CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Luke 11
Chapter 11 of 24
Chapter Overview
What happens in Luke 11
Jesus teaches His disciples to pray with what we know as the Lord's Prayer and encourages persistent, bold prayer with the assurance that God gives good gifts. He then faces accusations of using demonic power, warns about spiritual emptiness, and pronounces scathing woes on the Pharisees and lawyers for their hypocrisy and oppression.
Scripture
Luke 11
Teaching on Prayer
Study note
When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, He gives them a model prayer (the Lord's Prayer) that addresses God as Father, asks for His kingdom to come and His will to be done, petitions for daily needs and forgiveness, and asks for deliverance from temptation. He then tells the parable of the persistent friend at midnight and encourages bold, expectant prayer: ask, seek, knock. The climax is the promise that the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
1 One time, Jesus was in a certain place praying. When he finished, one of his disciples said, "Lord, show us how to pray, the way John showed his followers." And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 He said, "When you talk to God, say it like this: 'Father in heaven, may your name be treated as holy. May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen on earth be done, just like it is done in heaven." And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 "Give us the food we need for today." Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 "Forgive us for the wrong things we have done, because we also forgive everyone who has wronged us. And keep us from falling when we are tested, but save us from the evil one.'" And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5 Then Jesus said, "You go to a friend's house at midnight and knock on the door. You say, 'Hey, could you loan me three loaves of bread?'" And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 "'A friend of mine appeared unexpectedly from a trip, and I do not have a thing to feed him.'" For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 "And your friend yells from inside, 'Leave me alone! The door is locked and my kids are already in bed with me. I am not getting up to help you.'" 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.
8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs." I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
9 And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 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.
10 "Because everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened for them." For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 "Which father here, if his child asked for bread, would hand him a rock? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give him a snake?" If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 "Or if the child asked for an egg, would hand him a scorpion?" Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 "You are imperfect people, yet you still know how to give your children wonderful gifts. So imagine how much more your heavenly Father is ready and willing to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks him!" 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 and Beelzebub
Study note
After Jesus casts out a demon, critics accuse Him of using the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus exposes the logical absurdity: a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If He drives out demons by God's finger, then the kingdom of God has come upon them. The parable of the returning unclean spirit warns that merely being freed from evil is not enough -- one must be filled with good, or the final state becomes worse than the first.
14 Jesus forced a demon out of a man who had been unable to speak. Once the demon was gone, the man talked, and the crowd was amazed. And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some people said, "He drives out demons by using the power of Beelzebub, the chief demon." But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 Others kept trying to test him by demanding some spectacular sign from the sky. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Any country that fights against itself will be destroyed. A family that turns on itself will fall apart." 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.
18 "So if Satan is fighting against himself, how can his operation keep going? I bring this up because you are claiming I remove demons through Beelzebub's power." If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 "And another thing -- if I use Beelzebub's power to remove demons, whose power do your own people use when they do it? They can answer that question for you." And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 "But if it is God's own power that I use to remove demons, then God's kingdom has arrived right where you are standing." But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 "When a tough, well-armed man guards his own home, all his belongings stays safe." When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 "But when someone tougher shows up and beats him, he takes away all his weapons. Then the tough man divides up what was his." But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 "If you are not standing with me, you are standing against me. If you are not helping me gather, you are pushing people away." He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24 "When an evil spirit is forced out of someone, it roams around dry, empty places searching for somewhere to rest. When it cannot find anything, it thinks, 'I will go back to the person I was living in before.'" When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
25 "When it gets back, it finds the place all cleaned up and in perfect order." And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 "So it goes out and recruits seven other spirits that are even more wicked. They all move in together. And that person ends up way worse off than before." Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
True Blessedness and the Sign of Jonah
Study note
When a woman calls Jesus' mother blessed, Jesus redirects the focus: true blessedness belongs to those who hear God's word and obey it. To a generation demanding miraculous signs, Jesus offers only the sign of Jonah -- just as Jonah was a sign to Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. He condemns their stubbornness by pointing to the queen of the south and the men of Nineveh, who responded to far less and will condemn this generation at the judgment.
