Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

11:1 praying: See study note on 3:21.

Verse 2

11:2-4 This is how you should pray: The “Lord’s Prayer” was a model for Jesus’ disciples to follow.

Verse 4

11:4 And don’t let us yield to temptation: This is a difficult phrase in the Greek. God does not tempt his people (Jas 1:13), but since testing is a growth-producing part of our Christian life (Jas 1:2-4), should believers pray to avoid it? The phrase probably means “protect us during temptation.”

Verse 6

11:6 A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit: Standards of hospitality in first-century Jewish culture required a host to find adequate provisions for a visitor.

Verse 8

11:8 because of your shameless persistence (or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation won’t be damaged): Shame would also lie on the man who didn’t want to get up, since hospitality was a community requirement. God protects his good name by providing for his people.

Verse 11

11:11-12 A fish and an egg were common foods. A scorpion resembles an egg when it curls into a ball to lure its prey. Giving a snake or a scorpion would be a cruel practical joke, substituting something deadly for a good meal. No loving father would do such a thing.

Verse 13

11:13 give the Holy Spirit: Matthew’s parallel (Matt 7:11) reads “give good gifts.” The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift for believers, providing guidance, power, and the seal of salvation. Luke gives special prominence to the work of the Holy Spirit in Luke and Acts.

Verse 14

11:14-32 Jesus faced two challenges. He answered the first, an accusation that he was casting out demons by Satan’s power (11:15), in 11:17-26. The second was a demand for miraculous signs (11:16), which he answered in 11:29-32.

11:14 a demon from a man who couldn’t speak: Demons sometimes inflict physical disease or disability.

Verse 15

11:15 Satan: Greek Beelzeboul (“Baal, the prince”), the name of a Canaanite god that later came to be used as a name for Satan. The Jews mocked the name, calling him Beelzebub (“lord of the flies”).

Verse 17

11:17 He knew their thoughts: See 5:22; 7:40; 9:47. • Any kingdom divided by civil war: Jesus’ first response to the accusation was that he could not be working for Satan; he was tearing down Satan’s kingdom by casting out demons.

Verse 20

11:20 the Kingdom of God has arrived among you: Jesus’ exorcisms were evidence that the Kingdom of God was present.

Verse 21

11:21-22 The strong man is Satan; the stronger man is Jesus. Jesus’ exorcisms demonstrated that he was defeating and plundering Satan’s property—those people held in bondage by him (cp. Isa 49:24-26).

Verse 23

11:23 Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me: See study note on 9:50.

Verse 26

11:26 seven other spirits: Seven may indicate completeness, meaning that the man was completely under their power, or it could simply indicate an overwhelming force.

Verse 28

11:28 even more blessed: Jesus again affirmed that our spiritual life and our relationship with God are more important than physical ancestry and family relationships (cp. 8:21).

Verse 29

11:29-30 The sign of Jonah could refer to the resurrection; Jonah’s time in the fish was a sign to the Ninevites that God had sent him, like Jesus’ time in the grave (see Matt 12:40). It could simply mean that Jonah and Jesus both preached God’s warning to repent (see Luke 11:32).

Verse 31

11:31 Sheba was a kingdom in southern Arabia. The queen traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kgs 10:1-13; 2 Chr 9:1-12).

Verse 33

11:33 No one lights a lamp and then hides it: See study note on 8:16-17.

Verse 35

11:35-36 Light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil (John 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; Acts 26:18; Rom 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; 1 Thes 5:5; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Jn 1:5; 2:8-9).

Verse 37

11:37 one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal: See study note on 7:36.

Verse 38

11:38 the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom: The Pharisees had developed elaborate washing rituals to ensure ceremonial purity (see Mark 7:1-5).

Verse 39

11:39 The Pharisees had meticulous rules for ceremonially cleaning cups and utensils for religious purity. Jesus accused them of cleaning only the outside of the cup (following external rules) but leaving the inside . . . filthy (keeping unrighteousness in their hearts).

Verse 41

11:41 by giving gifts to the poor: Acts of love reveal internal righteousness.

Verse 42

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

11:42 tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens: Tithing was required by the law (Lev 27:30-33; Num 18:21-32; Deut 14:22-29; 2 Chr 31:5-12). The Pharisees were meticulous in making sure that everything was properly tithed, but they ignored the more important issues—justice and the love of God.

Verse 43

11:43 The elders of the synagogues had special seats of honor. • The respectful greetings were honorable ways of addressing social and religious superiors (like addressing a judge as “your honor”).

Verse 44

11:44 hidden graves in a field: Touching a grave or a dead body rendered a Jew ceremonially unclean. Jesus accused the religious leaders of being a defiling influence rather than a purifying one. This was a strongly offensive accusation (11:45).

Verse 45

11:45 an expert in religious law: The experts in religious law were closely aligned with the Pharisees and shared the same zeal for keeping the law of Moses.

Verse 46

11:46 unbearable religious demands: This refers to the oral tradition with all its intricate details on living according to torah (God’s instruction in the books of Moses). The oral tradition placed a great burden upon the Jewish people.

Verse 48

11:48 They killed the prophets: See 1 Kgs 19:10, 14; Neh 9:26; Jer 2:30; 26:20-24. Luke portrays Jesus as “The Suffering Prophet” Luke 4:22-24.

Verse 49

11:49 The quotation is not explicitly from the Old Testament.

Verse 51

11:51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah: Abel’s murder by his brother Cain was the first murder recorded in the Old Testament (Gen 4:8). The stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada (2 Chr 24:20-22) was the last, since Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew Bible.

Verse 52

11:52 the key to knowledge: See Matt 16:19; 23:13.