for neither is ultimately a vote for Satan.

Someone may have been freed from the most horrific evil, but that doesn’t mean he will stay safe. A man may be rescued from a demon and think he can live an ordered, peaceful life. But humans, by default, are under Satan’s authority; we are Satan’s “spoil” (Luke 11:22). Failing to choose means choosing Satan. Rescue from danger doesn’t guarantee continued safety.

The “house” is the man who once was host for a demon. That he is “swept and put in order” means that the demonic influence is gone from his life. His life is as calm and peaceful as any human can experience. He may even do good for his community, love his family, and show generous responsibility in all things.

But human standards won’t keep him safe. Spiritually, he is empty and vulnerable. If he does not ask the Holy Spirit to indwell him, his old demons will return. In this new respectable human state, the damage will be even greater than before. The downfall of an honorable man is more dramatic than the continued slide of a man who always looked lost.

Verse 26. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Jesus finishes His discussion about the relationship between Himself and Satan. Jesus does not work for Satan (Luke 11:14–20). Jesus will conquer Satan and any who belong to him (Luke 11:21–23). Now, Jesus shows that there is no neutral zone. The parable of the restless spirit began with a man who is recently rescued from demonic oppression. He makes the most of his freedom by putting his life and his mind in order. He is as peaceful and well as any human can make himself.

He doesn’t realize that this human peace makes him more vulnerable to attack. The demon returns with seven others to possess him, their grip on him stronger than ever. His good place in human society is destroyed.

Jesus explains that those who try not to choose a side by default leave themselves vulnerable to Satan. Satan is the ruler of this world (John 14:30) and all people are born as his “spoil” (Luke 11:22). This is why Jesus has been sending His disciples out to declare the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–11). We must intentionally choose Jesus to really be free and live in legitimate peace.

It’s tempting to read too much into this parable. Scripture is not saying that someone who has received freedom from sin and oppression and who does not follow Jesus will inevitably be demonized again, or that they are destined for hell. This does parallel passages on apostates: those who have “tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away” (Hebrews 6:5–6). But God is more powerful than Satan and all his demons. The man in the parable is not condemned unless he dies having never asked Jesus for rescue from Satan and his sins. Until then, repentance is always an option (1 John 1:9).

Verse 27. As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

Luke continues to offer stories about the difference between someone who follows Satan and one who follows Jesus. A person who truly casts out demons does not follow Satan (Luke 11:14–20). If Jesus can cast out demons, He can destroy Satan’s kingdom (Luke 11:21–23). People must decide who they follow or they will, by default, be under Satan’s authority (Luke 11:24–26).

The anonymous woman is not wrong. Elizabeth and Mary, herself, affirmed that Mary is blessed (Luke 1:42, 48). And the fact that a woman felt free to interject her blessing into a rabbi’s meeting is another sign of how Jesus valued and affirmed women in His ministry. Yet Jesus emphasizes here that even being a close member of Jesus’ family is not enough. To receive God’s blessings, even Jesus’ family members must choose Him as their Savior.

Matthew and Mark don’t record this interchange, but they do include a related conversation (Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35), as does Luke earlier in his gospel (Luke 8:19–21). Mary and Jesus’ brothers have heard that He’s over-working Himself and is earning a bad reputation. They show up to take Him home (Mark 3:21). Jesus is inside a crowded house, and they can’t get to Him. When someone tells Him they are there, He responds “Who are my mother and my brothers? … Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:33–35).

Context Summary
Luke 11:27–28 displays the people’s continued misunderstanding of what it means to accept their Messiah. A woman cries out that Mary must be blessed for having Jesus as her son. Jesus responds that true blessings belong to His followers who are known by their obedience. Only Luke records this interaction but Jesus’ comments about family in Matthew 12:46–50 and Mark 3:31–35 express the same message.

Verse 28. But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Jesus is explaining how He is distinct from Satan. He does not do miracles in Satan’s power; He will destroy Satan’s kingdom; those who follow one cannot follow the other; those who do not choose a side will be claimed by Satan (Luke 11:14–26). A woman interjects to pronounce blessing on Jesus’ mother (Luke 11:27). Here, He explains that even His closest family member, His mother, must make that choice.

This teaching of the importance of hearing and doing God’s Word is scattered throughout the Bible. In several places, God tells the Jews that He values obedience over sacrifice or feasts (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 40:6–8; Isaiah 1:13–17). He would rather have repentance than burnt offerings (Psalm 51:17). God’s blessings to the Israelites were dependent on their obedience to the Mosaic law (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28).

None of those imply that good works are necessary for salvation. Eternal redemption is always by grace through faith (Romans 4:1–8; Ephesians 2:8–9). Rather, good works naturally follow from salvation (Ephesians 2:10). To trust in Jesus is to rely on Him and seek to obey Him (John 15:1–17; Romans 6—8; 1 John 1:8—2:6). The indwelling Holy Spirit transforms the hearts and minds of believers (Romans 12; Galatians 3:1–9; Ephesians 1:3–14; Philippians 2:12–13). In the context of this chapter, hearing the word of God and keeping it means hearing the evidence that Jesus is Savior and accepting that truth. That’s something even Mary had to do.

In the next segments, Jesus continues to explain that obedience to God includes believing what God says. This is what the formerly pagan people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba did (Luke 11:29–32). If they believe Jesus’ message, given to Him by God the Father (John 12:49), they will shine with light and truth (Luke 11:33–36). If they don’t, they may look good on the outside, but inside they are filthy tombs continuing the tradition of murdering God’s prophets (Luke 11:37–52).

Verse 29. When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

Luke is dealing with two specific ways in which the Pharisees and lawyers reject Jesus. The first is by saying that His power to perform miracles comes from Satan; Jesus has successfully proven this is impossible (Luke 11:14–23).

Now, Luke addresses the second, which he alluded to earlier: a demand to see more miracles (Luke 11:16). The first group included scribes—experts in the Mosaic law—who had come from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22). It also included Pharisees (Matthew 12:24). Luke simply says that “some of them” in the crowd had these reactions (Luke 11:15–16). Matthew says that “some of the scribes and Pharisees” make a request to see a sign (Matthew 12:38), and Jesus answers with this.

