Luke 11

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**Butler’s Comments

Chapter Eleven

(Luke 11:1-54)**

THE SON OF MAN DEALING WITH HOSTILITY

IDEAS TO INVESTIGATE:

Is there something people need to be taught before they can pray (Luke 11:1)?

Will God answer our prayers if we keep on knocking like the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-13)?

Who is the strong man whom Jesus overcame (Luke 11:21-23)?

How did Jonah become a sign to the men of Nineveh (Luke 11:30)?

Wasn-’t it impolite as well as unhygienic for Jesus to eat without washing His hands (Luke 11:38)?

Wasn-’t it impolite for Jesus to call Pharisees, fools, as He sat and ate at the table of a Pharisee (Luke 11:40 ff.)?

How could that one generation be guilty of all the bloodshed from Abel to Zechariah (Luke 11:50)?

**BLESSING OF BEING SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Ephesians 1:13-14)**

By Paul T. ButlerOBC Chapel, 10-23-73 INTRODUCTION

CONTEXTUALLY

These two verses combine to form one of the great spiritual blessings God has blessed us with in Christ.

Paul lays two huge sentences on the Ephesian church in chapter one.

The first sentence Luke 1:3-14 is a catalog of all the ways in which God has blessed Christians in Christ.

The second sentence Luke 1:15-23 is Paul’s prayer that these Christians may know (understand and experience) those blessings.

Paul did not place all this breathtaking stress upon spiritual blessings without reason.

Spiritual blessings are not contingent upon favorable physical circumstances and are available to all believers alike.

Spiritual blessings thus have to do with the abiding realities, not the temporary trappings of the flesh.

Spiritual blessings supply man’s most desperate needto be remade into the person God intended him to bethis will be the thrust of these two verses.

II.

EXEGETICALLY

Reading these two verses in the Greek text is an interesting experience.

Literally it would read something like this:

In Him also, you, the ones having heard the word, that one of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also, you, the ones having believed, were sealed (passive) with Spirit, the promised one, the holy one, who is the down-payment of our inheritance until the redemption which will give complete possession unto the praise of His glory.

The Berkeley Version is also interesting here;

In Him you also, after listening to the message of the truth, the Gospel of our salvation, have as believers in Him been stamp marked with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge-deposit of our legacy for the releasing of our deed of purchase, and all to the praise of His glory.

III.

ETYMOLOGICALLY

Seal - literal sense: A device bearing a design, a name or some other words so made that it can impart an impression in relief upon a soft substance like clay or wax. When the clay or wax hardens, it permanently bears the impression of the seal.

Archaeologists find them being used 4000 B.C.

Originally they took the form of a cylinder, gradually superseded by the scarab (beetle-shaped)

Some carried on cords around neck like necklace; some cone-shaped in boxes; most in form of finger-rings

Seal - uses:

As an authentication

As a mark of ratification of a covenant

As a means of protecting documents to seal against tampering

As a deputation of authority

As an official mark of ownership

IV.

APPLICABILITY - Three areas of blessing for the Christian in having been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

He Etches the Image of God and His Son Upon our Being

He Gives Us the Earnest-Payment of Our Inheritance

He Empowers Us As Emissaries of our Great God

DISCUSSION

ETCHES THE IMAGE OF GOD UPON OUR BEING

Authenticates our genuineness as belonging to Him

The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.. (Romans 8:16).

Does not say that the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit but with our spiritsummarturei; the Holy Spirit bears witnessand our own spirit bears witness.

If my spirit says I am a child of God, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit shows that I am not a child of God, then I am not a child no matter what my spirit says. The two witnesses must agree. My spirit must agree with the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

This co-witness of the Spirit of God with our spirit, whereby we are assured that we are children of God, is a very important and blessed reality. BUT IT HAS BEEN SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISINTERPRETED.

How does the Spirit bear witness with our spirit? A still small voice? A feeling? emotion? impulse? The Bible nowhere affirms such leadings! All people and religious denominations who claim such subjective witness of the Holy Spirit not only contradict one anotherthey contradict the Bible. The Bible claims to be the witness of the Spirit. The Spirit of God does not contradict Himself.

Since there are no inspired men living todayand those who claim to be such contradict the word of God in what is His witness about who are the children of Godthe only witness which we have of the Spirit to us is found in His written Word. No one knows the Spirit’s will on any subject unless he has learned it from the written Word. Anything that claims to be the Holy Spirit’s teaching must not contradict this!

The Spirit of God lays down the terms by which we become a child of God, and when we believe and obey these terms then both the Holy Spirit and our own spirits testify that we are the sons of God.

WHAT A BLESSING TO HAVE SUCH A SEAL PUT UPON OUR MINDS AND HEARTS.. WE DON-‘T HAVE TO DEPEND UPON FICKLE AND VACILLATING EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS. NOR UPON THE WHIMS AND OPINIONS OF MEN. OUR SALVATION IS AUTHENTICATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF IN HIS UNCHANGING, ONCE-FOR-ALL WORD. NO GUESSING, NO ANXIETY.

These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13). THIS IS THE EMPHATIC WORD OF JOHN’S WRITINGS.. THAT YE MAY KNOW..

Glorifies (The Holy Spirit transfers some of the glory of God to our nature.)

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Alexander Campbell said it this way in his Christian System, The word of redemption is a system of works, or deeds, on the part of God, which constitutes the most splendid series of moral facts men or angel ever saw.. When these facts are understood or brought into immediate contact with the mind of man, as a moral seal, they delineate the image of God upon the human soul. All the means of grace are, therefore, only the means of impressing this seal upon the heart, of bringing these moral facts to make their full impression on the soul of man. The testimony of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and the faith of those who believe and obey this testimony are the channel through which these facts, or the hand of God, draws the image on the heart and character of man. He went on to say. all the moral facts which can form moral character after the divine model, or which can effect a moral or religious change in man, are found in the testimony of God.

What is this image of God. this glory of God which is impressed or sealed upon our being? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.

I submit these as characteristics of God which we can enjoy as blessings if we will allow the Holy Spirit to impress them upon our natures: honesty; goodness; creativeness; humor; appreciativeness; enjoyment; giving-ness.

Carol King has a phrase in her song, Way Over Yonder, And the sweet-tasting good life is so easily found. way over yonder, that’s where I-’m bound. Let’s appropriate that here. THE SWEET-TASTING GOOD LIFE OF GOD IS SO EASILY FOUND.. IF WE JUST LET THE SPIRIT ETCH IT UPON OUR BEING BY KNOWING AND DOING WHERE THE SPIRIT LEADS IN THE SPIRIT’S WORD.

You see, this is the work of the Spirit. God the Father is the creative source of blessing; the Son is the revealer of the possibility of such blessedness and obtainer of it in the flesh; the Holy Spirit is the agent by which this blessing may be impressed or sealed upon the nature of man!

HOW MIND STAGGERING! GOD CREATES THE BLESSING, THE SON WINS IT FOR US, THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFERS AND SEALS IT UPON THOSE WHO WILL ACCEPT IT BY FAITH!

Secures and protects us against being defrauded by the thief of souls.

When we are sealed by the Holy Spirit we can live confidently that there is no power in this world or the other capable of robbing us of our souls, our life, our being.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28).

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:2-3).

Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him (1 John 5:18).

The book of Revelation pictorializes a great host which no man can number sealed by Godprotected from the dragon and the beasts not able to be overcome by the great spiritual battle that rages between God and His enemies.

WHAT A TREMENDOUS BLESSING TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD THE SEAL OF GOD PUT UPON US, NO MATTER THE WORLD WANTS TO ERADICATE US.. NO MATTER THAT IT MAY APPEAR AS IF THE FORCES OF UNGODLINESS WILL WIN THE STRUGGLE. GOD KNOWS WHO HIS ARE, HE HAS THEM MARKED AND SEALED, AND THEY ARE SECURE!

II.

HE GIVES US AN EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE

Holiness

What is the legacy left us by that Son of man who came to earth, born in a stable, who had not where to lay his head?

He brought us word from our Father that holiness is our legacy. The most needful, most enjoyable treasure God could will to us is holiness.

What is the deepest longing of the human soul? To be clean, to be good, to be pure, to be true, to be a beautiful-person.

This is what I want when I get to God. Bags full or banks full of gold and diamonds are not what my soul cries out for. Ivory palaces and mansions are not what I want for my eternal inheritance. I WANT, I NEED, I MUST HAVE HOLINESS!

I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 7:18 to Romans 8:1).

Now God has taken care of my problem. He has provided me a cleansing, a goodness, a purity, a freedom from guilt, a holiness by the death of His Son. And when He comes for us this is what our great inheritance shall bewe shall be like Him.

But when we are sealed by the Holy Spiritwhen His spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are a child of God, we have a down payment on this holiness already. WE CAN NOW ENJOY GOODNESS, FREEDOM FROM GUILT, PURITY, HOLINESSA TASTE OF WHAT THE FULL INHERITANCE WILL BE!

Rest

Another aspect of the legacy left to us is rest. Jesus came and said, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

What makes work into labor? The frustration of seeing the fruits of one’s work dissipatedthe agony of knowing that one has spent himself laboring in something whose fruits are only temporary and ultimately useless. THIS IS WHAT MAKES WORK INTO TIRING, FRUSTRATING, DEADENING LABOR!

If the results of our work could find completion or perfectionif we could have confirmed to us that our work was eternally useful and abiding, that it wouldn-’t just disappear with timewe could find perfect rest. REST IS NOT JUST THE ABSENCE OF WORK!

God has laid up for us an inheritance of rest. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them (Revelation 14:13).

But those sealed by the Holy Spirit may now have a down-payment, a taste of that rest. Paul wrote the Hebrew Christians and said, For we who are believing, are entering that rest. (Hebrews 4:3).

Jesus said, Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal (John 6:27).

Paul wrote the Corinthians, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Friend, if you-’re sealed by the Holy Spirit, you-’ll never get weary. Bone-tired and muscle-weak; yesbut soul-tired and spirit-weary, never!

Dominion

Man was made to have dominion. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).

God has promised that one day His saints shall reign with His Christ forever and ever (Revelation 22:5, etc.).

But the blessing of being sealed by the Holy Spirit is that we may now enjoy a taste of that dominion.

