Luke 11

Luke’s Good News

Luke

Hilda Bright

Chapter 11

Jesus teaches about prayer 11:1-13

1 The prayer that Jesus taught 11:1-4

v1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his *disciples spoke to him. ‘*Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his *disciples’.

v2 Jesus replied, ‘When you pray, say this: “Father, may people respect your name and keep it holy. May your *kingdom come. v3 Give us each day the food that we need. v4 Forgive us our *sins, because we forgive everyone who does wrong things to us. Keep us from tests that are too hard” ’.

Jesus gave the *disciples a prayer to use. There is a longer record of it in Matthew 6:9-13. Matthew writes that Jesus said, ‘Pray like this’. Therefore, it is a model for other prayers as well.

The first three parts put God first. The next three parts speak of what people need. These prayers ask God to do three things:

• to provide what we need for the present time,

• to forgive us for what we have done wrong in the past,

• to guide us in the future.

Verse 1 Jesus wanted the *disciples to talk to God as ‘Father’. Christians are members of God’s family. The word ‘Father’ reminds them that they have a relationship with him. They love and trust him.

Verse 2 ‘May we respect your name and keep it holy’. We should not use the name ‘God’ in a negative way. But Jesus meant more than this. In *Hebrew, the ‘name’ of someone means his or her whole character. *Disciples should give honour to God. Then they should help other people to understand God’s character. They should not do or say anything that would give people a wrong impression of God.

‘May your *kingdom come’. This prayer asks that more and more people will accept Jesus as their king. When God’s *kingdom is complete, *Satan’s power will end. *Disciples help God’s *kingdom to grow.

Verse 3 People depend on God for food. Jesus wants his *disciples to pray for their food each day. They should remember how God gave the *Israelites their food (‘manna’) each day in the desert (Exodus 16). They should not worry about the future. The word ‘us’ reminds people that they are part of a great family. Their demands must not be selfish. *Spiritual food is important too. People need to learn more and more about God and his purpose Then their *spiritual life will be healthy.

Verse 4 *Sin separates every person from God, who is holy. Therefore, we need God to forgive us. A person should forgive other people. If they do not, then God will not forgive them.

*Satan tries to lead people to do wrong things. God does not try to make anyone do anything wrong. God’s *disciples ask him to help them to avoid difficult situations. Some situations might be too hard a test for their *faith.

2. The *parable of the friend at midnight 11:5-8

v5 Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘Suppose that you go to a friend’s house at midnight. You say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves. v6 A friend of mine is on a journey and he has just arrived. But I have no food for him”. v7 And your friend will answer from inside his house, “Do not bother me! I have shut the door. My children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything”. v8 I tell you this. He will not get up and give you anything because you are his friend. But he will give you whatever you need because you keep on asking’.

Verse 5 The visitor arrived at midnight. He had travelled later in the day when it was cooler. He avoided the heat at midday. This was a common practice. Three small loaves would be enough food for this guest.

Verse 7 The man in the house and his family would be sleeping together on mats on a platform. The animals would be on the floor near the door. He would wake them all, if he got up.

Verse 8 The man got up at last. He did not want the man at the door to continue to bother him. God is different. He is always ready and willing to listen to his children’s prayers. He will answer them when they make their requests. The *parable encourages *disciples to continue to pray and not to give up.

3. The promise 11:9-13

v9 ‘So I tell you. Go on asking for what you need. You will receive it. Go on asking, and you will obtain it. Go on knocking, and God will open the door to you. v10 For everyone who asks will receive. He who looks for something will find it. God will open the door to anyone who knocks. v11 No fathers among you would give your son a snake, when he asks for a fish. v12 Neither would you give him a *scorpion, when he asks for an egg. v13 You are not perfect. But you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven will certainly give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

Verses 11-12 A *fisherman sometimes found a water snake in his net. When a *scorpion rolled itself up, it was like the shape of an egg.

Verse 13 Human fathers can do wrong. But they would not give their children anything that would hurt them. God, the Father in heaven, has no *sin. He has knows perfectly what is best for his children. He has perfect power to supply it. Therefore, he can be far more generous than a human father can. Luke says that God will give the Holy Spirit. He is the best gift, from whom everything good comes.

God’s *kingdom and *Satan’s *kingdom 11:14-23

v14 Jesus was forcing out a *demon that made a man dumb. When the *demon left, the man began to speak. That astonished everybody. v15 But some of the people said, ‘He forces out *demons by the power of Beelzebul, the chief of the *demons’. v16 Other people wanted to test Jesus. They asked him for evidence from heaven. They wanted him to prove that God was giving him his authority. v17 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, ‘When people fight each other in a *kingdom, they will ruin it. If a family fights, it will break up. v18 So if *Satan fights against himself, how can his *kingdom last? You say that Beelzebul gives me the power to force out *demons. v19 If this is true for me, how do your *followers force them out? Your own *followers prove that you are wrong!

v20 But it is by the ‘finger of God’ that I force out *demons. This proves that God’s *kingdom has already arrived among you. v21 A strong man, with arms to protect him, guards his house. His possessions are safe. v22 But when a stronger man attacks, he overcomes him. He carries away the arms that protected the owner. The stronger man shares what he steals with other people. v23 Whoever is not for me, is against me. Anyone who does not gather people to me, scatters them’.