Dr. Darrell Bock explains that in this section, the “sign” is that in the past God’s prophets spoke and unlikely parties responded in repentance and God-worship. Jonah declared coming judgment to the Ninevites, who were Assyrians and counted among the cruelest cultures in history. They immediately repented and God stayed His hand for about 180 years (Jonah 3). Jesus continues that Solomon spoke with God’s wisdom and the queen of the South responded (1 Kings 10:1–13). The Jewish religious leaders have a choice: respond to their Messiah with repentance or face the judgment of once-pagan Gentiles who rightfully worshiped the God they claim to serve (Luke 11:30–32).

Why is it sinful for the lawyers and Pharisees to ask for a sign? Because Jesus has fully justified His claim to His identity: by performing miracles that specifically fulfill the prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures. He has given sight to the blind (Isaiah 35:5a; Luke 7:21), hearing to the deaf (Isaiah 35:5b; Luke 7:22), and words to the mute (Isaiah 35:6; Luke 11:14), all of which are distinct Messianic prophecies indicated by Isaiah. The lawyers, who are supposed to be the foremost experts in the Hebrew Scriptures, should know this. They should be celebrating the arrival of the Messiah and telling the people that He has come. Instead, they cast doubt on everything He does.

Context Summary
Luke 11:29–32 returns to Jewish religious leaders’ continued failure to accept the evidence that Jesus is working with God, not Satan. Some had claimed Jesus cast out demons through Satan’s power, a claim Jesus proved ridiculous (Luke 11:14–20). Now some demand more miraculous proofs. Less obvious signs and less powerful prophets brought Gentiles to worship God in the Old Testament. Jews who claim to know Scripture should be more observant and believing. Matthew 12:38–42 records the same event.

Verse 30. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Jesus is criticizing lawyers and Pharisees who refuse miraculous evidence indicating He is the Messiah. Even though He has already done works specifically prophesied to be performed by the Messiah, they demand even more miracles. Jesus’ signs are wonders no prophet or miracle worker before Him has done. He promises the religious leaders only one more sign: the “sign of Jonah” (Luke 11:29).

Jonah was an Old Testament prophet. Though other Old Testament prophets spoke about and to foreign nations, Jonah is the only writing Jewish prophet specifically, physically sent to a foreign land with the sole purpose of presenting God’s message. God called Jonah to warn the Assyrian people that if they didn’t repent of their infamous cruelty God would destroy them. Jonah wanted God to annihilate the Assyrians, so he took a ship and sailed in the opposite direction. God sent a storm, and Jonah told the crew to throw him overboard. Instead of drowning, Jonah found himself inside a large fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1—2).

After the fish spewed Jonah out, God again told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. His task was to warn the people. It seems the story of his adventure had reached the Ninevites, and when he called for repentance, the king responded. The king declared a fast for both people and animals and ordered everyone to be covered in sackcloth. In addition, he commanded everyone to “turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands” (Jonah 3:8). In response, God withdrew His threat and didn’t destroy them until they had returned to their cruelty. This happened nearly 200 years later as described by Nahum.

In Matthew’s account, the “sign of Jonah” emphasizes the similarities between Jonah’s stay in and release from the fish and Jesus’ experience in the grave (Matthew 12:39–40). For Luke, the crucial facet is that God’s message was preached and Gentiles who had nothing to do with the God of Israel responded with repentance and worship. This certainly happened when the gospel message spread among the Gentiles in Paul’s ministry. Sadly, although the Ninevites, some of the most horrific people in history, responded to a reluctant prophet who merely walked around shouting for a day, the lawyers and Pharisees refuse to recognize Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in their own Scriptures.

The “Son of Man” is based on the prophecy in Daniel 7:13–14 and is a name Jesus often used when referring to Himself.

Verse 31. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

In Luke 10:12–15, Jesus compared Israelites of His time who denied Him to the Gentiles in nearer cities. This included Chorazin, Tyre, and Sidon, regions which Jesus said would have readily repented had they seen the signs the Jews did (Luke 10:13). Old Testament stories confirm this. Nineveh, capital of the infamously evil Assyrian empire, repented of their sin after Jonah spent one day warning them of God’s coming judgment (Jonah 3; Luke 11:30). Now, Jesus adds the “queen of the South:” the Queen of Sheba who came to meet Solomon (1 Kings 10:1–13). When she had experienced examples of his wisdom, she declared, “Blessed be the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lᴏʀᴅ loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9).

Jesus is taking jabs at the Pharisees and lawyers. They have requested more miraculous signs to prove He is the Messiah after ignoring how He fulfills specific Messianic prophecies, particularly in the book of Isaiah, that no other prophet has performed (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 11:14–16; Matthew 12:38). The queen of the South had no such definitive proof. She heard a rumor that a king far away had extraordinary wisdom and traveled to see it for herself. She experienced Solomon’s wisdom and saw his riches and immediately determined that he was blessed by His God.

The lawyers, on the other hand, see “something greater:” the miraculous things Jesus is doing and the wisdom He preaches. Yet they respond by declaring His power comes from Satan (Luke 11:14–15). These religious leaders, responsible for leading God’s chosen people into proper worship, reject the evidence before their eyes. A Gentile queen, however, became a God-worshiper. Whether literally or rhetorically, she will stand at the last judgment and rightfully declare that her actions were righteous, and the unrepentant lawyers and Pharisees deserve God’s wrath. Even more shockingly, she will be joined by the Ninevites who repented of their cruelty when Jonah warned them of coming judgment (Luke 11:32).

Verse 32. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jewish religious leaders have demanded Jesus perform more miracles before they accept Him as their Messiah (Luke 11:16; Matthew 12:38). This is in defiance of Him already fulfilling Messianic prophecies found in their Scriptures (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 11:14). Jesus promises them one last sign: formerly pagan Gentiles will hear God’s Word, repent of their sins, and worship Him. Prophetically, Jesus mentions the Ninevites who gave up their violent practices when the prophet Jonah warned them of God’s coming judgment (Jonah 3). Then, He reminds the Pharisees of the Queen of Sheba who heard Solomon and rightly judged he spoke God’s wisdom (1 Kings 10:1–13; Luke 11:29–31).