The exciting second chapter of Hebrews asks, What is man that thou art mindful of him? and answers by showing that while man was created to have dominion, because of sin he does not now have it, but Christ came in flesh and blood and won back man’s dominion for him. HE DEFEATED THE INVADER, SATAN!

Christ, if we believe and trust Him, has set us free from being dominated by circumstances, by earthly things, by ego, by fears, by falsehoods, by others, by even Satan. IN FACT, IN CHRIST, WE HAVE DOMINION OVER CIRCUMSTANCES, OVER THINGS, OVER EVERYTHING AND MAY ENJOY AND USE EVERYTHING TO GLORIFY GOD! Mind you, I did not say we can selfishly take anything we want and use it in a way to bring shame upon God.

Whatever circumstances God sees fit to give us here, whatever talents, whatever worldly things, whatever associations, WE ARE RULERS-OVER TO GLORIFY GOD AND REJOICE IN..

For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ’S; and Christ is God’s (1 Corinthians 3:21-22).

… in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

ALL THINGS ARE YOURSMORE THAN CONQUERORS! What blessednesswhat happinesswhat glory. Friend, if you-’ve been sealed with the imprint of God’s Holy Spirit, you have been certified and authorized to be a joint heir with His Son, and to have dominion with Him.

III.

EMPOWERS US AS EMISSARIES OF OUR GREAT GOD

Certifies us as authentic representatives of Almighty God

When the Spirit of the Holy God is etched upon our hearts. when we are sealed with the Spirit of Christ. it is an announcement to the world that we are on business for the King.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

J. B. Phillips on 2 Corinthians 3:3 You are an open letter (epistle) about Christ which we ourselves have written, not with pen and ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Our message has been engraved not in stone, but in living men and women.

Many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1-6). The world desperately needs some authenticating mark upon the true prophets. That mark is the seal of the Holy Spirit, one who preaches the true apostolic message and one who lives the true apostolic message.

If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine (John 8:31). IF YOU ARE SEALED BY HIS SPIRIT THROUGH HIS WORD, THEN YOU ARE A CERTIFIED DISCIPLE OF HIS, AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL KNOW.. YOU WILL BE HAPPY AND BLESSED AND SO WILL OTHERS!

Certifies the authority of our message

When the image of God is stamped upon us by the Holy Spirit, we will proclaim and live the truth and the power of His truth preached and lived will be vindicated in the world.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, righteousness and the judgment. The only agency by which the Spirit works in doing this is the written, preached and lived Word of God.

But in the midst of all the failures and inadequacies of men’s philosophical, political and ethical systems, THOSE SEALED BY THE SPIRIT ARE CONDUCTORS OF THE GREATEST POWER IN THE UNIVERSE.

The power to convert men and change their eternal destinies is more awesome than the power to create this universe!

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

WHAT A BLESSING TO KNOW THAT WE ARE SEALED BY HIS SPIRIT TO BECOME CHANNELS THROUGH WHICH THE AWESOME POWER OF HIS WORD WORKS.. AND IT SHALL NEVER RETURN UNTO HIM VOID!

Certifies the power of His divine providence on our behalf

When the nature of God is etched upon our minds through the Holy Spirit’s agent, the Word of God, we know God as our beneficent, loving, acting, Father who is ready to use all His creation on our behalf.

We know that God works everything for good for those who love him, and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians 3:20).

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Even angels are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14).

The Old Testament gives us a vivid account of God’s providential power being used for those with His mark upon them. Ezekiel chapter 9 pictures God’s faithful ones being marked with His seal upon them. Then the book of Daniel shows God using kings, kingdoms, circumstances and creation to provide exactly and abundantly what those marked by Him must have to fulfill His purpose in their lives.

He is the same God today to those with His seal upon them. THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS HIS MESSAGE THAT HE IS EVEN NOW USING KINGS AND KINGDOMS, CIRCUMSTANCES AND CREATION TO SERVE HIS SEALED ONES! WHAT POWER AND WHAT POWERS ARE OURS!

CONCLUSION

SO THE BLESSING OF BEING SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Etches the Image of God Upon Our Being

Gives Us the Earnest-Payment of Our Inheritance

Empowers Us as Emissaries of our Great God

II.

A WARNING

You are either sealed by the Holy Spirit or marked with the mark of the beast.

The great division of mankind in the book of Revelation is between only two kinds of humanity. those with the mark of God upon their foreheads, and those with the mark of the beast.

Satan puts his mark upon all those not sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the Jews in John 8:1-59 who wanted to kill Him because He told them the truth, You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.

The seal or mark of Satan is the mark of the beast in Revelation and is given to those who worship the beast, political and military power; those who worship the false prophet, false religion and doctrine; those who worship the harlot, worldliness, carnal-mindedness.

Satan can even counterfeit the seal of the Holy Spirit

The beast and the false prophet are able to work signs (false signs) that will deceive men and women if they do not know what the true sealing of the Holy Spirit is.

Satan is able to change himself into an angel of light to deceive the ignorant.

He will try to deceive us into thinking that the immature, temporary miracles of the Holy Spirit are the seal of God.

He will try to deceive us into thinking that Pharisaic attitudes toward works and self-righteousness are the seal of God.

III.

BUT WHAT IS THE SEAL?

How do we know we are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

How do we know others are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

As we said at the beginning, When the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits

But what does the Holy Spirit witness?

Very simply, He bears witness in His Word that those Believing, Repenting and Obeying God are sealed by God as His B.R.O.

IV.

NOW WILL YOU JOIN ME IN THIS SONG AS A PRAYER TO GOD FOR HIS SEALING

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer: This is my constant longing and prayer; Gladly I-’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art; Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

**Applebury’s Comments

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Outline**

Luke told how Jesus met the problems of the disciples and of the crowds (Luke 11:1-36).

The problem about prayer (Luke 11:1-13).

A request for help: Teach us to pray (1).

An example to follow: The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4).

(1)

How to address God.

(2)

What to put firstthe kingdom of God.

(3)

When to mention material needsdaily bread.

(4)

Why to mention forgiveness.

(5)

Where to ask that God lead.

A story that explained: The Friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-13).

(1)

When in need, don-’t be ashamed to ask God.

(2)

God answers prayer: Ask, seek, knock.

(3)

Praying is like talking to a father (Luke 11:11-13).

(a)

A father gives good gifts to his children: Bread, not a stone; fish, not a serpent; egg, not a scorpion.

(b)

The Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

The charge about casting out demons (Luke 11:14-26).

The circumstances (Luke 11:14-16).

(1)

Jesus had cast out a demon.

(2)

When the demon was gone out of him, the dumb man spoke, and this caused the crowds to marvel.

(3)

Some said He had cast out the demon by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

(4)

Others, to embarrass Him, wanted Him to show them a sign from heaven.

The three-fold answer (Luke 11:17-23).

(1)

The divided kingdom.

(a)

A divided kingdom is brought to desolation.

(b)

Satan’s kingdom can-’t stand if it is divided.

(c)

If demons are cast out by Satan’s power, his kingdom is divided.

(2)

The reference to their own sons.

(a)

Question: If I do it by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?

(b)

Let them be your judges.

(c)

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

(3)

The strong man.

(a)

It takes a stronger man to overcome a strong one. Jesus is stronger than Satan, for He had cast out the demon.

(b)

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

The unclean spirit and the empty house (Luke 11:24-26).

(1)

The unclean spirit left a man, went through waterless places and returned to the same man.

(2)

Finding the place empty, he took seven other spirits more evil than himself and entered and dwelt in the man.

(3)

The last state of the man was worse than the first.

The praise for the mother who bore Him (Luke 11:27-28).

A woman from the crowd said, Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you took nourishment.

But Jesus said, Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.

The demand for a sign (Luke 11:29-36).

The Sign of Jonah and the Sign of the Son of Man (Luke 11:29-32).

(1)

The sign-seeking evil generation would be given the sign of Jonah.

(2)

Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites; the Son of Man would be a sign to them.

(3)

A two-fold contrast that condemned that generation.

(a)

The queen of the south and the wisdom of Solomon.

(b)

The men of Ninevah and the preaching of Jonah.

The parable of the lighted lamp (Luke 11:33-36). (1) A lamp is to enable men to see.

(2)

The lamp of the body is the eye.

(3)

Warning lest the light become darkness.

Luke told how Jesus answered the criticism of the Pharisees and the lawyers (Luke 11:37-54).

The criticism of the Pharisees (Luke 11:37-44).

The occasion: a Pharisee who had invited Jesus to have lunch with him marvelled that He did not first bathe Himself before eating (Luke 11:37-38).

The answer: What makes a thing clean (Luke 11:39-40)?

(1)

He said, You Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup, but your inward part is full of wickedness.

(2)

This was foolish, for the one who made the outside made the inside too.

(3)

He added, Give for alms those things which are within, and all things are clean to you.

He pronounced three woes upon the Pharisees (Luke 11:41-44).

(1)

Their abuse of tithing.

(2)

Their love of chief seats.

(3)

Their likeness to tombs that appear not.

The criticism of the lawyers (Luke 11:45-52).

The occasion: One of the lawyers at the luncheon said, When you say this about the Pharisees, you reproach us also (45).

He pronounced three woes upon the lawyers (Luke 11:46-52). (1) Their loading men with burdens.

(2)

Their building the tombs of the prophets.

(3)

Their taking away the key of knowledge.

When they came out, the scribes and Pharisees angrily tried to provoke Him to say things that would enable them to condemn Him (Luke 11:53-54).

Summary

The lessons which Jesus taught stimulated His disciples and the crowds to ask questions. The disciples wanted Him to teach them how to pray. He answered with an example, an illustration, and some additional explanatory remarks. The Lord’s Prayer showed them how to use the elements of prayer; the story of the Friend at Midnight showed them the right approach to make; the remarks that followed showed that prayer is like the requests of a son for his father to give him the things he needs. Not everyone was interested in learning from the Teacher; many only watched for an opportunity to criticize Him. The miracle of casting out the dumb demon caused some to say that He had performed it by the power of Beelzebub. But others ignored it and demanded a sign from heaven. Jesus answered their false charge by a three-fold argument: (1) the divided kingdom, (2) the work of Jewish exorcists, and (3) the story of the strong man. His devastating rebuttal led to the verdict: He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Indeed, they were like the empty house occupied by a demon and seven others worse than himself; their last state would be worse than the first. Rejecting Him would lead to their destruction. Their demand for a sign was to be answered in the sign of Jonah. The resurrection would establish His claims, for by it He was to be designated the Son of God. A Pharisee had invited Him to have lunch with him. Jesus did not observe the ceremonies of these self-appointed leaders. He answered their criticism by showing the need for purity within, something they so evidently lacked. The lawyers who were present took up the debate and accused Him of condemning them also. Jesus answered with a list of hypocritical practices of which they were guilty. By their example and by their teaching, they had taken away the knowledge of God’s Word which is the key to salvation. As He left the Pharisees house, the scribes and Pharisees continued to harass Him, hoping to find some excuse to condemn Him.