27 While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted, "What a blessing for the mother who gave birth to you and nursed you!" And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 Jesus replied, "The people who are truly blessed are the ones who hear God's message and live by it." But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 As more and more people crowded around, Jesus said, "The people of this generation are wicked. They want a miraculous sign, but the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonas." And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 "Jonas was a sign to the people of Nineveh. In the same way, the Son of man will be a sign to this generation." For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 "When judgment day comes, the queen of the south will stand up and point the finger at this generation. She traveled from the far ends of the earth just to hear Solomon's wisdom, and right now someone far greater than Solomon is standing right here." The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 "The people of Nineve will also stand up on judgment day and point the finger at this generation. They completely changed their lives when Jonas preached to them, and someone far greater than Jonas is standing right here." The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
33 "Nobody lights a lamp and then puts it in a closet or under a basket. You set it up where it shines so people walking in can see." No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
34 "Your eyes work like a lamp for your whole body. When your eyes are clear and focused, your whole life is bright and full of light. But when your eyes are clouded, your whole life is dark." The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
35 "So make sure the light inside you has not turned into darkness." Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 "If your whole life is lit up with no dark spots at all, then everything about you will shine. It will be like standing in the bright beam of a lamp." If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
Study note
At a Pharisee's dinner, Jesus pronounces three woes on the Pharisees for their hypocrisy: they tithe herbs while neglecting justice and love, seek public honor, and are like hidden graves contaminating others unknowingly. He then pronounces three woes on the lawyers for burdening people with rules they will not carry, building tombs for prophets their ancestors killed, and taking away the key of knowledge. These confrontations intensify the opposition that will lead to Jesus' death.
37 When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to come eat dinner at his house. So Jesus went in and sat down to eat. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 The Pharisee was shocked to see that Jesus did not go through the hand-washing ceremony before the meal. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 Jesus said to him, "You Pharisees scrub the outside of your cups and plates until they shine. But inside, you are full of greed and meanness." And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 "How foolish! Did not the God who made the outside also make the inside?" Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 "Instead of fussing about the outside, give generously to those in need. Then everything about you will truly be clean." But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 "But disaster is coming for you Pharisees! You carefully give God ten percent of your tiny garden herbs like mint and rue, but you completely ignore doing what is fair and loving God. You should do both -- the important things and the smaller ones." But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 "Disaster is coming for you Pharisees! You love grabbing the best seats at the synagogue and getting special greetings when you walk through the marketplace." Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 "Disaster is coming for you, Pharisees! You are like hidden graves that people walk right over without realizing something dead is underneath." Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 One of the legal experts spoke up, "Teacher, when you talk this way, you are insulting us too." Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 Jesus answered, "Disaster is heading your way too, you legal experts! You stack heavy loads of rules on people's backs but will not even lift a finger to help them carry the weight." And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 "Disaster is coming for you! You build fancy tombs to honor the prophets, but it was your own ancestors who murdered them." Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 "That makes you partners with your ancestors. They did the killing, and you put up the monuments." Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 "Therefore God's wisdom declared, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them. They will kill some and chase others away.'" Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 "Because of this, the blood of every prophet killed since the world began will be charged to this generation --" That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 "from Abel's blood all the way to the blood of Zacharias, who was murdered between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I am telling you, this generation will answer for all of it." From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 "Disaster is coming for you legal experts! You took the key that unlocks real knowledge. You never used it to go in yourselves, and you blocked everyone else who was trying to get in." Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 After Jesus left, the law teachers and Pharisees began to attack him. They fired questions at him on many topics. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 They were setting traps, hoping to catch him saying something they could use against him. Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Key Themes
Themes in Luke 11
Persistent and expectant prayerGod's kingdom conquering evilObedience over spiritual spectacleHypocrisy exposedThe danger of religious pretenseThe Holy Spirit as God's gift
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
Luke 11:30 Jonah 1:17
Jesus compares Himself to Jonah as a sign -- just as Jonah spent three days in the great fish before delivering his message to Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation through His death and resurrection.
Luke 11:51 Genesis 4:8
Jesus references the blood of Abel as the first innocent blood shed, spanning the entire Old Testament narrative to Zacharias, indicating that this generation bears responsibility for rejecting God's messengers throughout history.
Apply This Today
Living Luke 11
Jesus' teaching on prayer moves us beyond religious formality to an intimate, persistent conversation with a generous Father who delights in giving His Spirit to those who ask. The warning about the returning unclean spirit challenges us: are we merely emptying our lives of bad habits, or are we filling them with God's presence? The woes against the Pharisees and lawyers remind us that religious knowledge and outward compliance can coexist with hearts far from God. True faith is not about appearances but about justice, love, and humility.
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