Verse 15 Matthew 12:24 tells us that the people who said this were *Pharisees. Beelzebul was a foreign god. The *Jews identified Beelzebul with *Satan, the chief of the *demons.

Verse 17 Jesus proved that they were speaking nonsense. It was stupid to think that *Satan would destroy his own *kingdom.

Verse 19 He asked about other people who forced out *demons. If Jesus was using *Satan’s power, were they working with *Satan as well?

Verse 20 ‘The finger of God’ means God’s power. This phrase is in Exodus 8:19. Jesus was showing God’s power as he made people well in their body and their mind. That meant that God’s *kingdom had arrived in Jesus.

Verse 21 Jesus speaks of *Satan as a strong man. He controlled people, until Jesus came to overcome him. Jesus had begun to defeat *Satan, as he forced out *Satan’s *demons.

Verse 23 People cannot refuse to take sides in the war against evil. Anyone who is not on Jesus’ side is against him. Such a person is like a bad *shepherd. He scatters sheep instead of bringing them together.

The *unclean spirit 11:24-26

v24 ‘When the *unclean spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert. It looks for a place to rest. If it cannot find a place, it decides to go back to the house from which it came. v25 So it goes back. It finds the house clean and with everything in order. v26 Then it goes out and brings seven *demons more wicked than itself. They come and live there. That person ends in a worse state than before’.

Verse 24 People thought that evil (or *unclean) spirits lived in the desert. Very few people live in deserts. So, the evil spirit could not find anyone.

Verses 25-26 Suppose that somebody clears a garden of weeds. That garden will become even more full of weeds, unless flowers replace the weeds. It is not enough to drive away evil thoughts and habits. Many people give up their *sins, but do not ask God into their lives to guide them. Good thoughts and habits must replace wrong ones. Evil will return unless people protect themselves. The ‘house’ is a person’s life. He or she must have God inside their life. When the Holy Spirit lives inside a person, evil cannot get in.

The woman’s *blessing 11:27-28

v27 When Jesus had said this, a woman in the crowd called out to him, ‘How happy is the woman who brought you into the world and fed you!’ v28 But Jesus answered, ‘Happy people are those people who hear the word of God and obey it!’

Verse 27 The woman’s remark may have been in a moment of emotion. But what she said about the mother of Jesus was true. Elizabeth had *blessed Mary (Luke 1:42). Mary herself said that people would call her one whom God had *blessed. When the woman praised Jesus’ mother she was also praising Jesus.

Verse 28 Jesus showed that it was not enough to praise him in this way. When people obey God’s message it brings real happiness.

The evidence of Jonah and of the Queen of Sheba 11:29-32

v29 The crowds were increasing. Jesus said, ‘The people who are living now are evil! They ask for evidence. But the only evidence that they will get is the evidence of Jonah. v30 The *prophet Jonah became evidence to the people of Nineveh. In the same way, the *Son of Man will be evidence to the people of this time.

v31 On the day of judgement, the queen of the south will be a witness against the people of this age. She travelled all the way from her country to listen to the wisdom of King Solomon. I tell you, there is something more important than Solomon here! v32 On the day of judgement, the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you. They turned from their *sins when they heard Jonah’s message. I tell you, there is something here more important than Jonah’.

Verse 29 Some people had asked for evidence, so that Jesus could prove where his authority came from.

Verse 30 Jonah was a *prophet who gave God’s message to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. He warned the people that they must change their behaviour. If they did not, then God would destroy their city (Jonah 3:4). Jonah spent three days in a great fish (Jonah 1:17). This was the evidence of Jesus’ *resurrection after three days (Matthew 12:38-40).

Verse 31 ‘The queen of the south’ was the queen of Sheba. She came from the Yemen in south Arabia. She made a long and difficult journey to listen to the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-10). Jesus was actually present there among the *Jews. She had only heard reports about Solomon. Jesus himself had invited the *Jews to follow him. The *kingdom which had come was more important than the wisdom of Solomon. On judgement day, the queen of Sheba will show that the *Jews were guilty. They did not believe in Jesus.

Verse 32 The people of Nineveh will also declare that the *Jews are guilty. They had changed their behaviour, when Jonah gave them God’s warning (Jonah 3). But the *Jews of Jesus’ time refused to believe Jesus’ message. The news about God’s *kingdom that Jesus brought was more important than Jonah’s message.

Light and darkness 11:33-36

v33 ‘Nobody lights a lamp and hides it somewhere or puts it under a pot. Instead, he stands it on a table. The people who come into the house can see the light. v34 Your eye is like a lamp for the body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body is full of light. When your eyes are no good, your whole body is full of darkness. v35 Make sure, then, that you have light in you, and not darkness.

v36 If your whole body is full of light, with no part dark, it will be completely bright. It will be like having a lamp to give you light’.

Verse 33 The *Jews had ‘hidden’ what they knew of God’s truth. They had failed to give the ‘light’ of truth to other people.

Verse 34 With a healthy eye, people can see what they are doing. If the eye has a disease, then the body is ‘full of darkness’. That person will be unable to do anything in the right way. The *Jews demanded evidence. Their *spiritual sight was not healthy. They were in darkness because they refused to accept Jesus.