Questions

What led the disciples to ask Jesus to teach them to pray?

How did He teach them?

Where else may we find information on this important subject?

What is known about the prayer life of John the Baptist?

What may we learn from the contrast between the prayers of the prophets of Baal and the prayer of Elijah?

What are some of the things Jesus taught the disciples to say when they prayed?

Why pray for forgiveness?

What is the point of the parable of the Friend at Midnight?

Why did Jesus say, Ask, seek, knock?

What does the reference to a son’s requests to his father teach about prayer?

What part does the Holy Spirit have in answering prayer?

Why did some charge that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub?

What were the three answers Jesus gave to this false charge? What is meant by each of them?

Why did He say, He that is not with me is against me?

What is the lesson of the unclean spirit?

Why did the woman from the crowd speak words of praise about His mother?

Why did Jesus answer her by speaking about those who hear the word of God?

What kind of a sign were some seeking?

What is meant by the sign of Jonah?

Why is the resurrection of vital importance to us?

What did Jesus mean by saying that something greater than Solomon is here?

How does the parable of the Lamp explain Jesus-’ answer to their request for signs?

Why did the Pharisee invite Jesus to dine with him?

Why did he criticize Jesus?

How did Jesus meet the criticism?

What did He mean by giving those things for alms that are within?

On what issues did He condemn the Pharisees?

What was the reaction of the lawyers to His criticism of the Pharisees?

What did He say to the lawyers?

What was the key of knowledge?

How had they taken it away?

What did the Pharisees and scribes do as Jesus left the house?

Luke 11:1-13

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 1

Puerility (Luke 11:1-13)**

11He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. 2And he said to them, When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread; 4and forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.

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; 6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him-’; 7and 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-’? 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!

**Luke 11:1-4 Request for Form: **On the surface, the request of these disciples does not appear puerile and childish. However, they apparently asked out of some sense of jealousy or feeling of having been cheated. It was a usual practice among the more famous rabbis to give prayer-formulas to their pupils. We have no record of John the Baptist’s teaching on prayer. This statement indicates John’s teaching was distinctive enough that these disciples of Jesus wanted their Master to teach them some form of prayer so they might be recognized as His disciples.

Saying prayer was a very significant part of Jewish life. It was highly formalized among the rabbis of the first century A.D. Jesus dealt with this tendency to formalize and ritualize prayer (Matthew 6:5-14) heaping up vain words and repetitious phrases. It seems that in general there were three times daily when the Jews of the first century made formal prayers (cf. Acts 10:9). It was customary then that the Jew must wear his tallith (prayer-shawl) and his tephillin (phylactery). The Jew always turned toward Jerusalem to pray; if he were in Jerusalem and in the Temple, he turned toward the Holy of Holies to pray. Generally speaking he did not kneel but bowed his head as low as possible while lifting up his hands toward heaven, (cf. Luke 18:9-14). There were a number of other formalities observed during certain prayers such as beating one’s breast, tearing one’s clothes or casting dust or ashes into the air or upon one’s head. The gospel records indicate Jesus-’ prayers to be uniquely non-traditional and unritualistic. This is probably what seemed so shocking to these disciples. They were not really hostile toward Jesus, just spiritually immature. They still thought of the essence of prayer as something that had to be formally taught by a rabbi, rather than something originating from faith and best expressed without public ritual.

Prayer is essentially an attitude. Jesus deals with attitudes, not form, in His answer.

Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. The attitude sought here is adoration, worship, surrender to His Lordship and placing His kingdom as first priority in one’s life.

Give us each day our daily bread; What Jesus wants is an attitude of complete, daily trust for physical sustenance and an attitude of thankfulness which recognizes one’s blessings as gifts from God.

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us; We must live in God’s presence every day with an attitude of repentance, acknowledging that we sin and seeking God’s forgiveness on the basis of our faith in the blood of Jesus. Our faith in His blood leads us to let His life be lived out in us so that we forgive like He forgave.

and lead us not into temptation. This is the expression of one’s desire to have God’s help in resisting sin. With that attitude, we will daily long for His guidance, (which may be found in His word) through life’s temptations and trials.

God is interested in what we pray about, because the content of our prayers manifests the attitude of our hearts. But there may be times when we do not even know how to pray or what to pray for as we should (cf. Romans 8:26-27). It may be there will be times when all we can do is groan in our hearts. If our attitude is right, our motives pure and our faith strong, God’s Spirit will make intercession on our behalf with words which we are unable to find. What a loving Fatherable to anticipate and even articulate prayers for us which we cannot, with our limitations, make.

**Luke 11:5-13 Reply Concerning Faith: **This is not a lesson that persistence will change God’s mind. It is a lesson that faith in the goodness of God will drive us to knock on His door at any time we need His help to do His will. This is a story about a man who had unexpected company very late at night. His cupboard was bare. In those days and in that culture any act of inhospitableness was a serious social offense. A host was expected to always offer something to eat just before bedtime. This nervous host ran next door to a neighbor’s house and banged on his door to borrow bread. The irritated, sleepy-eyed neighbor at first yelled, Go away and quit bothering me. But the unprepared host, continuing to call out to his sleepy neighbor, finally received what he needed. It might have seemed to the importuning host that his grouchy, sleepy-headed neighbor was never going to answer his knockbut he finally did. It may seem to us that God is never going to answer prayerbut He will. How eagerly a good God awaits our slightest knock so He may supply our greatest needs out of His vast storehouse! If fallible and weak human fathers are concerned enough to give the best they are able to their sons, have faith that your heavenly Father will give good and perfect gifts to His children. Before you give up on God and lose your faith in Him, remind yourself of what mothers and fathers go through to give the best they have for their boys and girls.

Persistence in prayer is not to change God’s mind. He has always wanted to give man everything good and withhold from man everything bad. Faith, expressed through persistence, puts man in the right attitude to receive what God has to give with thanksgiving and to put what God gives to its intended use. Faith causes man to use God’s answers according to God’s will. Persistence, or faith, in prayer is imperative for:

It shows who God is. If our answer does not come immediately, this does not prove God’s indifference or His impotence. It proves His power! He is our Fathernot a slave or genie to be manipulated at our convenience. God’s delays are our education in humility and dependence. The lesson that God always knows best and we do not takes us a long time to learn.

God desires that we really know what we are praying about. God may want persistence in prayer to give us time to see that some things we are praying for are wrong. Hindsight may reveal to us that we should be grateful God did not give us some things we prayed for.

Praying with endurance is God’s way of crystallizing our commitments. God wants us to ask, seek and knock with dedication. He wants us to be single-minded and passionate-hearted to seek His will and His blessings. A flippant, half-hearted relationship is unacceptable to God. God does not wish to hear that which we do not care whether He hears or not.

The true focus of prayer is not our will, but God and His will. The true aim of prayer is not to make God change His will, but to lead us to change our will. In this position we let God work in us, for us and through us. He cannot do that until we are fully yielded to Him. Consider the following analysis of prayer:

God wants to bless all men. This is what we should pray for!

God answering prayer involves at least three agencies:

His propositionally revealed (written) word.

His providential actions upon things and creatures.

Through the free actions of free men, created with free wills and freedom to act as they choose. God often blesses mankind through this agency (even though the actions of men are sometimes evilGod can use that evil to bless others).

HOW God blesses in His Word, we know, or can know if we read it and appropriate it through faith and obedience.

HOW God blesses through the actions of free men depends upon the actions of free men and how we interpret the record of God’s use of such actions in the past.

HOW God blesses through His own actions, providentially, upon things and creaturesWE DO NOT KNOW. How He does this is according to His sovereign will.

If, in His divine wisdom, blessing comes through death or healing we cannot know. Our only recourse is to pray that He will bless and then leave it with Himnot doubting that He will bless. But He certainly acts when we pray. After all, He is a Father who knows, loves, wills, and does. We must always be surrendered to His sovereignty.

His ways are sometimes difficult for us to understand, or to accept. Often, His ways hurt, temporarily. One thing we must trust inHe will act when we call. We do not know how He will always act, but we do know He will act in our best interests, for our salvation and growth.

This is what Jesus is teaching His disciples. R.C. Trench said, Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His highest willingness. Prayer is no cure-all. It is not an escape. Sickness will still visit the members of a praying family. Hardship (even untimely death) will not pass their door. Temptation and trial will still beat a path to their house. Paul prayed three times for his thorn to be removed; each time God answered, No! (2 Corinthians 12:1-10)

Prayer and praying must be for strength (even if that strength and endurance must be acquired through more trial) so we may be adequate in overcoming temptation. Christ prayedand was temptedand suffered. Pray not that we be exempted from trial. God is able to do for us and through us more than we can imagine or think (Ephesians 3:20). Our faith is in God, not in prayer.

There have been many attempts to circumvent the very plain statement of Jesus in Luke 11:13, Some had said Luke is using the figure of speech known as metonymy in reporting what Jesus said there. A metonymy is when the name of someone or something is used for the action of the person or thing. In Matthew 7:11 Jesus said the Father gives good things to those who ask Him. Since it is the Holy Spirit through whom God gives good things what Luke is doing here, so the argument goes, is using the name, Holy Spirit, as a metonymy for good things. Others insist Jesus is using predictive present in this promise that the Holy Spirit will be given to those who ask from God. Their argument is that John wrote, … for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified, (John 7:39), therefore, Jesus-’ promise in Luke 11:13 had to wait for its fulfillment until after the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1 ff. However, there seems to be good reason to believe God’s Holy Spirit dwelt in obedient saints in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 63:11, our comments there, Isaiah, Vol. III, College Press, pg. 450-453). David did pray that God not take His Holy Spirit from him (Psalms 51:11; Psalms 143:10). It is necessary that the Spirit of God be in anyone who is to be resurrected from the dead (Romans 8:9-17). Surely God will raise Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the dead.

