Luke 11

praying: See study note on 3:21.

When you pray, say: The "Lord's Prayer" was the way Jesus wanted his disciples to pray.

And lead us not into temptation: This phrase is difficult in Greek. God does not tempt his people (James 1:13). But testing is part of Christian growth (James 1:2–4), so this raises a question: Should believers pray to avoid testing?

The phrase probably means “protect us when we face temptation.”

a friend of mine has come to me on a journey: Standards of hospitality in first-century Jewish culture required a host to find adequate provisions for a visitor.

because of the man’s persistence (or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation will not be damaged): The man who refused to get up would also be shamed, because hospitality was a duty in that community. In the same way, God protects his good name by caring for his people.

a fish … an egg: These were common foods. A scorpion can look like an egg when it curls into a ball. A snake or scorpion in place of food would be a cruel trick, giving something dangerous instead of a good meal. No loving father would do that.

give the Holy Spirit: The parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew says that the Father will “give good things” (Matthew 7:11). Luke highlights the greatest of these gifts: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides believers, gives them power to serve God, and marks them as belonging to God in salvation. Luke especially emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit throughout Luke and Acts.

a demon possessed a man who could not speak: In the Gospels, physical disease or disability was sometimes caused by demons.

Jesus faced two challenges. He answered the first, an accusation that he was driving out demons by Satan's power (11:15), in 11:17–26. The second was a demand for "a sign from heaven" (11:16). He answered this in 11:29–32.

Beelzebul: This means "Baal, the prince." It was originally the name of a false god worshiped in Canaan. Later, people used it as a name for Satan. The Jews mocked the name, calling him Beelzebub, which means "lord of the flies."

• Knowing their thoughts: See 5:22; 7:40; 9:47.

• Every kingdom divided against itself: Jesus first responded to the accusation by saying it is impossible for him to work for Satan. He was destroying Satan's kingdom by driving out demons.

The kingdom of God has come upon you: When Jesus drove out demons, he showed that the kingdom of God was present.

The strong man is Satan. Jesus is someone stronger. By driving out demons, Jesus showed that he was defeating Satan and taking back what belonged to him. This includes people Satan had kept in bondage (compare Isaiah 49:24–26).

He who is not with Me is against Me: See study note on 9:50.

seven other spirits: Seven may indicate completeness, meaning that the man was completely under their power, or it could simply indicate an overwhelming force.

Blessed rather: Jesus again affirmed that our spiritual life and our relationship with God are more important than physical ancestry and family relationships (compare 8:21).

The sign of Jonah might refer to the resurrection of Jesus. Jonah's time in the fish was a sign to the Ninevites that God had sent him, similar to the time Jesus spent in the grave ("in the heart of the earth"; Matthew 12:40). It could also mean that both Jonah and Jesus preached God's warning to repent (see Luke 11:32).

South: The Old Testament identifies this place as Sheba, a kingdom in southern Arabia. The queen traveled a long distance to hear King Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 10:1–13; 2 Chronicles 9:1–12).

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket: See study note on 8:16–17.

Light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil (John 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; Acts 26:18; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 6:14; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:5; 2:8–9).

a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him: See study note on 7:36.

first wash before the meal: The Pharisees had developed elaborate washing rituals to ensure ceremonial purity (see Mark 7:1–5).

The Pharisees had very detailed rules for washing cups and dishes in order to be religiously clean. These rules were about ceremonial cleansing (a special washing required by religious law).

Jesus said they cleaned only the outside of the cup. By this, he meant they carefully followed outward rules. But inside, they were still unclean. They kept sin and wrong desires in their inner lives (their thoughts and motives).

give as alms: Giving to those in need is an outward action. Such actions reveal internal righteousness (a right relationship with God).

pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb: The law required tithing (giving one tenth to God; see Leviticus 27:30–33; Numbers 18:21–32; Deuteronomy 14:22–29; 2 Chronicles 31:5–12). The Pharisees were careful to tithe everything correctly. But they ignored what was more important: justice and the love of God.

Woe to you Pharisees! Woes are the opposite of blessings (see study note on 6:24–26). Jesus pronounced six woes. Three were against the Pharisees (11:42, 43, 44) and three were against the teachers of religious law (11:46, 47, 52).

• The elders of the synagogues had special seats of honor.

• The respectful greetings were honorable ways of addressing social and religious superiors. For example, people might use a special title when speaking to a leader, teacher, or judge to show respect.

unmarked graves: Touching a grave or a dead body made a Jew ceremonially unclean. Jesus accused the religious leaders of being a defiling influence rather than a purifying one. This was a strongly offensive accusation (11:45).

experts in the law: The experts in religious law were closely aligned with the Pharisees and shared the same zeal for keeping the law of Moses.

heavy burdens: This refers to the oral tradition with all its intricate details on living according to torah (God’s instruction in the books of Moses). The oral tradition placed a great burden upon the Jewish people.

They killed the prophets: See 1 Kings 19:10, 14; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 2:30; 26:20–24. Luke presents Jesus as the suffering prophet (Luke 4:22–24). The suffering prophet is a prophet sent by God who is rejected and suffers. Luke shows that Jesus fits this pattern.

The quotation is not explicitly from the Old Testament.

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah: Abel's murder by his brother Cain was the first murder recorded in the Old Testament (Genesis 4:8). The stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20–22), was the last, since Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew Bible.

the key to knowledge: See Matthew 16:19; 23:13.