Verse 35 Jesus warned each person who was listening. People must be careful not to lose what they know about God, that is, their ‘light’. Then they would be in the complete darkness of evil. The people who allow God’s truth to give them *spiritual sight will be able to show the truth to other people. They will be like a lamp that shines in the darkness.

Jesus and the *Pharisees 11:37-41

v37 When Jesus finished speaking, a *Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So, Jesus went in and sat by the table. v38 Jesus surprised the *Pharisee because he did not wash before he ate. v39 So the *Lord said to him, ‘You *Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and plate. But, on the inside, you are greedy and evil. v40 You fools, God made both the outside and the inside. v41 Give what you have to the poor. Then all that you have will be clean’.

Verse 38 The *Pharisee was surprised because Jesus did not wash his hands. This was not to remove dirt. It was a ceremony. It showed that a person was pure after he had been in the world outside. They had to pour the right amount of water over their hands and arms in a special way. Jesus might have touched a *Gentile or one of his possessions. This would have made Jesus ‘*unclean’.

Verse 39 Jesus said that it was foolish to wash the outside of cups and dishes and leave the inside dirty. The *Pharisees were as foolish. They worried about their outside washing ceremonies, but inside they were greedy and wicked. God wanted their *souls to be clean as well as their pots.

Verse 41 They should be generous and help poor people. Then all that they did would please God.

Three *warnings to the *Pharisees 11:42-44

1. They gave *tithes 11:42

v42 ‘How terrible for you *Pharisees! You give to God one tenth of small plants that flavour food. But you neglect to be fair and to love God. These things you ought to have done, but you should do the other things as well’.

Verse 42 The *Jewish law asked for a tenth of the harvest of oil, grain and *wine (Deuteronomy 14:22). This tenth part was a ‘*tithe’. These *tithes paid the *Levites (Numbers 18:21). The *Pharisees were very careful to give a tenth of even small plants that flavoured food. The law did not ask for these. But the Pharisees failed in much more important matters. They were not fair to other people. They did not obey the *commandment to love God.

2. They desired honour 11:43

v43 ‘How terrible for you *Pharisees! You love the best seats in the *synagogues. You like people in the market to respect you as they greet you’.

Verse 43 In the *synagogue there were seats for important people. These seats were in front of the cupboard that contained the holy books. The *Pharisees loved to sit in these seats, because everyone was able to see them. When they were walking in public, they liked people to show their respect for them as good, important *Jews.

3. The *Pharisees’ evil effect 11:44

v44 ‘How terrible for you Pharisees! You are like graves that people fail to see. People walk on them without knowing it’.

Verse 44 The *Jews usually painted graves white so that people did not walk on them. If a person walked on a grave by accident they became ‘*unclean’ for a week. Such people could not join in any acts of *worship (Numbers 19:16).

The *Pharisees were like graves that people had not noticed. People were not aware of the bad effect that the *Pharisees had on them. The *Pharisees’ behaviour appeared to be holy. But people who listened to what they taught were becoming ‘*unclean’. That is, they were learning wrong ideas about God.

Three *warnings to the experts in the law of Moses 11:45-54

v45 An expert in the law of Moses said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, when you say such things, you insult us as well’.

Verse 45 The experts in the law of Moses belonged to the same *religious party as the *Pharisees.

1 Their rules 11:46

v46 Jesus answered, ‘How terrible also for you, teachers of the law! You put heavy loads on people. But you *yourselves do not do anything to help them’.

Verse 46 The experts in the law had hundreds of rules about how to keep God’s law. There were so many rules that ordinary people found it impossible to obey them. The rules were like great weights on people’s backs. The experts in the law, however, found clever ways to avoid their own rules. For example, they said that a person must walk only a short distance from home on the *Sabbath. But if someone tied something across the end of his street, he could call the end of the street his ‘home’. He could then walk the distance from there. They told other people what to do. But they did not even keep the rules that they themselves made up.

2 Their attitude to the *prophets 11:47-51

v47 ‘How terrible for you! You make splendid *tombs for the *prophets, the *prophets that your *ancestors murdered. v48 Your actions show that you approve of what your *ancestors did. They murdered the *prophets and you build their *tombs. v49 Therefore God in his wisdom said, “I will send them *prophets and *apostles. They will kill some of them and hurt some of them”. v50 So God will punish the people of this time. They are responsible for the murder of all the *prophets since the beginning of the world. v51 That is, from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah. He died between the *altar and the Holy Place in the *Temple. Yes, I tell you, God will punish the people of this time for them all’.

Verse 47 The experts in the law pretended to honour the *prophets of the past. They built their *tombs. This could mean that they built them again or made them more splendid.

Verse 48 The experts in the law of Moses and *Pharisees had the same attitude as their *ancestors. They would kill a living *prophet. Jesus meant that they would kill him.

Verses 50-51 The *Jews of Jesus’ time would be responsible for all the murders in *Jewish history. This was from the time of the first murder, when Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). The last was that of the *prophet Zechariah. The people killed him in the *Temple court, on the king’s orders (2 Chronicles 24:22). Genesis is the first book and Chronicles is the last book in the *Hebrew *Old Testament.

3 God’s Word 11:52

v52 ‘How terrible for you, teachers of the Law! You have taken away the key that opens the door to knowledge. You *yourselves will not go in. You stop those who are trying to go in’.