We prefer to take the words of Jesus here recorded in Luke 11:13 at face value, in context. To everyone who has the attitude of believing prayer, as described by Jesus, God will give His Holy Spirit. Christ or God dwells in us through faith and obedience (John 14:21-23; John 15:1-11; Acts 5:32; Ephesians 3:17; 1 John 2:24; 1 John 3:24, etc.). We believe it is proper to conclude that God’s Spirit dwelt in any saint who, by faith and obedience to God’s covenant terms, asked God’s Spirit to dwell in him, in whatever dispensation of God’s grace one lived. God’s promise has always been appropriated by faith and obedience to the covenant terms of one’s particular dispensation.

Applebury’s Comments

Teach Us to Pray Scripture

Luke 11:1-13 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. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.

5 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; 6 for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; 7 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 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. 9 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 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 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? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? 13 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?

*Comments

as he was praying*.The prayer life of Jesus must have made a profound impression on His disciples. Many strange, unscriptural, and sometimes fanatical things have been taught about prayer with the result that it has been almost completely discredited by many people. But what Jesus taught about prayer is sensible, understandable, and entirely practical. There is no better way to learn what prayer really means than to give attention to what Jesus said on the subject and to follow the example He set in His own prayer life.

Lord, teach us to pray.While it is natural for man to pray under certain circumstances, the fact remains that we must be taught to pray if we are to do so intelligently and in accord with the Scriptures. The Old Testament, particularly the Psalms, gives us many examples of prayer and shows us how to pray. Jesus-’ instruction and examples of prayer show us that prayer is the privilege that God gives to His children to talk to Him about anything at any time anywhere. The prayers of the apostles and the early church which are given in the book of Acts add helpful information on the subject. A study of the prayers of Paul for the churchfor example, those in Ephesians and Colossians and Romanswill enlighten us on this very important phase of the Christian life. Paul reminds us that we do not know how to pray as we ought (Romans 8:26). He says that the Holy Spirit helps our weaknessthe separation from the immediate presence of God because of sinby making intercession for us. Christ is also our intercessor (Luke 8:34). The book of Revelation has much to say about prayer. One of the most significant prayers recorded in it is the closing words of John as he prayed, Come, Lord Jesus.

*as John also taught his disciples.*It seems strange that we have no recorded prayer of John the Baptist in the Bible. His disciples must have been greatly impressed by his prayers, for they said to Jesus, Teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. The account of his ministry stresses his stern warnings and harsh judgments on the very wicked men to whom he preached. He called on sinners to repent. His disciples reveal another side of John, for he also taught his disciples to pray.

John the Baptist was like Elijah in many ways. Elijah sternly rebuked king Ahab for his wicked ways, and ridiculed the nonsense of fanatical prophets of Baal for the demonstration of what they called prayer. But there is no greater example of prayer given in the Old Testament than the prayer of Elijah when he said, O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me that this people may know that thou, O Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their hearts back. 1 Kings 18:36-37. God answered that prayer, and the erring people said, The Lord, he is God.

*When ye pray, say.*Jesus told them how to address God. As children, they were to speak to the heavenly Father with respect that arises from love and reverence. They were to think of His kingdom first, for His rule must always have first places in the hearts of His people. Thy will be done explains the meaning of the kingdom in the heart of the individual. Paul admonished the church to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts and the word of Christ dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:14-15). His kingdomthe churchthat came on the Day of Pentecost was to be made up of saints who really let Him rule in their lives. Every Christian should examine his own heart often to make sure that God does rule in every area of it.

Jesus taught them that God was concerned about their daily bread. In simple language they were to say, Give us day by day our daily bread. The heavenly Father constantly gives an abundant supply of food. Then why is it that so many people of the world go hungry all their lives? Can it be because men do not do His will on earth? There are economic, political, and social aspects to the problem. The only solution to them seems to be the transforming power of the rule of God in the hearts of men.

Jesus taught the disciples to pray for forgiveness as they had forgiven those indebted to them. See Matthew 18:21-35 for His instruction on the extent to which this principle is to be carried out. Many find it difficult to practice forgiveness. Too often, it is a matter of words and not heart. Forgiveness means to remember the offense no more (Hebrews 8:12). Unwillingness to actually forgive may come from our unwillingness to believe that God really forgives sins. The misery caused by an uneasy conscience may often be expressed in aggressive and hostile attitudes toward others, with or without provocation. But Jesus makes it clear that if you do not forgive, neither will the heavenly Father forgive you.

The petition, And bring us not into temptation causes a problem since God does not tempt man. James 1:13. But Jesus and James say exactly the same thing. The prayer is for God to lead; His leading does not take us into temptation, it delivers us from evil. The providential leading of God will never lead one to sin. It may allow us to undergo trials which genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will enable us to endure. See James 1:2-4 and 1 Corinthians 10:12-13.

*Which of you shall have a friend.*The parable of the Friend at Midnight shows that God’s children need not be ashamed to ask Him for help when in need. The parable of the Widow and the Judge teaches the lesson of persistency in prayer (Luke 18:1-8).

The word translated importunity really suggests that the man whose company came at midnight was not ashamed to tell his friend that he had nothing to set before them. It does not say that he kept pounding on the door until his friend, to stop the annoyance, got up and gave him what he wanted. Neither should we be ashamed to tell the heavenly Father just what our problem is, for He knows what it is before we ask Him.

*Ask, seek, knock.*The man of the parable did knock on the door of his friend; he did seek help; he did ask for the bread he needed. This is but the common sense thing to do. Apply the same principle in prayer, for God answers prayer.

*And which of you that is a father.*God knows how to answer prayer far better than any human father. No father gives a stone when his son asks for bread. If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more does God know how to answer the requests of His children?

*give the Holy Spirit.*According to Matthew 7:11, Jesus said that the Father gives good things to them that ask Him. The Holy Spirit is the agent through whom He gives the good things. Luke, by using a figure of speechmetonymystresses the agent, but Matthew emphasized the good things given through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:14-26

Applebury’s Comments

Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub Scripture

Luke 11:14-26 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 marveled. 15 But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. 16 And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 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 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your Judges 20:1-48 But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 21 When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: 22 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. 23 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 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. 25 And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 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.

*Comment

a demon that was dumb.*Demon possession in this case caused the man to lose his ability to speak. When it was gone, the dumb man spoke and the crowds marveled.

By Beelzebub.He is the prince of demons or Satan (Luke 11:18), Demons were under the control of the devil. Some were attempting to suggest that Jesus was in league with the devil because He cast out the demon. Others were demanding a sign from heaven. The fact that the dumb man spoke was not enough for them, for they had no intention of believing anything that proved Him to be the Son of God. There will still be unbelievers when the Son of Man comes in His glory with the angels of heaven, but it will be too late to change the inevitable result of willful unbelief in this life.

*But he, knowing their thoughts.*Recognizing their insincerity, Jesus proceeded to answer their false charge with a three-fold argument.

(1) The divided kingdom. A divided kingdom cannot stand. If Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub, then Satan was working against himself and his kingdom could not stand.

(2) Their sons. If Jesus-’ workHe had demonstrated his power to cast out the dumb demonwas accomplished by Satan’s power, by whose power did the Jewish exorcists pretend to cast out demons? For proof that they did not really cast out demons see Luke’s account of the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14-18). If they claimed that it was by divine power, they were making God inferior to Satan. Their charge was absurd. Let them be your judges, said Jesus, for they would have to admit the superiority of His work. Jesus added, If I by the finger of Godthat is, the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28)cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you, The genuine miracle of Jesus proved that the Father was working through Him. This was evidence of God’s rule over them which meant judgment to those who rejected it.

(3) The strong man’s house. The one who overcomes a strong manJesus did not question the strength of Satanand destroys his goods must be stronger than the one he overcomes. Jesus, the Son of God, is stronger than Satan. He proved it by casting out the demon that was controlled by Beelzebub.

*He that is not with me is against me.*Jesus demanded open allegiance to Him. To reject His miracles and demand signs from heaven was to be against Him. There is no neutral position.

*The unclean spirit.*After passing through waterless places where nothing could rest, the unclean spirit came back to the house which it had left and found it empty. Taking seven other spirits more evil than himself, he entered the house and dwelt there. This seems to explain the state of those who are against Jesus, for He said, He that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Could this refer to the man from whom Jesus had just cast out the demon? Those possessed with demons were never charged with responsibility for their plight. According to Matthew 12:44-45, Jesus applied it to that evil generation that refused to believe in Him. They were then planning to crucify Him, and for that awful deed they would suffer the most terrible destruction ever to be brought on a city (Matthew 24:21).

Luke 11:14-28

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 2

Perverseness (Luke 11:14-28)**

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. 15But some of them said, He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons; 16while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub 19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your Judges 20:1-48 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; 22but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

24 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, -I will return to my house from which I came.-’ 25And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. 26Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.

27 As he said this, a woman in the crowd, raised her voice and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked! 28But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!

**Luke 11:14-23 Wisdom: **The last specific place we may locate Jesus is in the home of Martha and Mary at Bethany, near Jerusalem. Then He is said to be praying in a certain place which may have been Gethsemane on the Mt. of Olives (Judas knew to look for Him there at a place where He would be praying). Now we are told that he was casting out a demon that was dumb. Perhaps this took place in Jerusalem, but more likely in one of the small villages of Judea. He would not wish to stir up the animosity of the rulers as He had at the Feast of Tabernacles earlier (see John 7:1 -John 10:21), so He probably stayed clear of the city of Jerusalem. So far as we know He visited Jerusalem only once between Tabernacles and His Triumphal Entry and that visit was at the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22 ff.) around December 25th, also known as Hanukkah.

About a year earlier than this Jesus faced the very same accusation of casting out demons by the power of Satan. That was in Galilee and it is recorded in Matthew 12:22-45 and Mark 3:22-30. There, Jesus was at His home (Capernaum) when He healed a different blind and dumb demoniac. There it was specifically stated that the Pharisees attacked Him. There, in Galilee, He warned them about the sin against the Holy Spirit; here, in Judea, He does not give that warning. They are separate events. It is not unusual for Jesus to be accused twice of being in league with Satan. Actually, His enemies accused Him of this many times (cf. John 7:20; John 8:48; John 9:24; John 10:19). It is a demonstration of His divine wisdom that He dealt with each such accusation logically, reasonably and lovingly.