When Jesus was preparing His larger group of disciples to spread the message that the kingdom of God had arrived, He took a moment to lament that predominantly Jewish cities rejected Him. And yet, Gentile cities, if they had equally experienced His miracles, would have accepted Him (Luke 10:13–15). Here, Jesus gives proof that His assertion was valid. There were few cities more wicked than Nineveh. And yet the testimony of a reluctant Jewish prophet sent the entire kingdom to their knees in repentance.

The Ninevites are going to stand before God and declare that these religious leaders deserve hell. Jesus’ critics refuse to acknowledge that an itinerant teacher from Nazareth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and teach truth, is the Messiah. The Pharisees and lawyers have all the proof they need in the books of prophecy. Jonah merely survived a fish and then preached for a day; Jesus’ works and message are “something greater,” and so will be His judgment. Like the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites, Gentiles all over the world have heard of the Jewish Messiah and worship Him as their Savior.

The queen of the South and the Ninevites saw God’s words clearly and allowed those words to bring light into their hearts. Jesus now warns the Pharisees and their lawyers that those who hide the light of God’s truth do so because the darkness in their hearts will not let them see (Luke 11:33–36).

Verse 33. “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

Over this chapter, Luke has accumulated a series of frustrating interactions between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Critics have claimed Jesus’ power to cast out demons comes from Satan, and Jesus has responded that such an arrangement would be incredibly foolish on Satan’s part. The religious leaders have demanded more signs, and He has said they have seen enough but He’ll give one more: the spread of God-worship among Gentiles (Luke 11:14–32). After this section, He will enumerate the ways in which the Pharisees and lawyers misapply the Mosaic law and carry on the tradition of killing the prophets (Luke 11:37–54).

Here, Jesus uses the concept of light and darkness. “Light” is a common biblical theme representing truth, goodness, knowledge, and so forth. Jesus intends to show that His detractors have all the light—more than enough truth—needed to understand who He is. Yet their minds are so filled with darkness that they are blinded to what is obvious (Luke 11:33–36).

The “light” is the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus has proved this by performing specific miracles that match the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 7:21–22; 11:14). Instead of sharing this light with the Jewish people, the Pharisees and scribes hide it. They make false accusations and claim they need more proof (Luke 11:15–16). Jesus follows a progression: those who know the light will reveal it, not hide it; those who reject the light do so because their perception is darkened; their perception is darkened because they are filled with darkness. If they were filled with light, they would share it.

Context Summary
Luke 11:33–36 stands between the Pharisees’ and scribes’ rejection of Jesus (Luke 11:14–32) and Jesus’ passionate condemnation of their works (Luke 11:37–54). Their eyes should see that He is their Messiah, and they should spread the message as a lamp spreads light. Instead, their refusal to see that He the Messiah reveals that they are dark in their hearts and their understanding. Jesus covers similar themes in Matthew 5:14–16 and 6:22–23.

Verse 34. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

Jesus continues His admonition to the scribes and Pharisees: to share the truth they know. He has shown the light of who He is (Luke 11:29–33). The reality that He is Messiah was evident. Yet the religious leaders’ hearts are darkened. Even though they have proof that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, they refuse to admit it. Rather than believe and seek further understanding, they accuse Jesus and demand signs (Luke 11:14–16). If their eyes—their perception of what is real—were clear, the light of truth would enter their hearts. But their perceptions are bad, and so their hearts are filled with darkness. They don’t believe, so they’re blind to truth; blindness to truth prevents them from believing (John 5:39–40; 7:17).

For Jesus’ audience, the “light” they should be seeing is how Christ fulfills Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. Especially important are predictions that the Messiah would bring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 11:14).

Evidence for those of us in the modern world is a bit different since we can’t see Jesus’ miracles first-hand. We can know that God is the powerful and divine Creator by looking at creation (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19–20). We can read the Bible and realize that it accurately describes our fallen world. We can recognize that real goodness must be grounded in something outside of us. As we affirm each truth, we take a step forward in faith, trusting that what the Bible says about Jesus must be true. But if we succumb to pride, hurt from wounds, or rebellion against God’s expectations for our behavior, that darkness blinds us to the truth of who Jesus is.

If, however, we read something in Scripture we know to be true, then build on that truth by having faith that Scripture is true in other areas, we will reach the realization that Jesus is not just the Jewish Messiah. He is God and the Son of God who came to earth in human form, died to take the penalty for our sins, and rose on the third day. And that truth will shine out of us as evidence to others of God’s truth.

Verse 35. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.

In the context, this is Jesus’ warning for experts in the Mosaic law: be intellectually honest when it comes to who He is. They have all the proof they need that He is their Messiah. Yet their minds are so darkened by greed, envy, and selfishness that they cannot admit the truth even to themselves. The “light”—the truth about Jesus—is shining on them but their eyesight is filtered by “greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). In their selfishness, they would rather join prior generations in killing God’s prophets than share the truth those prophets preached (Luke 11:47–52). In a moment of profound self-irony, when Jesus calls them out on their hypocrisy, they conspire to murder Him (Luke 11:53–54; Mark 3:6).

Intellectual honesty is just as important in modern times. We are surrounded by powers that twist words, filter information, and herd us into extreme camps. If our perception is muddied by the grime of fear, pride, and jealousy, we will not see things as they are. The “light” of truth we claim to seek and spread will be nothing but dark lies.

Nowhere is this more important than in spiritual matters. A critical reading of the Bible will reveal that it interprets the human condition accurately. It reveals our need for a Savior and then introduces us to that Savior. It is foolish to follow lesser ideals into greed, wickedness, and deliberate lies when the light of the truth is so evident.

Verse 36. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Jesus finishes this section on a hopeful note. Lawyers from Jerusalem and local Pharisees work hard to convince themselves that Jesus does not fit the Old Testament description of the Messiah. Their “seeing” is muddied because their hearts are filled with “greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). They follow the leaders in Israel’s past who killed God’s prophets because they didn’t like their messages (Luke 11:47–52).

