Luke11

In Luke 11, Jesus teaches His disciples a model prayer, often called the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing God's hallowed name, kingdom, and provision, alongside forgiveness and deliverance from evil. He then encourages persistent prayer through the parable of the importunate friend and assures that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Later, Jesus casts out a dumb devil, leading to accusations that He does so by Beelzebub, which He refutes by explaining that a kingdom divided cannot stand. The chapter concludes with Jesus pronouncing woes upon the Pharisees and lawyers for their hypocrisy, external righteousness, and obstruction of true knowledge.

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Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray

And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.

The Parable of Persistent Prayer

And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;

and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee?

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Jesus Accused of Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub

And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marvelled.

But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons.

And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub.

And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.

When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace:

but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

The unclean spirit when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out.

And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first.

True Blessedness

And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck.

But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The Demand for a Sign

And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, he began to say, This generation is an evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp and the Eye

No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth it in a cellar, neither under the bushel, but on the stand, that they which enter in may see the light.

The lamp of thy body is thine eye: when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when it is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness.

If therefore thy whole body be full of light, having no part dark, it shall be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining doth give thee light.

Woes Against the Pharisees and Lawyers

Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first bathed himself before dinner.

And the Lord said unto him, Now ye the Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter; but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness.

Ye foolish ones, did not he that made the outside make the inside also?

But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, all things are clean unto you.

But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Woe unto you Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces.

Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.

And one of the lawyers answering saith unto him, Teacher, in saying this thou reproachest us also.

And he said, Woe unto you lawyers also! for ye load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

So ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their tombs.

Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute;

that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation.

Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

And when he was come out from thence, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things;

laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.

Study Notes for Luke 11

Verse 1

Luke frequently emphasizes Jesus’ personal prayer life, providing the context for this request. The disciples sought instruction on a distinctive prayer practice, similar to what John the Baptist taught his followers.

Verse 2

This version of the Lord’s Prayer is shorter than the one recorded in Matthew (6:9-13), suggesting either that Jesus taught it in varying forms or that Luke records a version used for immediate instruction.

Verse 4

Luke uses the language of 'debt' and 'indebtedness,' emphasizing that forgiveness received from God is intrinsically linked to the forgiveness we extend to others.

Verse 5

The parable illustrates the necessity of persistent, even 'shameless' (v. 8), asking. The contrast is key: if a reluctant human friend responds to importunity, how much more will a loving heavenly Father respond?

Verse 8

The Greek word for 'importunity' (*anaideia*) can mean 'shamelessness.' The point is not that God is reluctant, but that true earnestness and persistence are required in prayer.

Verse 13

While Matthew records that God gives 'good things,' Luke specifically identifies the supreme gift God gives to those who ask: the Holy Spirit. This highlights the Spirit’s central role in the life of the believer.

Verse 14

This miracle is undeniable, forcing Jesus’ opponents to offer a malicious alternative explanation for his power.

Verse 15

Beelzebub (or Beelzebul) was a common derogatory name for Satan or the prince of the demons.

Verse 17

Jesus uses simple, irrefutable logic: Satan cannot cast out his own agents, or his kingdom would collapse. Therefore, Jesus’ power must come from an opposing, greater source.

Verse 20

The 'finger of God' is an Old Testament allusion (Exod 8:19) signifying divine power. If Jesus casts out demons by this power, then the Kingdom of God has arrived, confronting Satan’s domain.

Verse 22

Jesus is the 'stronger man' who has bound Satan (the 'strong man') and is now plundering his goods—rescuing those held captive by evil spirits.

Verse 23

This verse emphasizes that spiritual neutrality is impossible. In the conflict between Christ and Satan, one must actively align with Jesus or be counted among his opposition.

Verse 24

This parable warns that merely removing sin or evil is insufficient; the cleansed heart must be filled with God's presence, lest the spiritual vacuum invite a greater relapse.

Verse 27

The woman praises Jesus’ mother, honoring his physical lineage. Jesus redirects the focus, emphasizing that spiritual kinship through obedience to God’s word is of greater value than physical relationship.

Verse 29

Jesus refuses to offer spectacular signs on demand, stating that the only sign given will be the 'sign of Jonas'—referring to his death, burial, and resurrection, which authenticates his identity.

Verse 31

The Queen of the South (Sheba) traveled far to hear Solomon's wisdom. Her diligence condemns the current generation who refuse to acknowledge the 'greater than Solomon' present before them.

Verse 33

The light of Jesus’ ministry is meant to be displayed openly, not hidden. This addresses the Pharisees’ attempts to obscure his works and message.

Verse 34

The eye represents spiritual perception or intention. A 'single' (healthy, focused) eye leads to spiritual clarity, while an 'evil' (corrupt, greedy) eye leads to moral darkness.

Verse 37

Jesus accepts the invitation, even though it provides him an opportunity to challenge the religious leaders publicly, beginning with their ritualistic focus.

Verse 38

The Pharisee was astonished that Jesus ignored the customary ritual washing before the meal, which was a tradition meant to ensure ritual purity.

Verse 39

Jesus critiques the hypocrisy of focusing on external, ceremonial cleanliness while allowing the internal life to be filled with greed and corruption.

Verse 41

Jesus suggests that true cleansing comes through acts of charity and justice ('give alms'), demonstrating a heart aligned with God, which purifies the whole person.

Verse 42

The first 'Woe' condemns the leaders for their hyper-scrupulous adherence to minor legal requirements (tithing herbs) while neglecting the fundamental moral demands of the Law: justice and the love of God.

Verse 44

Jesus compares the religious leaders to unmarked graves. Those who walk over unmarked graves unknowingly become ritually defiled, symbolizing how the Pharisees’ hidden corruption defiled the people.

Verse 45

The 'lawyers' were scribes or experts in the Mosaic Law. They recognized that Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees’ legal interpretations applied directly to their own teaching profession.

Verse 46

The 'Woe' against the lawyers highlights their hypocrisy in imposing impossible legal burdens on the common people while refusing to assist them or adhere strictly to the burdens themselves.

Verse 47

By building monuments to the prophets, they unwittingly affirm the guilt of their ancestors who killed them. Their current rejection of Jesus, the ultimate prophet, proves their spiritual kinship with their fathers.

Verse 51

This refers to the span of prophetic martyrdom recorded in the Hebrew canon, from Abel (Genesis 4) to Zechariah (2 Chron 24:20-22). Jesus declares that the full penalty for this history of rejection will fall upon his contemporary generation.

Verse 52

The 'key of knowledge' is the authoritative interpretation of Scripture necessary for salvation. The lawyers are condemned for misinterpreting the Law, thus hindering both themselves and others from entering the Kingdom.

Verse 53

The response of the religious leaders is not repentance but increased hostility, seeking to trap Jesus legally. This sets the stage for the escalating conflict in the following chapters.

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Luke11

Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray

The Parable of Persistent Prayer

Jesus Accused of Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

True Blessedness

The Demand for a Sign

The Lamp and the Eye

Woes Against the Pharisees and Lawyers

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