The demon possessing this man was dumb (Gr. kophos, from a root word which means, to cut). Neither the demon or the man was ignorant, Dumb in this sense means unable to speak. It was a common practice in those days to take prisoners of war or slaves and cut one of the muscles or the flesh of the mouth which kept the tongue from functioning. When that was done the victim could not talkthus he was dumb. The Greek word kophos is sometimes translated blunted, dulled. Whatever the man’s physical condition, it was the demon who was blunting the man’s ability to speak; his power to talk had been cut off by the demon. When Jesus threw (Gr. ekbalron) the demon out of the man, most of the people marvelled. Honest-minded people who witnessed Jesus-’ miracles never failed to be impressed that His power was from God. But some, in spite of the very evident manifestation of deity, motivated by evil, perverted the good deeds of Jesus by attributing His supernatural power to the devil. It is significant that Jesus-’ enemies did not deny the fact that a miracle had occurred (see also Acts 8:15-17). They could not deny what had happened before their very eyes. But they could slanderously concoct an explanation out of prejudiced hatred for Him to try to undermine the goodness and the importance of His deed.

We will not comment on the origin or nature of demons here. The student should refer to comments on Luke 4:31-44; Luke 8:26-39 for notes on demons. Their hypothesis that Christ’s miracles might be lying signs and wonders was not altogether impossible (see Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13). The devil and his helpers would be able to do false miracles. But there would be evidence of their unmistakable falsenessnot the least of which would be the false teaching accompanying the false miracles, This could not be said of Jesus-’ teachingit always conformed exactly to the Old Testament.

Jesus was the Master Logician. His rebuttal is a classic demonstration of the power of logic to defeat falsehood. Most people would have responded to the allegations of these enemies with emotion and perhaps physical assault. Some might have walked away in silence. But Jesus could not let such a deliberate and damaging falsehood go unexposed. His first rebuttal is devastating. With one simple, logical statement, He destroys their evil accusation. He simply says, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste. In other words, it is illogical and irrational to think that Satan would try to defeat himself. Satan would not join Jesus in trying to do good for men by casting demons out of men and sending them back to the abyss where they came from. That would be like cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. It doesn-’t make sense! It is contrary to all accepted structures of right thinking. Satan would not work against himself. Jesus-’ second rebuttal was what is called in logic, ad hominem, that is, His argument focused on their personal claims and practices in exorcism as an expose of their faulty logic. He said, If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Sons in this phrase probably means the Jews who were exorcists. Beelzebul seems to be a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word Baalzevuv which means, lord of the flies, or lord of filth. Baalzevuv was the name under which Baal was worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16). Apparently this was the name given in the first century to the prince of demons, (cf. also Matthew 10:25; Matthew 12:25-26; Mark 3:22). Of course, Jewish exorcists claimed their powers were from God. Jesus-’ challenge is, if the Jewish exorcists claim to cast out demons at all they are judging themselves as also being in league with Satan. Since they cannot demonstrate that their powers of exorcism are from God any more surely than Jesus can demonstrate His, then their powers must also be from Satan! They judge themselves by judging Jesus. Since their claims (Jesus-’ and theirs) were demonstrably the same, then the source of power should be the same. It is pretty apparent that the Jewish exorcists were only claiming to cast out demons but really had no success at it. Only Jesus, so far as any credible record is available, had the power to really command demons and exercise divine authority over them (plus those select few disciples to whom He gave His power). Since the Jewish exorcists claimed casting out demons was by the power of God and since Jesus was the only One who really demonstrated the power to do it, they should have quickly acknowledged that the messianic kingdom of God had come upon them. Jesus has cast His enemies upon the horns of a dilemma. Either He casts out demons by God’s power or Satan’S; Jesus has shown that it is logically impossible for Satan to be fighting against himself; His enemies are left with only the first possibilityHe is God’s Messiah! He is doing the work of God and they are standing in rebellion against it by going against all reason and calling it the work of the devil.

The Lord’s third rebuttal is the logical conclusion to a series of brilliantly logical arguments. When a strong man (Satan), fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he (Jesus) assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil (casts out demons). To overcome Satan one must be stronger than he is. By conquering temptation, casting out demons, winning sinners to the will of God, Jesus proved He was Master of Satannot Satan’s servant. In the Galilean confrontation, Jesus indicated that He had, in some sense, at His first coming, bound Satan (cf. Matthew 12:29). We believe the rest of the N.T. indicates that to some degree and in some manner, Jesus bound the devil by His earthly death and resurrection.

At His first coming into the world, the Son of God entered the strong man’s house (the devil’s pretended kingdom), plundered his goods and bound him (Matthew 12:29). Notice how Jesus-’ binding of Satan is described in the following: (a) destroyed the devil’s works (1 John 3:8); (b) triumphed over the devil’s evil (Colossians 2:15); (c) destroyed the devil’s power (Hebrews 2:14-15); (d) cast the pretended ruler of this world out and judged him (John 12:31; John 16:11); (e) makes the devil flee (James 4:7); (f) saw the devil fallen from heaven (Luke 10:18); (g) and He binds the devil for 1000 years (Revelation 20:6). We believe these are all one and the same. The thousand-years binding of Satan in Revelation 20:6 is the limitation of the devil’s sphere of influence accomplished by Christ’s atonement and continues until Christ’s second coming. See chart below:

Christ’s logic was unassailable. The truth He spoke was irrefutable. His enemies might deny His deity as a matter of prejudice and deliberate wilfulness, but they could not disprove it. Jesus turned the tables on them. He showed that it was really His enemies who were on the side of Satan.

Jesus precludes any possibility of neutrality between Him and Satan. All men are on one side or the other. All humanity may be classed as either being gathered or made whole by Christ, or being scattered and fractured by the devil.

SATAN SCATTERS OR FRACTURES (Greek, skorpizei)

In God’s word human beings are either saved or lost; wise or foolish; sheep or goats; marked by God or marked by the beast; sons of light or sons of darkness; on the side of God or on the side of the devilTHERE IS NO NEUTRALITY!

**Luke 11:24-26 Warnings: **To warn those who had just exhibited a twisted and perverse mentality by accusing Him of being in league with Satan, Jesus told a short parable about unclean spirits. Practice of exorcism and superstition were deeply rooted in the Judaism of Jesus-’ day. They believed demons were ordinarily invisible, but if one put sifted ashes on the threshold of the house, their footprints might be seen in the morning, prints like those of a chicken. Demons were to be found everywhere, but especially in deserted and empty houses, marshes, the shade of certain trees, and in toilets. One rabbi, in order to protect himself against them, always took a lamb with him every time he went to the bathroom. Jews believed evil spirits attacked animals as well as human beings; and among the humans those whom they most frequently attacked were chronic invalids, engaged girls and the best man, or groomsman at a wedding. It was exceedingly unwise for a man to sleep all alone in a house: he would be the victim of Lilith, the she-devil, and anything at all might happen to him. Jews believed that God had provided guardian angels to protect all who were careful to keep the traditions of the rabbis. But they also believed that men had to help protect themselves from evil spirits. This they did by prayers: The person who recites the Shema Israel in getting into bed has as it were a double-edged sword against the demons of the night. The careful Jew would also put on his phylactery as soon as he thought there was danger of an evil spirit’s presence.

Jesus did not believe human superstitions. But what He said about evil spirits returning seven times worse than the first was a distinct historical possibility. Mary Magdalene had seven demons at once in her (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2) and Jesus cast them out; the man who lived in the tombs was possessed of legions of demons (Luke 8:30). But there is an even more important focus for Jesus-’ parable in this context. These enemies of His had just manifested an attitude or spirit of especial maliciousness in attributing the godly work of Jesus to the devil. In calling what was undeniably from God a work of the devil, these people were exhibiting a spirit seven times more Satanic than the spirit of idolatry which had characterized their ancestors of the days of the O.T. prophets. God took their ancestors and drove them into captivity to clean their house of idolatry. The drastic measure produced the desired result; the Jewish house was never again possessed with idolatryit was thoroughly cleansed. But upon the return of the Jews to their land in 536 B.C. it did not take long for a spiritual vacuum to be created in their house. Many of the returned Jews became enamored of the sensual and indulgent life of the Greek culture of that era. A small party of extremely religious and patriotic Jews formed a party called Hasidim as a resistance movement against the Hellenization of their ancestral culture. Instead of turning to the Old Testament scriptures, this party gradually built for itself a multitude of traditions, customs, ceremonies and rituals, hoping thereby to protect the Law itself against the encroachments of unbelief. God’s word does not need man’s protection. What the hasidim did with their traditions was build around themselves a false facade of self-righteousness through their legalism and hypocrisy.

By the time Jesus the Messiah had come, the heart of Judaism swept clean of idolatry had allowed the spiritual vacuum there to be inhabited by seven evil spirits worse than the first plus the old evil spirit that had been wandering through waterless places. Judaism of Jesus-’ day had become a rotten carcass over which the vultures (Roman empire) were poised (Matthew 24:28). It was a house left forsaken and desolate; a despicable abomination unto the Lord, (Matthew 23:38). Upon them was laid all the righteous blood shed on earth from Abel to Zechariah (Matthew 23:34-36). See the chart below:

Luke 11:27-28 Witnessing: There is a rather perverse attitude throughout the history of man that puts more emphasis on physical proximity to holy people and places than on spiritual kinship. We find this attitude cropping up constantly in regard to the physical presence of Jesus (cf. Luke 4:22-23; Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21; Luke 9:33, etc.). The Jews of the days of the Prophets tended to associate their relationship to God according to the enshrinement of holy places, things and persons (cf. Jeremiah 15:1; Ezekiel 14:20; Jeremiah 7:4; Matthew 23:29-30, etc.). Apparently that same attitude had captivated some woman in the crowds here in Judea, This woman was, sincerely perhaps, impressed with greatness that must accrue to the physical mother of this wise, compassionate and miracle-working Galilean, Jesus. The woman reasoned that since Jesus was unquestionably in right relationship to Jehovah, then His mother must be also.

Now in the realm of sinful mankind that might be a valid line of reasoning (although not always). When there is a godly son, there is usually a godly mother whose righteousness has been instrumental in producing it in her son. The mother, however, was only the instrument; the godliness is produced from the seed-word of God. In fact, some sons are godly in spite of ungodly parents. The godliness of a son does not necessarily guarantee the blessedness of the parents. Righteousness before God ultimately depends on personal choices and attitudes.