But, if they would reject their sinful attitudes, their thinking would clear and they would rightly perceive that Jesus is the Messiah. Light in their hearts would illuminate the truth. Accepting that truth in their hearts would cause them to emit the light of God’s truth to the world.

The religious leaders don’t quite get it. While Jesus is teaching, a Pharisee invites Him to dinner (Luke 11:37). The Pharisee sees that Jesus does not follow the extra-biblical regulations the lawyers imposed on the Mosaic law. In this case, that He does not ceremonially wash His hands before He eats (Luke 11:38). Jesus has just made the point that if you have light inside, you shine on the outside. The Pharisees think that if they shine light on their righteous acts, they must be righteous. But their “righteous” acts are nothing but attempts to look good and earn public approval (Matthew 6:5). Inside, they are filled with filth, like unmarked graves (Luke 11:39–44).

Verse 37. While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.

Despite the Pharisees’ antagonistic relationship with Jesus, they occasionally invite Him to their homes (Luke 7:36). As in Luke 7:36–50, the fact that they “recline” indicates this is a formal meal. They are lying on couches around a table. Most likely, the doors are open, and people are standing quietly along the walls to hear the conversation.

Later, Pharisees and lawyers will invite Jesus to dine on the Sabbath to see if He will heal a man. They intend to see if He will violate their interpretation of what it means to “do no work” on the holy day. He does, telling the religious leaders that if they would save an animal, He is justified in healing a man (Luke 14:1–6). Considering that situation, it’s possible this Pharisee has invited Jesus to “provoke him to speak about many things…to catch him in something he might say” (Luke 11:53–54) as they will in the week before the crucifixion (Luke 20:19–20). Of course, it could have also been motivated by a desire for the prestige of hosting a notable person, genuine hospitality, or for further conversation, whether in the cultural tradition or from true curiosity about the things Jesus said.

The religious leaders get their wish but not in a way they expect. Jesus proceeds to describe Pharisees as “unmarked graves,” “full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39, 44). When the lawyers respond, Jesus tells them they follow the traditions of their fathers who killed God’s prophets (Luke 11:45–52).

Context Summary
Luke 11:37–44 is a shocking indictment which completes the Pharisees’ rejection of Jesus. They appear to be holy, but they are filled with spiritual death. Next, Jesus will turn to the lawyers who claim to follow the Mosaic law but are more faithful to the long tradition of persecuting God’s prophets (Luke 11:45–52). While the lawyers and Pharisees attempt to destroy Jesus (Luke 11:53–54), He warns His disciples to stay strong in persecution, knowing the kingdom of God is near (Luke 12:1—13:9). Jesus will speak further about the scribes and Pharisees right before His crucifixion (Matthew 23).

Verse 38. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

A Pharisee has invited Jesus to his home for a formal banquet (Luke 11:37). Pharisees follow the Mosaic law but add an extra-biblical Oral Law. These traditions include specific instructions about daily life, such as ceremonially washing hands. They are so meticulous that they wash after leaving the marketplace, and wash eating implements even if they are not unclean (Mark 7:3–4; Leviticus 11:32–33).

We don’t know how many times Jesus dines with Pharisees throughout His ministry, but Luke mentions three; in each event Jesus manages to offend His host.

At the first meal, Jesus allows a woman with an immoral reputation to clean His feet with her hair and tears; the Pharisee thinks that if Jesus is such a great prophet, He would know what kind of woman she is and be disgusted with her touch. Jesus corrects the Pharisee and explains she acts so because she knows she is loved and forgiven (Luke 7:36–50).

In this event, Jesus doesn’t wash His hands. This doesn’t refer to the courtesy of providing water to wash away the dirt and grime of the road. It’s strictly ceremonial and not required in the Mosaic law.

In the third event, a Pharisee invites Jesus on the Sabbath. While there, Jesus heals a man. Jesus explains to the Pharisees and lawyers that if they would pull their ox out of a well on the Sabbath, why shouldn’t He heal a man? They have no response but to despise Him more (Luke 14:1–6).

Verse 39. 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.

Jesus accepts an invitation to dine with a Pharisees and other lawyers. Jesus immediately horrifies His host by not adhering to the extra-biblical rule of ceremonially washing hands before a meal (Luke 11:37–38). Jesus now responds.

This metaphor is particularly appropriate. The Pharisees rinse their hands before a meal, but their hearts are still darkened: unclean. Jesus’ reference to “cleanse” and “clean” follow the Pharisees’ ceremonial interpretation. If an unclean insect fell onto a cup or plate, no Pharisaical tradition-abiding Jew would just wipe off the outside. A wooden bowl would be thoroughly cleaned and a ceramic bowl would be broken and thrown away (Leviticus 11:32–33). Jesus implies that these Pharisees are more concerned about how they look—how they’re perceived by others—than how they really are.

Jesus elaborates on His charge of “greed and wickedness” at other times. He warns the disciples that the “scribes”—the lawyers of the Pharisees—”devour widows’ houses” (Luke 20:47). They value the money in the temple more than the temple itself (Matthew 23:16–22). And they keep money that should go to the care of their elderly parents by “promising” it to the temple (Mark 7:9–13).

This event is not found in the other Gospels, but Matthew records Jesus saying similar words to His disciples shortly before the crucifixion (Matthew 23:25–26).

Verse 40. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

A Pharisee has invited Jesus to eat but is astonished that Jesus does not rinse His hands in compliance with the extra-biblical Oral Law. Jesus, appropriately enough, uses the metaphor of a cup and dish: it is of little use to wash the outside if the inside is unclean. In the same way, it does no good for someone to wash their hands if their hearts are filled with “greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:37–39).

The Pharisees seem to think that what matters is their reputation: people seeing what they do, rather than who they really are. The Gospels give several examples, such as washing before they eat, washing after visiting the marketplace, and washing “cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches” (Mark 7:4). They promise donations to the temple (Mark 7:11). They take the place of honor in the synagogue and expect reverence in the marketplace (Luke 11:43). They are so diligent that they tithe even the tiny leaves taken from herbs (Luke 11:42).

