Luke 11

Luke 11 is a chapter rich with teachings on prayer, spiritual authority, and wisdom. It begins with Jesus’ instruction on prayer, including the Lord's Prayer, and continues with parables, teachings on persistence in prayer, and the need for spiritual discernment. Jesus also addresses issues of hypocrisy and spiritual blindness, and He emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's Word. This chapter reveals Jesus’ heart for spiritual growth and clarity for His followers, showing how God responds to sincere prayer and calls for a life aligned with divine truth.

Luke 11:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

In response to the disciple’s request, Jesus provides a model for prayer that emphasizes a relationship with God as a Father and recognizes His holiness and authority. The prayer seeks God's will, provision, forgiveness, and protection. Jesus instructs them to pray for their daily needs, to be aware of their sins and the need to forgive others, and to seek God’s guidance away from temptation. This model encourages both reverence and personal dependence on God.

Luke 11:5-10 (NKJV)
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Here, Jesus uses the parable of a persistent friend to illustrate the importance of perseverance in prayer. Although the friend initially resists helping, he eventually responds because of persistence. This parable emphasizes that God, who is far more loving and willing to help, responds to the earnest prayers of His children. Jesus encourages active faith through asking, seeking, and knocking, promising that God will answer those who diligently pursue Him.

Luke 11:11-13 (NKJV)
11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Jesus compares human parents’ generosity to God’s, showing that if earthly parents give good gifts to their children, God will do even more for those who ask. This passage emphasizes God’s willingness to give, especially the gift of the Holy Spirit, to those who seek Him. It reassures believers of God’s goodness and His desire to fulfill their needs and prayers.

Luke 11:14-16 (NKJV)
14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

After Jesus casts out a demon, some skeptics accuse Him of using demonic power. Others demand a sign to prove His authority. These reactions highlight unbelief and skepticism, despite clear evidence of Jesus’ power. This passage reveals the hardness of heart among some, who refuse to recognize God’s work even when faced with undeniable proof.

Luke 11:17-23 (NKJV)
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”

Jesus addresses the accusation that He casts out demons by Satan’s power by pointing out the absurdity of Satan opposing his own forces. He emphasizes that His work is evidence of God’s kingdom advancing against evil. Jesus presents Himself as stronger than Satan, able to free people from bondage. This teaching also emphasizes loyalty to Christ; one is either aligned with Him or against Him.

Luke 11:24-26 (NKJV)
24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.
26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Jesus explains the danger of spiritual emptiness. When a demon is cast out but a person does not fill their life with God, they remain vulnerable to even greater spiritual harm. This teaching underscores the need for a transformed life and the continual presence of God to guard against the return of evil influences.

Luke 11:27-28 (NKJV)
27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

When a woman praises Jesus' mother, Jesus shifts the focus to emphasize that true blessedness comes from hearing and obeying God’s Word. Rather than focusing on biological relationships or external honors, Jesus highlights the importance of a heart aligned with God’s will. This teaching stresses obedience to God as the path to genuine blessing.

Luke 11:29-32 (NKJV)
29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
31 The queen of the South will rise up in 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 indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”

Jesus rebukes the crowd’s demand for a miraculous sign, declaring that they would only receive the “sign of Jonah.” Just as Jonah’s presence and preaching led the Ninevites to repentance, Jesus’ presence calls His generation to recognize and respond to God. He warns that figures like the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites, who responded to God, would condemn those who reject Him, stressing that He is greater than Jonah or Solomon.

Luke 11:33-36 (NKJV)
33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Jesus uses the metaphor of a lamp to illustrate the importance of spiritual vision. The eye, representing spiritual perception, determines whether one’s life is filled with light (understanding) or darkness (ignorance). He warns His followers to be vigilant in keeping their “light” pure, meaning they should seek to live in alignment with God’s truth. Those who let God’s light fill them will reflect His clarity and truth to others.

Luke 11:37-41 (NKJV)
37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.”

Jesus confronts the Pharisees’ focus on outward rituals like hand-washing while neglecting inner purity. He challenges them to prioritize inward transformation over external appearance. By emphasizing the need for genuine generosity and a heart aligned with God, Jesus teaches that true cleanliness is about one’s motives and actions, not merely outward conformity to tradition.

Luke 11:42-44 (NKJV)
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

Jesus pronounces three woes on the Pharisees, criticizing their focus on minute religious details like tithing herbs while neglecting central values like justice and love for God. He condemns their love for status and public recognition and likens them to hidden graves, which defile others unknowingly. Jesus’ words reveal the Pharisees’ hypocrisy and urge them to seek genuine spiritual integrity.

Luke 11:45-52 (NKJV)
45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”
46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Jesus extends His rebuke to the lawyers, who interpret the Law, for imposing burdens on people without helping them. He accuses them of hypocrisy, as they honor prophets whom their ancestors killed. By doing so, they continue a legacy of rejecting God’s messengers. Jesus declares that their generation will be held accountable for this rejection. He also accuses them of obstructing access to spiritual knowledge, preventing others from understanding God’s truth.

Luke 11:53-54 (NKJV)
53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things,
54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

The chapter concludes with the Pharisees and scribes reacting strongly to Jesus’ rebukes. Instead of repenting, they begin to oppose Him openly, attempting to trap Him in His words. Their response highlights their hardened hearts and unwillingness to accept correction. This closing passage shows the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders, foreshadowing the opposition He would face leading up to His crucifixion.