Mary, mother of Jesus, was honored by God to give human birth to the Savior of the world (Luke 1:28-35; Luke 1:42-55). Mary was an excellent example of obedience to the will of God (Luke 1:38; John 2:4-5). But it was really her spiritual relationship to God that made her specialnot her physical relationship to Jesus. That is the point of Jesus in His reply to this woman: Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it! The Greek word for keep it here is phulassontes. It is a present participle meaning continuing to keep it. It is not the usual word for keep it in the sense of obey; it is a word associated with imprison, guard, hold onto. Jesus is saying what David said in Psalms 119:11, the word of God must be laid up in, or imprisoned in, man’s heart.

Spiritual ties to Jesus are the ultimate and only lasting ties. Genetic descent is irrelevant to the kingdom of God. God has no special blessings to bestow on anyone because of their physical lineage. Water (baptism into spiritual covenant relationship with Christ) is thicker than blood (physical family relationship). Jesus is not denying the necessity or usefulness of family relationships but He is saying that even the most fundamental of all human relationships become secondary to spiritual brotherhood. No human nation or race of people has any claims on Jesus unless they come to Him individually by way of God’s will revealed in the Bible (cf. Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11-18; Galatians 3:23 to Galatians 4:7; Galatians 6:10; Galatians 6:15-16; James 1:22 ff.; Ephesians 2:19, etc.). We do not please God because of any proximity to holy shrines, national origins, or traditional family religions, but whether we have the unadulterated word of God locked into our hearts and lives.

Luke 11:27-28

Applebury’s Comments

Praise for the Mother who Bore Him Scripture

Luke 11:27-28 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. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

*Comments

a certain woman of the multitude.*The crowd had just witnessed the remarkable miracle of casting out the dumb demon. The woman paid tribute to Christ in an indirect way by voicing her praise for His mother. It was a perfectly natural thing for her to do. The words in no way tend to praise Mary beyond the suggestion of appreciation for the mother of Him who had been such a blessing to the distressed man. Mary herself had said that all generations would call her blessed. That was because she was to have the privilege of giving birth to the Savior of the world.

*Yea rather, Blessed are they that hear the word of God.*Jesus approved the praise for His mother. But He said that those who hear the word of God and keep it are to be congratulated. All who do God’s will are to share in the praise that belongs to His servants.

Luke 11:29-36

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 3

Phenomenalism (Luke 11:29-36)**

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah, 30For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31The queen of the South will arise 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. 32The men of Nineveh will arise 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.

33 No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. 35Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36If 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.

**Luke 11:29-32 Disbelief: **We have to go back to Luke 11:16 for the reason behind the request for a sign from heaven. Their motive as stated there was to test Jesus. They were unsatisfied with His messianic claims because He was not backing them with the signs they had already decided were messianic. They may have been attempting to trap Jesus into some further display of compassion or teaching which would be in opposition to the traditions of the rabbis. Rabbinical tradition characterized the advent of the Jewish Messiah as a time of great warfare upon the Gentiles and great material prosperity for the Jews. The Apocalypse of Baruch says that the time of the Messiah would usher in an inexhaustible supply of manna to feed the Jews until the end of time. The Psalms of Solomon say the Messiah will purge Jerusalem of the heathen. break the pride of sinners like so many pots. and gather the holy nation and lead it with justice, in peace and equality, Jesus was not showing signs of being a Messiah-Avenger or Messiah-Provider (except for the feeding of the 5000), so the request for a sign from heaven was born out of hostility for Jesus-’ failure to meet their materialistic expectations. Jesus had given numerous signs of His deity already, but they were not concerned with deity. Jesus tried to persuade them that He was the exact fulfillment of their own Prophets as to the Messiah, but they were not interested in God’s word. Their demand for a sign from heaven in the face of all the other signs which Jesus had already given was graphic proof that they were attempting to dictate to God the basis upon which they would accept Jesus as their Messiah. This is why Jesus called them an evil and adulterous generation. God gives plenty of evidence to substantiate His word. When man demands more than God has decreed is necessary, it is a sin that provokes the wrath of God (cf. Exodus 17:7; Numbers 14:11; Deuteronomy 18:18-22; Matthew 16:3; 1 Corinthians 10:9; Hebrews 3:10). It is rebellion against God to ask for more signs than God has declared sufficient. Jesus did many more signs than those recorded in the gospel records (John 20:30-31), but enough are recorded that any man who wants to believe may have sufficient evidence to substantiate Christ’s claims. The clamor for miraculous gifts was what Paul tried to correct in the Corinthian church. Christ had given the Corinthian church sufficient miraculous gifts and the people were sinning in clamoring for more.

The sign of Jonah was Jonah’s miraculous preservation from death in the belly of the great fish. This was the evidence by which Jonah’s message was authenticated and the basis upon which Nineveh believed and repented. Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh that (a) the God of Israel is the God of all men; (b) Jehovah’s will must be obeyed; (c) Jehovah wants all men to be saved; (d) Jehovah will deliver all who will repent. The one great sign Jesus will give to that generation (and to the whole world) is His miraculous resurrection from death itself. Jesus will not be merely preserved from death; He will be brought back to life again after dying.

Some, by dogmatically wresting the scriptures, have divided believers over the question whether Jesus was literally three days and three nights in the tomb before His resurrection or not (cf. Matthew 12:40). We do not believe it is necessary to insist that Jesus was literally three days and three nights in the tomb for the following reasons: (a) if Jesus was to be in the tomb 72 full hours He should have predicted His resurrection on the fourth day, but He never did; (b) it is good Hebrew idiom to say day when only a* part* of a day is meant (cf. Genesis 42:17-18; Esther 4:15-17; Esther 5:1; 1 Kings 12:5; 1 Kings 12:12, etc.); (c) prophetic signs are to be interpreted in the light of their actual fulfillment when at all possible; (d) His enemies understood Him to mean less than 72 hours (cf. Matthew 27:62-64); (e) Luke names the days involved in His intermentPreparation (Friday), Sabbath (Saturday), First day (Sunday) (cf. Luke 23:54 to Luke 24:1). Jesus-’ prophecy that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth was fulfilled since He was there part of Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday. That was the way His disciples would understand it then and that is the way we are to understand it now.

The queen of the South was undoubtedly the Queen of Sheba from the southern-most tip of the Arabian peninsula. She visited Palestine in the days of Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 10:1 ff.; 2 Chronicles 9:1 ff.) because she had heard of the wisdom of Solomon but did not believe it. When she put him to the test she became convinced and paid homage to his wisdom. Whether she became a believer in Jehovah or not we do not know, but her homage to Solomon was tacit admission that the king’s wisdom came from his God. Jesus points out that One greater than Solomon is in the midst of these peoplenamely, the Messiah, and they do not acknowledge His wisdom. Therefore, the queen of the South will arise in the judgment and condemn the evil generation of Jesus.

The men of Ninevah will also arise at the judgment with that generation and condemn it. They repented at the preaching of Jonah while One greater than Jonah preached to that generation. The moral axiom Jesus posits is this; According to the light against which you have sinned, you will be judged! What is even more significant, that generation will soon have the ultimate, final and most powerful sign God is ever going to give the world to produce repentanceJesus-’ resurrection from the dead. That sign will be God’s perfect call to repent, (Acts 17:30-31) and if they do not heed that there is only perfect wrath to be received. What Jesus said to that generation applies even more emphatically to each succeeding generation. We have, in addition to His teachings, His deeds and His resurrection, all the centuries of history in which millions of people have validated Christ’s claims by the power of His Spirit living in them. This is why unbelief is evil!

**Luke 11:33-36 Darkness: **There are two different lamps in this text. The first lamp is Jesus-’ deity (confirmed by His miracles and later by His resurrection). Jesus who casts out demons is the Light of the World. Yet that generation wanted to accuse Him of doing works of darkness (being in league with Satan). Jesus had just proved logically that He was fighting and defeating darkness. When His resurrection occurred it would prove empirically that He was light. He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Jesus pleads with them to search their own souls, recognized their own immoral thinking, because no one lights a lamp in order to put it under a bushel. They keep asking for a sign (light) from Him; He is giving the most brilliant light (signs) possibleHe is certainly not spreading darkness. The darkness is in them.

The second lamp is man’s moral perceptivenessmen’s capacity to know and distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness. The writer of Proverbs said, The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts (Proverbs 20:27). Just like the physical eye lets in light to guide the body, so the spirit and mind of man lets in truth to guide the inner man, (cf. also 1 Corinthians 2:11). The Greek word haplous is translated sound in Luke 11:34. In some versions it is translated single or clear in the NASV. The fundamental meaning of haplous seems to be sincerity, simplicity, clarity. The sound eye is one that focuses totally and sharply on a single objectit does not give double vision nor does it divide its focus. This is true of the spirit of manthe mind of man. The inner man will be what he focuses his mind on. And if his focus is double or divided, he will be a divided man. If the eye of the soul focuses on falsehood and darkness then the whole inner man will be dark. Those clamoring for signs from Jesus had their hearts and minds focused on a materialistic kingdom. When Jesus declared that was not the essence of God’s kingdom, they would not let the light of His truth illuminate their inner being because their eye had let in the darkness.

The reality of the Christian experience does not consist in outward, spectacular fleshly things which the worldly-minded evaluate as real. Signs and things which excite the emotions and satisfy the carnal cravings of pride and ambition have nothing to do with the kingdom of God. His kingdom is not of this world; it consists of things that have to do with inner beingfaith, love, truth, righteousness. But alas, even our own generation still seeks after signs.

Applebury’s Comments

Seeking a Sign Scripture

Luke 11:29-36 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. 30 For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 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. 32 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.

33 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. 34 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. 35 Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness. 36 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.

*Comments

it seeketh after a sign*.Jesus called that generation evil because it was seeking after a sign. See Paul’s comment on this attitude of the Jews in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25. It was not wrong to want genuine proof before accepting even the word of Christ; the wrong lay in the fact that sign after sign had already been given and still they refused to believe. They wanted some sign from heaven, but they said His miracles were of the devil.

the sign of Jonah.A sign is a mark that points out the distinction between persons or things. It may be the exhibition of divine power used to establish the claims of God’s messengers. See John 20:30-31. Jesus explained the sign of Jonah by saying that Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites. The experience he had before coming to Ninevah marked him as a prophet of God. Because of it, they believed the thing he was preaching about the destruction of Ninevah.