What the people don’t see is that the money they promise to the temple should be used for their elderly parents (Mark 7:9–13). They expect others to live as they do but do nothing to help (Matthew 23:4). They not only ignore justice (Luke 11:42), but they also steal widow’s homes (Luke 20:47).

God made the inside of the person as well as the outside, but it is what we allow in our hearts that determines who we are (Mark 7:14–23). Jesus will say later, “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean” (Matthew 23:26).

Verse 41. But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

This verse is difficult to interpret. A Pharisee is astonished that Jesus did not ceremonially wash His hands before eating. Jesus has explained to a group of Pharisees and their lawyers that their ceremonies are for show. Their ultimate purpose is to impress people. Their reputation does not reflect their hearts, which are full of greed and wickedness. They are like cups and plates cleaned on the outside but dirty on the inside. They forget that God expects internal holiness, not just external displays (Luke 11:37–40, 45).

In another altercation, the Pharisees and lawyers ask Jesus why His disciples don’t ceremonially wash (Matthew 15:1–20). There, Jesus explains the true nature of “cleanness.” The Pharisees wash as a way of ensuring they eat nothing unclean, including specks that may have stuck to their hands in the marketplace. God gave the laws of clean and unclean food to the Jews, so they should follow them (Leviticus 11). But true spiritual uncleanness is in the heart including theft, as of widows’ homes (Luke 20:46-47) and parents’ support (Mark 7:9–13), and the false witness, slander, evil thoughts, and murder they will commit against Jesus (Matthew 15:19). Jesus says, “These [types of acts] are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Matthew 15:20).

“Alms” is money given to the poor. In the Pharisees’ culture, giving alms is a cultural sign of a good heart. It’s also essential as there were no governmental social services programs. The Pharisees publicly give alms, but they also steal from widows and neglect their parents (Luke 20:47; Mark 7:9–13). Jesus seems to be saying that alms need to come from a good and charitable heart, not a desire to look good. If the Pharisees can do that, it doesn’t matter if they ceremonially wash their hands or tithe on the smallest of herbs (Luke 11:42). They will be clean, inside and out.

Verse 42. “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.

Jesus continues admonishing the Pharisees. He has been invited to dinner but did not ceremonially wash His hands before He ate. Unlike the Pharisees, who do everything to win honor and deference from the people, Jesus does not follow the extra-biblical Oral Law that the scribes developed long after Moses. He is much more interested in actions that are a natural result of a good heart (Luke 11:37–41).

Part of the Mosaic law requires ten percent of one’s produce be given to the priests and Levites in return for their service in the temple (Numbers 18:21). The Israelites’ observance of this requirement had been uneven throughout their history (Malachi 3:7–10). Yet the Pharisees are very legalistic. Their outward shows of devotion to God mean nothing, however, because they abuse the very people from whom they seek approval. They burden the people with extra laws but do not help them obey (Luke 11:46). They steal the homes of widows (Luke 20:47). And they promise money their parents need to the temple, thus both dishonoring their parents and looking good in front of the priests (Mark 7:9–13).

God has a long history of teaching Israelites that material donations are worthless unless they also give themselves. Sacrifice and offerings, celebrating feasts and prayers, and other religious performances are nothing without a “broken and contrite heart,” hands free from violence, and justice for the oppressed (Psalm 51:16–17; Isaiah 1:12–17).

The church needs to remember Jesus’ words. Our claims that we are holy and our condemnation of sin in the culture mean nothing if we do not repent of our own sins. Big, elaborate buildings mean nothing if we do not take care of the needy. Fish-shaped stickers on our cars mean nothing if we drive recklessly.

Jesus will remind the disciples of this truth in Matthew 23:23.

Verse 43. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

Jesus has been judged by His host for not rinsing His hands before He eats. The Pharisees do this when they follow the Oral Law. What follows are strong words about how the Pharisees value outward displays of piety and honor from the public more than pure hearts and justice (Luke 11:37–42).

Luke 11 includes several stories of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus. Even though He has already healed the blind, deaf, and mute—healings specifically related to the Messiah in Isaiah 35:5–6 (Luke 7:21–22; 11:14–23; Matthew 12:22–24)—some of the scribes and Pharisees demand even more miraculous signs from Him.

Here, we see another way their thinking is twisted. What they value most is the praise of men. The Pharisees “do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (Matthew 23:5). The disciples are to obey and serve quietly, with no fanfare, so their reward will be from God, not on-lookers (Matthew 6:1–4).

These religious leaders like being the main act in a religious “show.” They like to see flashy miracles though they don’t trust the power behind them (Luke 11:14–16). It’s stunning to think they watched Jesus cast out a demon, then called Him unclean because He didn’t rinse off His hands before He eats.

It is possible to have a good, godly reputation and be respected in both church and in the community, while remaining humble. We can obey God and do good while keeping a “broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). We must remember that everything good in us is from Jesus (James 1:17). We deserve neither the good He gives us nor the good He puts in us. It should not be our goal to win adoration for what Jesus has done for us but to serve others in His name and to His glory.

Matthew 23:6–7 also records Jesus condemning the Pharisees’ hypocrisy at a later event.

Verse 44. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

This is the strongest yet of Jesus’ recent condemnations of the Pharisees. It started because Jesus did not rinse His hands before eating according to a man-made tradition of ceremonial cleanness. Scribes developed the Oral Law attempting to keep a fence around the Mosaic law. Their thought was that if Jews followed more legalistic rules, they wouldn’t break the Law, and thus would not be in danger of God’s judgment.

The regulations themselves were not usually the problem. There may have been thirty-nine different prohibitions developed for the Sabbath, but those restrictions themselves were not necessarily bad. Unfortunately, the Pharisees turned devotion into pride and legalism. Instead of following their own extra-biblical rules in worship to God, they used them to earn praise from other Jews. They enforced burdensome regulations on others (Luke 11:46). In addition, they used their rules to commit injustice, going as far as to steal the homes of widows (Luke 20:47).

On the outside, the religious teachers look holy. In fact, Jesus says, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). But it’s all exterior: for show, without substance. On the inside, they are “full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39).