Verse 52 The lawyers had made the word of God very difficult for ordinary people to understand. They should have explained what the law meant. Then people would know what God wanted. Instead, they had made the law complicated. This prevented anyone from learning the truth. They did not obey God themselves. They also stopped other people who were trying to obey him.

4 The result of Jesus’ *warnings 11:53-54

v53 When he went away from there, the teachers of the Law and the *Pharisees became extremely angry. They made fierce attacks on Jesus as they asked him about many subjects. v54 They were trying to lay traps for him. They wanted to catch him as he said something wrong.

Verses 53 -54 The *Pharisees were so angry that they wanted to get Jesus into serious trouble. They were like men who were waiting to catch a wild animal. They were hoping to make Jesus say something wrong. Then they could accuse him because he did not keep the law of Moses.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words)

disciple ~ one who follows another and learns from him; a person who believes in Jesus; a person who follows the things that he teaches.
Lord ~ name for God in the Bible; name that we use for Jesus when we obey him.
kingdom ~ land that a king rules.'sin/sinner ~ when people do things against God or other people.
Hebrew ~ language of the Jews and of the *Old Testament.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
disciple ~ one who follows another and learns from him; a person who believes in Jesus; a person who follows the things that he teaches.
Satan ~ chief evil spirit; the Devil.'Israel, Israelites ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
spiritual ~ belonging to the spirit.
spirit ~ the part of a person which is alive, which we cannot see. It can speak to other spirits and the soul.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see, that is in us during our life on earth. It continues to live after the body dies.
spiritual ~ belonging to the spirit.
spirit ~ the part of a person which is alive, which we cannot see. It can speak to other spirits and the soul.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see, that is in us during our life on earth. It continues to live after the body dies.'sin/sinner ~ when people do things against God or other people.
faith ~ trust.
parable ~ a story with a moral meaning.
scorpion ~ a dangerous insect that stings.
fisherman ~ someone who fishes.
demons ~ bad or evil spirits. They work for Satan, the chief demon.
Satan ~ chief evil spirit; the Devil.
follower ~ person who follows a leader.
Pharisees ~ group of Jews who were very strict about the law of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
shepherd ~ one who cares for sheep.
unclean ~ (1) not pure in a religious meaning. (2) dirty.
religious ~ leaders belonging to a religion.'bless, blessing ~ to say or to do much good to a person; to call something holy; to ask God for good things to happen; to guard and to keep from evil things.'bless, blessing ~ to say or to do much good to a person; to call something holy; to ask God for good things to happen; to guard and to keep from evil things.
prophet ~ one who tells God’s messages.'Son of Man ~ special name that Jesus used of himself.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see, that is in us during our life on earth. It continues to live after the body dies.
warning ~ when we warn someone. We say that we are giving them a warning.
tithe ~ one tenth. The Jewish law said that the people must give a tenth of the harvest of oil, grain and wine to God. This tenth part was a ‘tithe’.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
wine ~ a drink made from grapes.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
grape ~ fruit of vine.
vine ~ plant that produces grapes.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
wine ~ a drink made from grapes.
grape ~ fruit of vine.
vine ~ plant that produces grapes.
Levite ~ priest’s helper in the Temple.
priest ~ a man that gave gifts and burned animals as a sacrifice to God for the Jews; a man that God chose to serve him.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped God.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins; or to thank him for something.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.
commandment ~ a rule that God gave.
synagogue ~ a building where Jews gather to pray and to study the *Old Testament.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.
religious ~ leaders belonging to a religion.
yourselves ~ more than one ‘yourself’.
Sabbath ~ day of rest when people should not work (Saturday for Jews).
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
tomb ~ cave in side of a hill for a grave.
ancestors ~ any persons from whom the families of your father or mother come.
apostle ~ one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his special helpers.
altar ~ a table in the temple on which people make offerings to God.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped God.
offering ~ a gift to please God.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus

Jesus on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-19

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 11

Jesus teaches us how to pray – Luke 11:1-13

v1 One day Jesus prayed in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his *disciples said to him, ‘*Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us like John taught his *disciples.’

v2 Jesus told them, ‘This is how you should pray. “Father, your name is holy. Let your *kingdom come. v3 Give to us each day the bread that we need. v4 Forgive us our *sins. We forgive everyone who has done wrong deeds to us. Do not allow anyone to *tempt us.” ’

v5 Then Jesus said to them, ‘One of you may have a friend, to whom you go at midnight. You say to this friend, “Lend me three loaves of bread. v6 A friend of mine has come on a journey to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat.” v7 Your friend inside the house may answer, “Do not bother me. I have locked the door and my children are in bed with me. I cannot get up to give anything to you.” v8 I tell you that he may not want to get up. He may not want to give you bread because you are his friend. But if you continue to ask, he will get up. He will give to you as much as you need.

v9 So, I tell you to ask and you will receive. Search and you will find. Knock and the door will open for you. v10 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And to everyone who knocks, the door will open.

v11 You fathers, if your son asks for a fish, you would not give to him a snake instead. v12 If your son asks for an egg, you would not give to him a *scorpion. v13 Although you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. But your Father in heaven is even more ready to give the *Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.’