But as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so the Son of Man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40). His resurrection was to be the sign that would mark Him as The Prophet (Acts 3:22-26).

*a greater than Solomon is here.*more correctly, something greater than Solomon. The queen of the South, the queen of Sheba, came to see the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-7; 1 Kings 3:10-28). In the Judgment, she would condemn that generation, because they were privileged to see something greater than the wisdom of Solomon. That was the wisdom of Christ. Paul calls Him wisdom from God and says that in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden (Colossians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 1:30).

*a greater than Jonah.*that is, something greater than Jonah had offered as evidence to cause the men of Ninevah to believe. That something was the resurrection of Christ. When Jonah preached judgment to Ninevah, the men of Ninevah repented, that is, changed their minds about the thing he preached. That repentance was expressed by sitting in sackcloth and ashes and turning away from their evil ways. The generation to which Jesus preached should have changed their minds about judgment. Instead of saying that they were Abraham’s children and assuming that nothing could ever happen to them, they should have been aware that they were like trees ready to be cut down and burned. On the Day of Pentecost, three thousand of them did repent and get themselves baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).

*No man, when he hath lighted a lamp.*The parable of The Lamp illustrates the meaning of Jesus-’ words about signs. He did not come to leave people in the dark about Himself. He was about to light the lamp of truth about Himself by His resurrection.

The eye is like a lighted lamp that is placed where people can see. But that evil generation was not willing to see the light of evidence in His miracles that proved Him to be the Son of God. They only saw evil; He cast out the dumb demon, but they only saw the power of Beelzebub. The light of the resurrection is the last great proof to lead men to believe in Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

Luke 11:37-54

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 4

Pharisaism (Luke 11:37-54)**

37 While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. 38The Pharisee was astonished to see, that he did not first wash before dinner. 39And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of. the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.

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. 43Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. 44Woe to you; for you are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.

45 One of the lawyers answered him, Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also. 46And he said, Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, -I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,-’ 50that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. 52Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.

**Luke 11:37-44 Hypocrisy: **Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee while He was confronting His enemies. The extraordinary wisdom Jesus displayed in completely defeating the accusations against Him intrigued this Pharisee, so he wanted to see and listen to the Sage of Galilee firsthand. This Pharisee was totally unprepared for what he heard from the lips of Jesus. The Greek word aristese means break your fast or breakfast (see John 21:12; John 21:15) and originally referred to the first meal of the day. But it came to mean in the days of Jesus a sort of brunch or the meal eaten after morning prayers in the synagogue, at mid-morning. Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and went immediately to the couch and reclined (Gr. anepesen), without performing the traditional washing of the hands before the meal. The Hebrew language has three words most often used in the O.T. for ceremonial washing: kavas, rachatz, and taval. Taval means, to dip or immerse. The Greek word used in Luke 11:38 is ebaptisthe which means, to dip or immerse. Modern Hebrew has focused on the word taval to categorize all ceremonial ablutions (see Judaica Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, 82-86).

There were all kinds of purifications practiced in the Gospels: There were washings for lepers (Luke 17:12; Leviticus 13:45 ff.); washings after birth (Luke 2:22) and before wedding feasts (John 2:6). A Jew argued with John the Baptist’s disciples about purification (John 3:25-30); Peter was always careful to observe laws of purification (Acts 10:14); Pharisees were meticulous about purification (Matthew 23:25; Luke 7:39; John 18:28); regulations about ablutions were a characteristic part of Judaism (Hebrews 9:9-10).

God made scores of laws demanding ceremonial washing in the O.T. (cf. Leviticus 5:2 ff; Leviticus 7:19-21; Leviticus 11:23-25; Leviticus 15:11; Leviticus 17:15 ff; Leviticus 18:1 ff; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 21:4 ff; Leviticus 22:1-9; Numbers 5:3; Numbers 6:9; Numbers 9:6 ff; Numbers 19:13-22; Deuteronomy 21:22 ff; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; Deuteronomy 23:10-14). All these had to do with ritual uncleanness. In many instances there was nothing physically or hygienically unclean involved. Everything created by God is good when properly used. God gave the commands to teach man that perfect spiritual cleanness by works of the Law was impossible, because man was unable to even keep the ceremonial aspect of the Law perfectly.

But Jesus did not violate Mosaic Law when He failed to baptize His hands before eating. Nowhere in the Law of Moses are Jews commanded to wash their hands before eating. The washing of hands is mentioned only once in the Torah (Leviticus 15:11) and that has nothing to do with meals. Washing of hands is rabbinical tradition pure and simple. According to the rabbis, washing of hands to be cleansed of impurity before meals was instituted by King Solomon; some think the tradition was instituted by the disciples of Hillel and Shammai, The washing of hands is either by immersion up to the wrist or by pouring about one-half a pint of water over both hands from a receptacle with a wide mouth, the lip of which must be undamaged. The water should be poured over the whole hand up to the wrist, but is acceptable as long as the fingers are washed up to the second joint. The hands must be clean and without anything adhering to them; rings must be removed so that the water can reach the entire surface area. The water should not be hot or discolored and it is customary to perform the act by pouring water over each hand three times. Superstition and racial prejudices were both in the background of this tradition. The Talmud refers at length to the tradition supposing that demons sat on unwashed hands just waiting to get into the person’s body through the mouth. The Talmud also mentions that Rabbi Akibba, although personally opposed to the tradition, nevertheless used the limited water allowed him in prison for this ablution rather than for drinking and so died of thirst.

The word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew word pharashim which means separated ones. It was a Jewish sect which was originally known as the Chasidim, a Hebrew word meaning, pious ones. The Chasidim was formed from a group of old fashioned Jews who dedicated themselves to resist the paganization of their culture during the Seleucid (Greco-Syrian) domination of Palestine (350-175 B.C.). They denounced everything of Gentile practice, insisted on the absolute supremacy of the Torah, and often resisted to the death any attempt to Greekize their land and people. The tendency of the Hasmoneans (Jewish royal and priestly family descending from the Maccabeans) to compromise with certain aspects of paganism brought about an intense sectarian division in Judaism that lasted down into the days of Jesus in the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees (see chart on Religious-Political Frame of First Century Judaism, pg. 88).

The Pharisees were the most prominent and influential sect of Jesus-’ day. Josephus says there were about 6000 Pharisees in the first century A.D. They were contemptuous of all who did not follow their traditions and violently opposed to anyone who would threaten their religious traditions whether Gentile or Jew. The fundamental feature of the sect was extreme legalism. They believed in Divine, providence, the free will of man, resurrection of the dead and judgment. They lived moderately (although many of them were rich), placed great store-in history and ethnic culture of the Jewish race. They eagerly anticipated the Golden Age of the Messiah (as they interpreted it). Rabbinical tradition was something about which the Pharisees were deadly serious. Rabbinical interpretations of the Torah were designed to protect the Law. To keep the unlearned and, common people from ignorantly disobeying the Law, the rabbis (with all their expertise) deemed it necessary to write out in minute detail every possible human action that might violate a commandment of the Torah. Soon after Malachi, the last prophet of God (400 B.C.), there arose in rabbinic Judaism the concept called, Bath Kol. These two Hebrew words mean, literally, Daughter of the Voice. The rabbinical meaning of the words is, The Divine Voice. According to this concept God whispered all the rabbinic traditions (interpretations) to Moses at the same time He gave Moses the Torah. Moses wrote the Torah down, but passed on the interpretations orally. These oral traditions were passed on from generation to generations through the rabbis until around 132-200 A.D. when they were produced in written form in the Mishnah, the Haggadah, the Halakah, and the Talmud (300-400 A.D.).

It is not difficult to understand now why the Pharisee was astonished (Gr. Ethaumasen, shocked) to see that Jesus did not first wash before He ate. The Pharisee considered Jesus-’ action a violation of The Divine Voice. It is interesting that this Pharisee, living in Judea the hotbed of Pharisaic legalism, would invite Jesus to dine with him considering the attitudes of the Pharisees toward Jesus:

They considered Jesus-’ claim to forgive sins blasphemy (Matthew 9:3 ff.; Mark 6:2 ff.; Luke 5:21)

They rankled at His social associations with publicans and sinners (Matthew 9:11; Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30; Luke 15:1)

They accused His disciples of non-observance of required feasts (Luke 5:33).

They tried to prove Jesus was in league with Satan (Matthew 9:34; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:24 ff.; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:14).

They attacked Him for violating Sabbath traditions (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:10; Mark 2:23; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:5-7; Luke 13:14 ff.; John 5:10-18; John 9:13).

They compromised their convictions to join with the Herodians to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6).

They also joined with the hated Sadducees to trap Him (Matthew 15:1; Matthew 22:1 ff.), and kill Him (Matthew 27:62; John 18:3).

They accused Him of planning to destroy the Temple (John 2:19; Matthew 26:59-61; Matthew 27:39-40).

They accused Him of being a deceiver (John 7:12; Matthew 27:62 ff.).

They ridiculed Him (John 7:48) and tried to slander Him by calling Him a Samaritan (John 8:48) and demon possessed.

They charged Him with sedition against the Roman empire (Luke 23:1-2).

They mocked Him in His death on the cross (Matthew 27:41 ff.).

Evidently the Pharisee said something to Jesus about violation of rabbinic tradition for Jesus replied with a lengthy and scathing rebuke of Pharisaic hypocrisy. What He said here, Jesus repeated about a year later in greater detail in the midst of His last week on earth (Matthew 23:1 ff.).

The Lord’s first admonition to the Pharisees is that they clean up the inner man. They were very orthodox on the outside. They kept all the ceremonies and rituals. They attended all the feasts and fasts without fail. They appeared to be very pious. But inwardly they were full of extortion and wickedness. They even made religious traditions by which they could circumvent moral and financial responsibility to their aged parents (Matthew 15:3-6) and all the while appear to be very pious by declaring their money Corban (devoted to God). But God looks on the heart and not on the outward appearance. No man can fool GodHe looks at motives. Alms-giving is an abomination before God if it is done with a resentful or unwilling heart. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18) plainly teaches that why we do any religious deed is more important than the deed itself! Doing one’s piety before men, to be seen of them, indicates an unclean heart, no matter how right the deed may be, If the Pharisees would clean up their hearts and give those to the world, they would be giving the kind of alms God wants the world to have. More than coins given out of self-righteous, and resentful hypocrisy, the world needs love, purity, truth and kindness. While love can only be expressed by giving, and giving material things to the poor can come from a pure heart (James 1:27; James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:16-18), giving alms does not necessarily equal piety. It is only when the heart is right with God that everything then becomes clean (cf. Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).