Their evil is hidden. According to the Mosaic law, walking over a grave doesn’t make someone unclean. Touching a dead person makes someone unclean for a week (Numbers 19:16). The people don’t know that in their hearts, the Pharisees are spiritually dead. Those who follow them are in danger of becoming “twice as much a child of hell” as the Pharisees, themselves (Matthew 23:15).

Later, in Jesus’ more detailed diatribe to the disciples, He will compare the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, “which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

Verse 45. One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

Jesus is eating at the home of a Pharisee (Luke 11:37). Pharisees were considered the most law-abiding sect of ancient Judaism. Lawyers, also called “scribes,” are experts in the Law. They can be of the sect of Pharisees or Sadducees. If Sadducees, they know everything about the Mosaic law. If Pharisees, they are also experts in the Oral Law: extra-biblical regulations that scribes of past centuries added to the Mosaic law and which Pharisees follow closely.

One of the regulations in the Oral Law is ceremonially washing one’s hands before eating bread. When Jesus did not do this, His host was astonished. Jesus responded by describing, in detail, how rinsing one’s hands or following any manmade rule in public only hid that the Pharisees’ hearts were filled with a wickedness comparable to death (Luke 11:38–44).

These lawyers are most likely in the sect of the Pharisees; Sadducees would not have cared about ritual washings and, it appears, rarely stray from Jerusalem. The lawyer’s comment isn’t necessarily defensive; it’s a warning. Lawyers are very well-respected in the culture and Jesus is on dangerous ground.

Jesus turns His attention to the lawyers. He starts by pointing out the injustice of the laws their predecessors created. Then He equates them with the Jews of the Old Testament who murdered God’s prophets. It’s no wonder the Jewish religious leaders conspire to destroy Jesus (Luke 11:46–54).

Context Summary
Luke 11:45–52 comes after descriptions of the cruelty and pride of the Pharisees (Luke 11:39–44). Now, Jesus turns to the lawyers—the experts in the Mosaic law. Greed and wickedness revealed the Pharisees to be like tombs: clean on the outside and filled with death on the inside. The lawyers are said to fill tombs by rejecting God’s prophets. In response, the scribes and Pharisees conspire to destroy Jesus (Luke 11:53–54). In the next section, Jesus gives His disciples instructions on how to reject the world and persevere for the sake of the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—13:9). Jesus will cover this judgment again in Matthew 23.

Verse 46. 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.

A lawyer, an expert in the Mosaic law and the extra-biblical Oral Law, has practically invited Jesus to express His true feelings about that profession (Luke 11:45). Jesus walks right through the open door of that opportunity.

Pharisees follow the Oral Law with an emphasis on public performance: seeking praise from other men. They then twist their tradition to feed their greed. But it is the lawyers—elsewhere called “scribes”—who wrote those regulations. God did not intend or author the Oral Law. Lawyers created it to try to keep the people in line so God would not send them into exile again.

As tiring as the Mosaic law seems to modern, non-Jewish cultures, it would have been simple to keep had the Jews trusted God. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 spell out that, had the Israelites attempted to keep the Law, God would have blessed them to overflowing. The Oral Law, later written down and named the Mishnah, was far from simple.

When Peter later speaks about whether Gentile Jesus-followers should be required to obey the Jewish law, he will say, “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). It is the grace of God through the sacrifice of Christ that saves, not meticulous observance of rules.

There are some leaders today who do the same thing the scribes did. Any teaching that focuses on not making God angry, instead of obeying Him in response to His love, is not biblical. Any teaching that promises salvation through works, and not through grace and repentance, is a false gospel.

Jesus will revisit this accusation in the week before His crucifixion (Matthew 23:4).

Verse 47. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

Having told the lawyers that they burden the people with regulations God did not ordain and the people cannot fulfill (Luke 11:46), Jesus goes into an extended argument. He says the lawyers are as guilty of killing prophets as those in the Old Testament who physically committed the crime. The amount of time Jesus spends on this idea reflects its importance to Him (Luke 11:48–52).

The term “tombs of the prophets” is typically interpreted metaphorically, but it need not be. There is a complex called the Tombs of the Prophets which is thought to hold the remains of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi on the Mount of Olives. According to scholars Gideon Avni and Boaz Zissu, the original chamber reflects second temple architecture and is thought to have been built in the first century BC. It’s very possible that Jesus is referring to this burial site. Jewish tradition says that Haggai and Malachi died of natural causes. Zechariah, however, was murdered by the king to whom God had sent him to chastise for idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:1–22).

Jesus may be using this fact to reveal the lawyers’ hypocrisy. All of God’s prophets spoke His divine revelation and many were murdered for it, such as Jeremiah. The point is that some prophets were honored—even in death—while others were murdered. Most recently, John the Baptist was executed for speaking God’s truth (Mark 6:14–29).

Jesus also foretells His own death, here, as Stephen explains in his last confession:

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. (Acts 7:51–53)

The religious leaders claim that Jesus’ power comes from Beelzebul, but they don’t know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness (Luke 11:14–15). They claim to be experts in the Mosaic law, but they reject the prophets.

The King James Version uses “sepulchres” instead of tombs. It refers to a small room cut out of stone or built with stones where a body lies, which fits the description of burial practices at the time.

Jesus says something similar in Matthew 23:29–30.

Verse 48. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

Jesus is taking His time to thoroughly explain how the lawyers of the Pharisees are complicit in the murders of God’s prophets hundreds of years prior. The lawyers interpret and enforce an extra-biblical Oral Law which scribes added to the Mosaic law. God designed the Mosaic law to be simple to follow, so long as the Jews trusted Him. The Oral Law, however, is virtually impossible to keep but easy for the Pharisees to twist to their advantage.

“Them,” the people killed, are God’s prophets of the Old Testament. The “fathers” are the scribes of the intertestamental period: those who lived between Malachi and Jesus and who developed the Oral Law. These scribes “killed” the prophets by teaching that their words from God were incorrect and insufficient. For instance, it was not enough to teach the people to refrain from work on the Sabbath; the scribes added dozens of specific ways in which “work” could be interpreted. Such lessons taught the people they had to work for God’s salvation, hindering them from entering the kingdom of God (Luke 11:52).