Verses 1-4 Luke often records that Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed at his *baptism (Luke 3:21). He often went alone to pray or he prayed with his *disciples (Luke 5:16; Luke 9:18). He prayed all night before he chose the *apostles (Luke 6:12). And he prayed on the mountain when Moses and Elijah came to him (Luke 9:29).

Leaders of religion often taught their *disciples how to pray. John the *Baptist had taught his *disciples. One of Jesus’ *disciples saw how Jesus prayed. So, he asked Jesus to teach them.

Then Jesus gave to them this prayer. We know it as the *Lord’s prayer. This prayer is similar to the one in Matthew (Matthew 6:5-15). That prayer is a bit longer than the one in Luke. Probably Jesus taught the prayer in Matthew some time earlier than this occasion. Both prayers have the same arrangement.

This prayer is a model of how we ought to pray. It is not enough just to repeat the words. But when Christians pray together, we often say these words. In prayer, by *faith we talk to our God. This prayer is a pattern for our own prayers.

Jesus starts the prayer with ‘Father’. When we pray we call God our Father. This is true for all who believe in the *Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and by *faith, we become children of God.

The ‘name’ of God means God himself. It includes the whole character of God. God is holy. We praise God because of who he is. This is the proper attitude when we come to God in prayer. We praise him before we ask for anything. And our first request is for his *kingdom to come. In effect, we ask that he will rule as king in us and in the world. He is the *Lord and we are his servants.

Then there are three requests for us.

(1) The first request is for bread each day. We depend on God to provide for us. We ask God to supply all that we need for each day.

(2) The second request is that God would forgive us. First, we need to forgive those people who have done wrong deeds against us. We cannot expect God to forgive us if we do not forgive other people. But God does not forgive us because we forgive other people. He forgives us because he loves us. God can forgive us because Jesus died for our *sins. When we *repent of our *sins, God forgives us. But if we ask God to forgive us, we ought to forgive other people.

(3) God does not *tempt us (James 1:13). We should run away from the wrong deeds that *tempt us. But we are weak. So, we ask God to save us from all that *tempts us. In particular, we ask God to save us from the evil one, the devil.

Verses 5-8 Jesus tells a story to show that we should continue in prayer.

In the villages, each family would bake bread every day. By the evening, this particular family did not have any bread. A friend arrived in the middle of the night. The family did not expect this friend to come. But the host must feed this guest. In that society, people considered that to be an important duty. He could not then buy bread. So, the host went to the house of another friend to ask for three small loaves. But this other friend was in bed with his children. They all slept in one room. To get up would disturb the children. This friend would not get up even to help his friend. The man who needed the bread would not go away. He continued to ask for bread. So, in the end, the friend got up and gave him the loaves. He was ready to give more than the man had requested.

If we really want something from God, we will continue in prayer. God wants to answer our prayers. But he does not always answer immediately.

Verses 9-10 Jesus tells his *disciples to ask, to search and to knock. All three of these are continuous. Continue to ask. Continue to search and continue to knock. To each of these actions, there will be success. God will always hear true prayer. He will answer those prayers in the way that is best. The answer may be different from the request. Prayer must be in *faith and for the right purpose (James 1:5-8; James 4:3).

Verses 11-13 God is our Father in heaven. He is so much better than even the best human father. No human father would give a snake instead of a fish to his child. He would not give a *scorpion instead of an egg. An evil father knows how to give good gifts to his children. God is even more ready to give good things to his children.

God has promised to give the *Holy Spirit to his people when they ask him.

Jesus and the prince of *demons – Luke 11:14-28

v14 Jesus forced a *demon to leave a man. The *demon had made the man unable to talk. When the *demon had gone out, the man began to talk. And this event astonished the people. v15 But some of them said, ‘By Beelzebul, the prince of *demons, he forces *demons to leave people.’ v16 Other people wanted to test Jesus. So, they asked him to show them a *miracle from heaven.

v17 But Jesus knew their thoughts so he said to them, ‘A *kingdom that fights against itself will destroy itself. And a house that fights against itself will fall. v18 If *Satan fights against himself, his *kingdom will not continue. You say that I force out *demons by the power of Beelzebul. v19 If I force out *demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people force them out? So, your people will be your judges. v20 However, if by the finger of God I force out *demons, then the *kingdom of God has come to you.

v21 When a strong man, with his *weapons ready, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. v22 But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him. The stronger man will take away the *weapons that the strong man had trusted. Then he will divide with other people the *weapons that he has taken.

v23 Anyone who is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not gather with me, scatters.

v24 When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it travels through dry places. It looks for a place to rest but it will find no place to rest. Then it says, “I will return. I will go back to the house that I left.” v25 It comes back to the man. It finds him like a house that is clean and in order. v26 Then the spirit goes and it brings along 7 other spirits more evil than itself. They go in and live there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.’

v27 As Jesus said these things, a woman in the crowd called out loudly. ‘How happy is the mother who gave birth to you. How happy is she who fed you at her breasts.’

v28 He replied, ‘Yes. But rather, those people who hear and obey the word of God are happy.’

Verses 14-16 There was a man who was dumb because of a *demon in him. Jesus ordered the *demon to come out of the man. It came out and the man was able to speak. Nobody doubted that Jesus had done this *miracle. It astonished them. But they did not know the power by which Jesus had done it. Some of the people said that the power came from Beelzebul. Other people wanted to see evidence that the power was from heaven. They had not understood what this *miracle meant. It was evidence that Jesus was the *Christ. Jesus Christ had freed this man from the power of the *demon.

