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.

Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray

When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as Yochanan also taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

The Parable of Persistent Prayer

He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

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

and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’?

I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?

Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Jesus Accused of Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub

He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

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

Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.

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

But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore will they be your judges.

But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.

“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.

But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.

“He that is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’

When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.

Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”

But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

The Demand for a Sign

When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet.

For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will also the Son of Man be to this generation.

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

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

The Lamp and the Eye

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light.

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness.

Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.

If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”

Woes Against the Pharisees and Lawyers

Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table.

When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.

The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness.

You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?

But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

One of the Torah scholars answered him, “Rabbi, in saying this you insult us also.”

He said, “Woe to you Torah scholars also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens.

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.

Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and emissaries; and some of them they will 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 to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

Woe to you Torah scholars! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”

As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him;

lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.

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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