The religious leaders, whom the lawyers represent, also killed the prophets literally. Zechariah was murdered for confronting king Joash’s idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:20–22). According to historical tradition, Jeremiah was put to death in Egypt after insisting God wanted Israel to submit to Babylon.

The “tombs” may be the final resting place of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi on the Mount of Olives in a cave system called the “Tombs of the Prophets.” “Sepulchre,” from the King James Version, is an older word for “tomb,” especially one in a cave.

Jesus will remind His disciples of the lawyers’ hypocrisy in Matthew 23:29–36.

Verse 49. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

According to Jesus, Pharisaical lawyers of His era were complicit in the murders of God’s prophets from the Old Testament period. In the previous verse, this guilt was metaphorical. While the Pharisees’ ancestors killed the prophets’ bodies, the generation surrounding Jesus destroys the prophets’ words by denying them and teaching the people a gospel of works.

Soon, however, their guilt will be literal. Later, Jesus will tell the disciples that the lawyers claim, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets” (Matthew 23:30). The crucifixion of Jesus proves otherwise. In addition, their murder of Stephen will set off a wave of violence against Jesus-followers that will eventually catch the apostle James in its wake (Acts 7:54–60; 8:1–3; 9:1–2; 12:1–3). When Paul, an architect of this violence, turns and becomes God’s prophet as well, he, too, will be persecuted (Acts 21:27–36).

The phrase “Wisdom of God” is interpreted in various ways. Some think it refers to an Old Testament prophecy or an allusion to unscriptural apocalyptic literature, but there is no known parallel. Some translations capitalize the word as “Wisdom,” suggesting the Holy Spirit or Jesus. It could also simply mean God’s plan has been put into motion and is as sure as if it had already happened.

Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants is a similar indictment (Luke 20:9–18). Matthew 23:34 gives a more vivid description of what the Jewish religious leaders will do: “Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.”

Verse 50. so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

This is a difficult verse to unpack. Jesus is talking to lawyers in the sect of the Pharisees. They follow the Mosaic law, but also insist on extra-biblical rules. This Oral Law was set in place as an attempt to prevent people from breaking the Mosaic law. These regulations were put into place after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. Religious leaders thought strictly controlling the people’s behavior was the only way to prevent another exile.

Jesus is pointing out the hypocrisy of the lawyers who decorate the tombs of the prophets while being complicit in their murders. The context can be complicated to explain.

There is a tomb outside of Jerusalem for the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Over the centuries, the tomb has been expanded into an elaborate mausoleum. Zechariah was murdered (2 Chronicles 24:20–22) but tradition says Haggai and Malachi died peacefully.

Other prophets were also murdered, such as Jeremiah. He had the unenviable task of trying to convince the Jews to submit to their Babylonian conquerors because their defeat and exile were God’s judgment. While the Bible does not record Jeremiah’s death, it is believed that the Jewish leaders tortured Jeremiah, kidnapped him, dragged him to Egypt, and murdered him there.

The lawyers Jesus is speaking to were born hundreds of years later. Yet Jesus still says they are complicit in the murders of Zechariah and other prophets. Metaphorically, they are. The prophets foretold details of the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled them, including being born of a virgin and healing the blind (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 35:5; John 9:7). The lawyers know this, and yet claim that Jesus’ power comes from Satan (Luke 11:14–15). In contrast, the evil city of Nineveh fell to its knees in repentance at the word of Jonah, and the Queen of Sheba heard Solomon’s wisdom and recognized the voice of God (Jonah 3:6–10; 2 Chronicles 9:8; Luke 11:30–32).

God will prove the lawyers’ guilt by sending more prophets and apostles whom the lawyers will have a hand in killing. Of course, God didn’t send prophets and apostles for the sole—or even primary—purpose of being murdered by Pharisees. But the truth is the lawyers will have a hand in the deaths of God’s messengers, proving that had they been alive at the time of Zechariah and the other Old Testament prophets, they would have killed them, too (Matthew 23:29–36; Acts 7:54–60; 9:1–2).

Besides Jesus, the Bible records the murders of Stephen by a mob (Acts 7:54–60) and the apostle James by Herod Agrippa I, which pleased the Jewish leaders (Acts 12:1–3). Paul admits, “I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them” (Acts 26:10). We also know that before he was a believer, Paul persecuted the church greatly (Acts 8:3; 9:1–2) and that after he became a Christian, several men, with the Sanhedrin’s approval, tried to murder him (Acts 23:12–15).

Jesus says the prophets were murdered “from the foundation of the world.” In the next verse, He mentions Abel who was murdered by his brother (Genesis 4:1–8). Abel was not a traditional prophet, but he did live out and presumably speak the truth of God. In Matthew 23:35, Jesus covers the same warning as in Luke 11:50–51 but at a different time and place.

Verse 51. 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.

Jesus is telling the lawyers of the Pharisees that they are complicit in murdering the same Old Testament prophets they claim to honor. To prove this, God will send a new generation of prophets and apostles—and the lawyers will have a part in their murders. Although we know the Sanhedrin was involved in the murder of Stephen (Acts 7) and tried to murder Paul (Acts 23:12–15), Scripture offers no other specific names besides the apostle James, whom Herod Agrippa I killed (Acts 12:1–3). Even so, we know that before he met Jesus, Paul voted for the execution of many believers (Acts 26:10).

Now, Jesus makes a figure of speech to cover the range of Old Testament prophets who were killed. A prophet is someone who speaks God’s words. Abel was a prophet in that he lived out God’s will by providing a suitable sacrifice (Genesis 4:1–4; Hebrews 11:4). Out of jealousy of God’s approval, Abel’s brother Cain murdered him. The first murder victim in human history was a faithful prophet of God (Genesis 4:8).

“Zechariah” probably refers to the son of Jehoiada, the priest who raised and mentored Joash, the king of Judah. While Jehoiada was living, Joash followed God, including restoring the temple and keeping track of the funds so they could be used appropriately. After Jehoiada died, princes of Judah corrupted Joash. He withdrew from worshiping God and turned to Asherim and other idols. Zechariah joined several other prophets to try to return Joash to God. The people attacked Zechariah and demanded Joash have him stoned, which he did (2 Chronicles 24:1–22).