Beelzebul was the prince of *demons. The name probably comes from the name of a false god. It became another name for *Satan.

Verses 17-20 Jesus knew what was in the minds of the people. So he explained that it would not be reasonable for *Satan to force out *demons. If he did, he would defeat himself. *Satan tries to destroy what is good. He does not destroy what is evil.

There were *Jews who tried to force *demons to leave people. Jesus asked if they did it by the power of *Satan. The answer must be no. If they were able to free people from *demons, they could only do that by the power of God.

The ‘finger of God’ means the power of God. If Jesus forced out *demons by the finger of God then God’s *kingdom had come. In other words, Jesus’ success against *demons was evidence of God’s rule.

Verses 21-23 Jesus then told a story about a strong man. This man was ready to guard his house, in other words, his palace. The palace was safe until a stronger man came along. Then that stronger man defeated the man who was guarding his own palace.

*Satan was like the strong man who guarded his possessions. *Satan cannot stand against the power of God. *Satan has a strong grip on people. But when God’s *kingdom comes, it breaks that grip. The *Lord Jesus is that stronger man. By God’s power, he defeated *Satan.

People have to make a choice. Either they accept Jesus Christ or they refuse him. Either they are with him or they are against him.

Verses 24-26 Jesus had just sent a *demon (an evil spirit) out of a dumb man. This little story does not mean that the *demon will return to that man. Of course Christ did not make people free so that evil spirits could enter their lives again. But people have a choice whether they will serve God or not. In the story, the man chose not to allow God to rule his life. That wrong decision gave the *demon the opportunity to return to that man.

The evil spirit thinks of a person as its home. If it leaves that home, it will wander in dry places. People thought of dry deserts as the place where there were evil spirits. This evil spirit looks for a place of rest in the dry desert places. It does not find such a place of rest. So, it returns to the person that it calls its ‘house’.

Without the evil spirit, the person’s life had improved. When the evil spirit returns, he finds the person in a better state. But the person has not permitted God to rule his life. So that person is available for the evil spirit to come in again. The evil spirit finds 7 worse evil spirits. And they all make their home in the person. So, the person is in an even worse state than before.

In this story, the evil spirit had come out of the person. But it is not enough just to send an evil spirit away. There is an empty place in that person’s life; it is necessary to fill that empty place. But the person had not allowed God to rule his life; he had not allowed God’s *Holy Spirit to enter that place. So, he was open to the return of the evil spirit. When the *Holy Spirit rules a person’s life, no evil spirit can return.

Verses 27-28 The woman thought that it would be wonderful to be the mother of Jesus. She would be happy if her son was as great as him. His mother must be happy because God had *blessed her with such a son. That was true but Jesus spoke of something more important. The natural relationship with him is not so important. But God *blesses those people who have a right attitude to his word. They hear the word of God and they obey it.

A lesson from Jonah – Luke 11:29-32

v29 The crowds gathered round Jesus. He said to them, ‘The people who live today are evil. They look for *miracles as evidence of the truth. But the only evidence that they will get is the evidence of Jonah. v30 Jonah was evidence for the people who lived in Nineveh. Even so the Son of Man will be to the people of today. v31 The queen of the south will rise at the judgement with the men who live now. She will show that they are guilty. She travelled a very long way to hear Solomon's wisdom. Look! Someone very much greater than Solomon is here. v32 The men from Nineveh will rise at the judgement with those people who live now. They will show that the people of today are guilty. They *repented when Jonah *preached to them. Look! Someone very much greater then Jonah is here.’

Verses 29-32 The people had asked Jesus for evidence. They wanted him to show them *miracles from heaven (verse 16). As the crowd increased, Jesus replied to their request. Because the people of that time wanted such evidence, Jesus called them an evil people. They should trust God; they should not merely ask for *miracles. And Jesus would not do any *miracles in order to satisfy them. People have a duty to trust God whether or not they see his *miracles.

The story of Jonah will be evidence for them. As Jonah *preached to the people in Nineveh, so Jesus *preached to the people of his time. The people in Nineveh *repented and they turned to God. God was doing a greater work by means of Jesus than he did by means of Jonah. But most of the people to whom Jesus *preached did not *repent. They did not believe him and they did not accept him as the *Christ. At the time of the judgement, the people from Nineveh will show that these people are guilty.

Luke does not talk about the time that Jonah was in the big fish. Jonah was three days and three nights in the big fish (Jonah 1:17). So, the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the earth (Matthew 12:40). Jonah came out of the big fish as from death to life. So, Jesus would rise from death. That will be the proof that Jesus is the *Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus talks about the queen of the south. We know her as the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13). Sheba was probably the country that we now call Yemen. She heard of the wisdom of Solomon. From Sheba to Jerusalem was a long and difficult journey. But she came all that way to hear Solomon. God was showing more wisdom in Jesus than he did in Solomon. But the people of his day did not believe Jesus. At the time of the judgement, the queen of Sheba will show that the people of Jesus’ day are guilty.