Jesus next points out the Pharisaic tendency to major in minors. The Pharisees meticulously counted every dill seed, setting aside every tenth one, to insure legal correctness. The Talmud even suggests that the pious Jew ought to cut up every dill-plant stalk into ten parts and give one-tenth to the Temple. While they were unimpeachably precise in these outward regulations and spent most of their time trying to make others so, they were unconcerned about fairness, the rights of others and love of God. Jesus called these latter things the weightier matters of the law in Matthew 23:23. Jesus does not say they should quit tithing to the Lord as the Law of Moses required, but He insists that scrupulosity in setting aside every tenth dill seed is not the essence of God’s law. The real purpose behind every Law, even of the tithe, is grace, mercifulness and redemption for the soul of man. A man may be very accurate in religious ritual and doctrine but if he has no sensitivity to justice for his fellow man nor love for God he has a perverted sense of values and his orthodoxy is probably motivated by a hope in self-righteousness. Financial support for the work of God’s kingdom must have the right motives (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:5-8).

Ego-tripping was another favorite endeavor of the Pharisees. They loved the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. The Greek word protokathedrian is a compound of proto (first or chief) and kathedra (throne or seat); kathedra is the word from which the English word cathedral comes. Kathedra is sometimes used in classical Greek to mean a teacher’s seat, or a judge’s seat. Jesus denounced them later for loving to be called rabbi (teacher or master) (cf. Matthew 23:7-8). This mania still persists in religious circles today where men not only love but insist on being called, Doctor, Pastor, Reverend, Father or some other title. Bigshotism corrupts! The inordinate self-seeking egotism that feeds on competitiveness is Pharisaic! The urge to constantly class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves and measure ourselves by one another (2 Corinthians 10:12) leads to a complacent and destructive superiority. Beware of the intoxication of eruditionnever think you have learned all there is to know. Beware of flattering compliments (2 Peter 2:18; Jude 1:16)never seriously believe you are as great as others say you are! Bigshots are like graves; full of corruption themselves and dangerous to others who associate with them because people are fooled by their outward appearances. Hanging around self-proclaimed bigshots will corrupt you like the uncleanness the Jews incurred by walking over a grave.

Luke 11:45-54 Hate: There is an old adage which says, if you throw a stone at a pack of dogs the one that is hit will yelp. One of the lawyers (Gr. nomikois; also called grammateis or scribes) yelped! What Jesus had been saying about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees reproached the scribes or lawyers also. Lawyers and scribes were the data processors of the Jewish religion. They were closely associated with the Pharisees. Their origins go even farther back in the history of Judaism than that of the Phariseesback to pre-exilic days. They were the public recorders, governmental secretaries, legal experts, charged with passing on the rabbinical teachings in writing, They also taught and interpreted the traditions. All public education of the Jewish populace was in their control. They were charged with making civil judgments; they were members of the Sanhedrin, loved the title of rabbi, wore long robes, and sought public adoration. They were the most watchful and determined opponents of Jesus (cf. Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30; Luke 15:2).

Jesus-’ first denouncement of the lawyers was that they were totally insensitive to other men’s burdens. In fact, Jesus accused them of loading men with burdens hard to bear and then refusing to help at all in relieving the burdens. These burdens they placed on men were their unbiblical (and in some cases, antibiblical) traditions. Here are some of them:

A Jew was forbidden by scribal tradition from eating eggs on the Sabbath because the hen had to work to lay the egg and that breaks the Sabbath tradition.

It was forbidden to slaughter animals on the Sabbath unless it was a louse. (Conservative rabbis forbade even that while liberal ones allowed people to pull the legs off a louse on the Sabbath).

If a wheat-offering portion had been stored in a granary, no other wheat could be stored there unless the Jew swept the granary with a certain number of broom strokes.

It was questionable whether a Nazarite, with a vow to abstain from mashed food was permitted to eat an onion crushed accidentally.

Volume after volume of scribal traditions were forced upon the common people, until life was almost unbearably regimented and stifled. But Pharisees and scribes made sure they freed themselves of such burdens by adding traditions that only they were privy to:

The tradition of Corban (already mentioned, Luke 11:37-44).

The tradition of Fictitious Domicile where a scribe, if he had an important rabbinical journey to make could pretend he had a domicile every 7/8ths of a mile and travel that far, pretend to take up lodging for a few moments and then travel on another 7/8ths of a mile.

The tradition called Prosbol which was a document designed (much like Corban) to circumvent cancellation of debts.

The tradition about swearing by the altar vs. swearing by the gift on the altar (cf. Matthew 23:16-22).

This is the way the lawyers of Jesus-’ day kept themselves aloof from the burdensome traditions they demanded of everyone else. Most societies, including our own, have an elite group of law-makers who burden the masses with an unbearable multitude of statutes while they find ways to keep themselves above the laws. Lawyers, judges, legislators and religious teachers should practice what they preach!

Next Jesus took occasion to expose the murderous hatefulness in the hearts of some of these lawyers. Outwardly the lawyers and scribes built fancy and ornate tombs for the old prophets (cf. Matthew 23:29-36), but inwardly they hated and wanted to murder The Prophet, Jesus. Outwardly they gave the impression they revered God’s prophets, but in their open hatred of Jesus they showed a wicked heart that would have, like their forefathers, killed the prophets had they lived in that ancient generation. Outwardly they pretended to hold life sacred; inwardly they were the worst killers of all time for they killed the Son of God! The Wisdom of God (Luke 11:49) is apparently a Messianic title Jesus applies to Himself since in the passage in Matthew 23:34, the later, similar denouncement of the Pharisees, Jesus says, Therefore I send you prophets. Wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs (Luke 8:1 ff.) which may be a Messianic prophecy in itself.

Because these lawyers wanted to (and did) succeed in murdering the innocent Son of God, they will be held responsible for all the murdering of God’s prophets and messengers in the Old Testament. The blood of Abel was the first to be shed because of the truth of God (Genesis 4:10); the blood of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:22) was the last. But the death of The Prophet, The Messiah, will be the ultimate murder, the crowning act of all such hatred against God’s sovereignty. Daniel, the prophet, predicted that near the end of the 490 years (70 weeks of years), which would begin with the restoration of the Jewish commonwealth, the Jewish people would fill the cup of their rebellion to the brim and cut off the Prince, (cf. Daniel 9:24-27; see comments in Daniel, by Butler, College Press, pgs. 344-353 and 363-366), (See also Matthew 23:32-36; 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16; Matthew 21:33-43; John 15:22-27; Acts 2:22-23; Acts 3:13-15; Acts 7:51-53; Acts 4:25-28). The killing of God’s Son was the ultimate sin; it was what Daniel called, finish the transgression (Daniel 9:24). The murder of God’s Son resulted in God’s destruction of the Jewish commonwealth in 70 A.D. (cf. Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 22:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:16; Daniel 9:26b-27).

Finally, Jesus accused the scribes and lawyers of taking away from men the key of knowledge. These lawyers pretended to be guardians and proclaimers of the knowledge of God, but in reality they were destroyers. Instead of teaching the people the will of God as God revealed it in the Old Testament, they cluttered and obscured and hid under a blanket of human traditions the real revelation of God. They opposed Christ and poisoned the minds of the people against Him in the very face of His miracles and goodness and purity. They threatened harm to anyone who made any effort to follow Jesus and learn of God from Him. Christ was the Word of God incarnate. He is the key to all wisdom (cf. Colossians 2:3; Colossians 2:17; John 14:6), He attempted to cut through the veneer of scribal tradition and teach the people the true revelation of God. That is why the lawyers opposed Him so vehemently. Deinos is a Greek adverb meaning terribly, fearfully, hatefully; enechein means, to hold in, to entangle, to entrap. These lawyers and Pharisees were consumed with their hatred and desire to entangle Jesus. They were going to try to apostomatizein (provoke or, literally, draw out of Jesus-’ mouth) many things from Jesus and trap Him in some error. The phrase that they might accuse him in the KJV is not found in the best manuscripts (such as Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Codex Regius Parisiensis, the Syriac Curetonian, the Boharic), but that is what is certainly inferred. They certainly were not lying in wait to learn some truth from Jesus they could put to practice in their lives. They kept badgering Him like vicious dogs barking at their prey hoping to catch Him off-guard so they could rush in for the kill.

Jesus met every hostile attack and subtle deception with truth and devastating logic. He did not do it to wound His attackers and destroy any hope of their salvationHe did it to arrest their self-destroying plunges into vicious falsehood and hatred. Some went wilfully on in their hatred, intensifying their efforts to kill Him; others undoubtedly were rescued. There were a few Pharisees and influential Jewish leaders who did become disciples (e.g. Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others). The world is still filled with Pharisees and lawyers, pretending to love God but all the while studying His word only to try to destroy it.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

What do you think about formal prayers? Should people read prayers from manuscripts? Did Jesus advocate a certain form of prayer? Is it all right to repeat the Lord’s Prayer in unison?

Can we get God to change His mind by praying long enough for the same thing? If not, why did Jesus talk about the friend at midnight who was heard for his persistence?

Is the Holy Spirit given when all one does is pray? When was the Holy Spirit given to men?

Do you think Christians should try to be logical in their presentation of the Gospel? Didn-’t the apostle Paul go into Jewish synagogues and reason with Jews from the scriptures about the Christ?

When was the devil bound?

Is the whole world of mankind actually divided into only two segmentssaved and lost? Who are the saved? Who are the lost?

How did the Jews let seven demons worse than the first inhabit their swept-clean house? Is their plight a possibility for believers today?

Why did the woman think the mother of Jesus was so blessed? What do you think of Jesus-’ answer?

When is it wrong to ask the Lord for signs? Is it ever right? Are religious people today wrong in clamoring for miraculous signs?

From the study of Jesus-’ exposure of the Pharisees and lawyers, do you see any parallels of hypocrisy in the modern church?