By saying “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah,” Jesus refers to the first and last prophets killed according to the order of the Hebrew canon.

Matthew, however, mentions “Zechariah the son of Barachiah” (Matthew 23:35), though some manuscripts have only “Zechariah.” Zechariah the son of Barachiah was a contemporary of Matthew’s who was murdered by Zealots under false charges, according to ancient historian Josephus’ Jewish War. Although this Zechariah wasn’t technically a prophet, he did have the boldness to expose the sins of his accusers.

Luke’s account reads, “Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.” In Matthew’s parallel, which appears to occur much later in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:36).

The two phrases refer to the same thing. It will be required of this generation of lawyers to prove that they revere God’s prophets as much as they honor their graves. That trial, or test, will come upon them. Unfortunately, many will fail.

Verse 52. 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.”

Jesus finishes His judgment of the Pharisees and their lawyers with the most damning accusation yet: they know that Jesus fulfills prophecies of the Messiah, but they deliberately refuse this knowledge and keep the truth from their followers. They reject Jesus as Messiah, preventing themselves from entering the kingdom of God, and they also hinder others from entering the kingdom.

This is the peak consequence of their greed, wickedness, and injustice. They are “unmarked graves:” their lives, examples, and teaching look like everything good and clean, but they’re filled with decay and death. Instead of teaching the people that the Messiah has come, the Pharisees and lawyers add needless, unbearable rules which God never intended. By suppressing the message of the prophets, they are no better than their predecessors who killed them outright. In proof, God will send more prophets and apostles whom they will kill (Luke 11:37–51).

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus will speak a little more clearly: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13). This kingdom is what Jesus is training His disciples to proclaim (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–11). “Uneducated, common men” will succeed where religious giants failed (Acts 4:13).

Verse 53. 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,

Luke 11:53–54 gives the capstone to Luke 11:14–54. Luke has carefully curated stories from Jesus’ ministry that show why the Jewish religious leaders call for His crucifixion. They claim His power came from Satan despite His victories over evil (Luke 11:14–15). They deny Jesus’ representation of God, though Gentiles from long ago recognized godly authority with far less proof (Luke 11:29–32). They refuse to reveal Jesus is the Messiah so the people may live in the light of truth (Luke 11:33–36, 52). They value looking holy over being holy (Luke 11:37–44). And they betray the witness of the Old Testament prophets who gave God’s words about the Messiah (Luke 11:45–51).

Now, the Pharisees and the experts in the Mosaic law double their efforts trying to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. He has already healed on the Sabbath (Luke 6:6–11), eaten with sinners (Luke 5:27–32), and flaunted their extra-biblical requirements (Luke 11:37–38). To prove He is guilty of a capital offense they need to hear Him blaspheme God or Moses. To justify His execution to the Romans, they must prove He threatens a religious structure like the temple, that He is teaching a new religion not authorized by the Roman government, or that Jesus plans to revolt against the Romans. In a pinch, they might drive Him to say something that will turn the crowd into a violent mob.

Even joined with the Sadducees, the Pharisees will find this an impossible task (Luke 20). In the end, they resort to lying and intentionally misunderstanding His prophecy of His crucifixion to mean He intends to destroy the temple (Mark 14:53–64). Pilate, however, knows they’re just jealous (Mark 15:10).

Context Summary
Luke 11:53–54 is the last of several sections demonstrating how the Pharisees and lawyers reject Jesus. They accuse Him of following Satan; He proves them wrong. They are shocked He doesn’t follow manmade rules; He charges them with murdering prophets. They warn Him of their authority; He shows they keep people from worshiping God (Luke 11:14–52). At this point, the lawyers and Pharisees have heard enough and seek to destroy Him. After the close of this section come groups of stories about the kingdom of God and salvation with carefully placed miraculous signs to validate Jesus’ message (Luke 12:1—19:27). Then: Jerusalem and the crucifixion.

Verse 54. lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

The Pharisees and the scribes—lawyers from the sect of the Pharisees—are trying to push Jesus to commit a capital offense so they can destroy Him. He has done plenty to offend them: “break” the Sabbath (Luke 6:6–11), break their extra-biblical rules (Luke 11:37–38), reveal their logic to be foolishness (Luke 11:14–23), and tell them they are unmarked graves filled with greed and wickedness (Luke 11:37–41).

Jesus also warned them that they are no better than the religious leaders of the past who murdered God’s prophets. The legacies of Abel and Zechariah witness to God’s truth with faithful words given by God. In response, those who did not want to know God’s message killed the messengers (Luke 11:47–51).

That makes the Pharisees’ and lawyers’ plan ironic. Jesus came to speak the words that God the Father gave Him to say (John 12:49). The religious leaders want to force Jesus to blaspheme against the Father. No attack or verbal maneuvering is going to do that (Luke 20). Jesus doesn’t speak blasphemous words that threaten the religious leaders, but He does pronounce God’s words. Their conspiracy against Jesus proves His accusation that they are guilty of killing God’s prophets.

Later, Jesus will tell a parable about this very fact. A man owns a vineyard which he rents out to tenants. The man sends several servants to collect rent, but the tenants either beat or kill each one. Finally, the owner sends his son; the tenants kill him, too, thinking they will inherit the vineyard (Luke 20:9–18).

God gave the Jewish religious leaders responsibility to guard and share His truth. They twisted that truth to justify their own purposes, then killed God’s messengers who attempted to return them to the right track. Finally, God sends His Son. Instead of repenting and admitting their error, they kill Him, too.

The rest of Jesus’ travelogue (Luke 9:51—19:27) has a notable pattern:

• Luke 12:1—13:9: Teachings about focusing on the kingdom of God, not the world
• Luke 13:10–35: A miracle, stories about the kingdom, and teaching about salvation
• Luke 14:1—15:32: A miracle, stories about the kingdom, and teaching about salvation
• Luke 16:1—17:10: Warnings about rejecting the kingdom of God
• Luke 17:11—18:34: A miracle, stories about the kingdom, and teaching about salvation
• Luke 18:35—19:27: A miracle, stories about the kingdom, and teaching about salvation

When the last parable is told, Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

End of Chapter 11.

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