The eye is as the lamp of the body – Luke 11:33-36

v33 ‘Nobody lights a lamp and then hides it. A person does not put a lamp under a bowl. He puts it on a lamp holder. Then those people who come in will see the light. v34 Your eye is as the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eyes are bad, your body is full of darkness. v35 So, be careful that the light in you is not darkness. v36 If your whole body is full of light, without any darkness, it will all be bright. It will be as if a lamp shines on you.’

Verses 33-36 The purpose of a lamp is to give light. The eye receives light for the body. Jesus calls the eye the ‘lamp of the body’. The body here means the person rather than just his body. When the eyes are good, the whole person gets the benefit of the light. If the eyes are not good, the person cannot see properly. It affects all that the person does.

Jesus uses the idea of light and darkness to mean what is good and evil. People can choose the right way to live, or they can choose an evil way. The good things in a person are like the light that shines. The bad things in a person are like the darkness.

We should take care that the light in us is good. In other words, we must always choose good things, and never evil things. We are responsible for the light or darkness that we receive. In other words, we are responsible for what we accept into our hearts and minds. We can be full of light and without darkness. In other words, we should obey God completely, because he is completely good. God’s word is like a bright light that shines into our lives (Psalms 119:105). It directs how we should live.

With the *Pharisees and experts in the law – Luke 11:37-54

v37 After Jesus had said this, a *Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So, Jesus went and he took his place at the table. v38 Jesus did not wash before the meal and this surprised the *Pharisee. v39 The *Lord said to him, ‘You *Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside you are thieves and you are full of evil things. v40 You foolish people, the one who made the outside also made the inside. v41 So, give what is inside to the poor people. Then everything will be clean for you.

v42 It will be terrible for you *Pharisees. You give to God a 10th of your *mint, *spices, and every garden *herb. But you neglect to do what is right. You neglect the love of God. You ought to have done these things and you should still have given the 10th to God.

v43 It will be terrible for you *Pharisees. You love the most important seats in the *synagogues. And you love it when people greet you in the markets.

v44 It will be terrible for you. You are like graves that people cannot see. People walk on them. But they do not know that the graves are there.’

v45 Then one of the experts in the law said to Jesus. ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too.’

v46 Jesus replied, ‘And you experts in the law, it will be terrible for you. You place a heavy load on the people. You make life difficult for them, but you do not help them. It is as if you do not touch their load with even one finger.

v47 It will be terrible for you. You built the graves in memory of the *prophets. But your *ancestors killed the *prophets. v48 So, you show that you approve of the deeds of your *ancestors. They killed the *prophets and you build their graves. v49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, “I will send them *prophets and *apostles. Some of these they will kill and some they will *persecute.” v50 So, the people who live now will be responsible for the blood of all the *prophets. They are responsible for the murder of all the *prophets since the start of the world. v51 This includes the blood of Abel. And it includes the blood of Zechariah. Zechariah’s murder was between the *altar and the holy place. Yes, I tell you that you people will be responsible for all of it.

v52 It will be terrible for you experts in the law. You took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter. And you have stopped other people who wanted to enter.’

v53 Jesus left there. The *Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. They began to oppose Jesus and they asked him many questions. v54 They waited to catch Jesus by means of something that he might say.

Verses 37-41 A *Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him. The *Jews had two main meals in a day. The first one was lunch. The other meal was dinner in the evening. Jesus accepted this invitation to lunch. He took his place at the table. When he came in, Jesus did not wash before the meal. The *Pharisees washed their hands in a special way before they ate. They poured water over their hands and half way up their arms. To them this was an important and necessary ceremony. It was not that Jesus had dirty hands. But Jesus did not wash them in the special way. Jesus could see that this surprised the *Pharisee.

Jesus then began to speak about the wrong ways that many people use religion. He spoke about the actions of the *Pharisees and the experts in the law to explain this. However, his words are also true about many kinds of wrong religion. Many *Pharisees genuinely wanted to serve God; Jesus was not speaking about them. He was speaking against those leaders of religion who make it difficult for people to obey God. Such leaders insist that people must follow unimportant rules. But they will not do what God wants them to do.

The *Pharisees had many rules that came from their traditions. But these rules were all about outer things like how they washed cups and dishes. It was possible to obey all their rules but still to be wicked. People who follow such rules may seem to be good persons when really they are thieves and full of evil things. In such a system of religion, what a person does is most important. But to God, it is much more important what a person is. In other words, God cares about our attitudes and thoughts, not just our actions.

The person who made the cup made both the outside and the inside. God made both our outer body and inner *soul.

When our inner *soul has a right relationship with God, God helps us to have right thoughts and attitudes. So we are clean on the inside. The result is that we will do good deeds. For example, we will give to the poor people.

Verses 42-44 Jesus warns severely here about the wrong behaviour of many of the *Pharisees. They tried so hard to appear to be good. But they failed to love God and to have *faith in him. When the *Lord comes as the judge, it will be terrible for them.

To give a 10th to God was part of the *Old Testament law (Leviticus 27:30). The *Pharisees had interpreted this law in unnecessary detail. It should be a joy to give to the *Lord. But they had made it a heavy duty. They were not wrong to give a 10th in this way. But they missed the more important parts of the law. The first command in the law was to love God. Love for God would cause them to love other people. This is what they should have done.

*Mint and *herbs are plants that people grow in their gardens. They use the leaves to give flavour to food.

Jesus often had to warn *Pharisees who wanted to be superior to other people. In the *synagogue, the most important seats were at the front. People who wanted to be important strongly desired these seats. In the market places, they wanted people to see them and to respect them. They were so proud of themselves. But God opposes people who have proud attitudes (Luke 1:51).

Jesus then says that they are like graves. These graves have no marks. People walk on these graves but they do not know it. To walk on a grave made a person unclean in their religion. So, Jesus meant that the effect of this wrong kind of religion was to lead people away from God.

Verses 45-46 Jesus spoke against the *Pharisees. But what he said referred to many of the experts in the law also. (That is, the experts in the laws and rules of religion.) One of them thought that Jesus’ words were an insult against them.

These experts in the law interpreted the *Old Testament rules. But they added many rules and traditions of their own to God’s commands. So, the many laws that they made were too much for people to obey. There were so many minor rules that an ordinary person could not know them all. The experts found ways to make it easier for themselves to follow all these rules. But they would not help the people.

When the *Lord comes as the judge, it will be terrible for these experts in the law.

Verses 47-51 These experts in the law, together with some other leaders of their religion, built graves for the *prophets. Their *ancestors had killed the *prophets. Now these men pretended to show honour to the *prophets. But they would not obey what the *prophets had taught them to do. So, they were behaving like their *ancestors. In effect, they approved of what their *ancestors had done. They built the graves. In this, they showed that they were guilty too. This would become even plainer in the near future. With the *Romans, they would cause the death of Jesus. And God would send other *apostles and *prophets. The same people who built graves to give honour to the *prophets, would *persecute the *apostles and *prophets. And they would kill some of them.

It was in the purpose of God to send *prophets and *apostles. He knew that people would refuse these, his servants. He knew that they would kill many of these *apostles and *prophets. So, the people of that day would be as guilty as their *ancestors were. The blame for the deaths of all the *prophets would fall on the people of that time. They had the same attitude as those people who killed the *prophets. So, they would share the same punishment.

Cain, the brother of Abel, murdered him (Genesis 4:8). Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Abel was the first to die in this way. The people under King Joash killed Zechariah in the area of the *Lord’s *temple. They threw stones at him until he died (2 Chronicles 24:21). This was the last incident of this nature that the *Old Testament records. (The two Books of Chronicles were one book in the *Hebrew Bible. And the Book of Chronicles was the last book in the *Hebrew Bible.)

Verse 52 In the day of judgement, it will be terrible for the experts in the law who had behaved in this wicked manner.

The purpose of a key is to lock or open a door. It was as if they had the key to the truth in the *Old Testament. They could have opened up the knowledge of God. In other words, they could have shown the people what God wanted. But they closed the door of the *Old Testament by their own rules and traditions. In other words, they had taken away the true meaning of God’s law. They did not obey God’s law. And by their rules and traditions, they stopped other people who wanted to know God.

They shut the *kingdom of heaven from the people. They did not go in themselves. And they stopped other people, so that those other people could not go in. (Matthew 23:13). In other words, they were making it difficult for other people to understand the *Old Testament. And the result was that those people could not have a right relationship with God.

Verses 53-54 Among the *Pharisees and experts in the law were many people who genuinely wanted to serve God. They would agree with what Jesus said. They did not approve of anyone who used religion to impress people or to control people.

However, many of the *Pharisees and the experts in the law became angry with Jesus. Jesus had explained clearly what was wrong with their behaviour, their attitudes and their use of religion. From now on, these men opposed Jesus. They wanted to find something with which they could accuse him. So, they asked him all kinds of difficult questions. They needed to defend their position with the people and to damage that of Jesus. The people had respected them but now the people were turning from them to Jesus.

disciple ~ a person who follows a leader, especially the 12 men that Jesus chose to be with him.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules. In the New Testament, this is nearly always the people over whom the king rules and not a territory on earth.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on earth.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
tempt ~ to persuade someone that they should do wrong things.
scorpion ~ A scorpion is an animal up to 4 inches (10 centimetres) in length. At the end of the tail is its sting. Its sting is extremely poisonous, and sometimes it can kill a person.'Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit whom Jesus sent to help his people. It is another name for God, also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ and the comforter. The Holy Spirit is a person but not human. He lives and works for God, he is God, equal with God the Father and with God the Son.
baptism ~ a ceremony that uses water to show that God has forgiven (washed away) a person’s sin. Jesus also used baptism as a word-picture for how he would suffer.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
apostle ~ someone whom God sends; especially one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Baptist ~ the title that we use for John, whom God sent to prepare people for the Christ’s arrival.
Christ ~ the Christ is the name for the person whom God would send to be the Saviour of his people. Jesus is the Christ and he was called Christ.
Saviour ~ a title for Jesus, who saves his people from their sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son.'repent / repentance ~ to change one’s mind and heart. To turn away from sin and turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
demons ~ evil angels that serve the devil.
angel ~ a special servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
miracle ~ a powerful deed that seems to be against the normal laws of nature. Miracles showed God’s power.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
weapon ~ a tool of war that people use to attack or to defend themselves.
Christ ~ the Christ is the name for the person whom God would send to be the Saviour of his people. Jesus is the Christ and he was called Christ.
Saviour ~ a title for Jesus, who saves his people from their sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
bless ~ to show kindness to someone.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who tried to obey all God’s rules. Many of them did not approve of Jesus.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the familie