Day 29 Lent 2023
Luke writes like I do. By that, I mean he is long-winded. This is another long chapter that starts with the version of the Lord's Prayer in Luke. I'm using the King James for this because I like it better than the NASB version, but there's also a difference this version highlights I want to talk about.
1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3Give us day by day our daily bread.
4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:1–4 (KJV 1900)
Verse four, "And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." The version taught in Methodist churches and elsewhere is the forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Matthew is the more familiar version.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV 1900)
Matthew uses debts and debtors. Again, there is the idea that people who sin against us become "indebted" to us. I wonder what the Greek word is behind that?
The Greek words used are all three different. Luke uses a word that conveys duty, obligation, and moral failing, where he talks about us forgiving people indebted to us. Matthew's usage has its root word based on the word Luke used, while Luke's is based on the idea of gaining an advantage, profit, or accumulating a benefit. The way it is used in both instances, those offending us are negatively accruing with us, like borrowing money or goodwill. At some point, the ability to lend either money or our patience runs out.
In Luke's version of the Lord's prayer, he specifically uses "sin" as something we are asking forgiveness for ourselves. Matthew uses "debts" in the same chain of words that he and Luke use to forgive others.
5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7And 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.
Luke 11:5–7 (KJV 1900)
This is the kind of "borrowing" Jesus means. The kind of a friend accruing this sort of debt from a friend. Remember, we are neighbors, even the stranger; in this time, they had rules about hospitality. This sort of "borrowing" is valid even among those we don't know meaning people, not our friends, can end up "offending" or "sinning" against us, thus becoming our "debtors" or "indebted" to us as spoken in both Luke and Matthew's Lord's Prayer versions. The nice thing here is Jesus goes on to explain a little deeper.
8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luke 11:8 (KJV 1900)
8 "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
Luke 11:8 (NASB95)
There's a new word today, "importunity." I hate it when they use a word to define a word. Dictionary dot com uses "importunate" to define importunity. Here's the definition of importunate.
importunate
im-pawr-chuh-nit
adjective
urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so.
pertinacious, as solicitations or demands.
troublesome; annoying: importunate demands from the children for attention.
Jesus' says we would help our friend, not because he or she is our friend but because they won't go away unless we help them. I would like to think I'd help my friends not because they annoy me with their requests but because they are my friends. Jesus then relates the answering of the request back to prayer and God.
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.
11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?
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?"
Luke 11:9–13 (NASB95)
My immediate question is that I have several prayers God has never answered (at least not yet.) Does that mean this scripture is a lie or a contradiction? No. It means something about what I was asking for was out of place; the wrong time, thing, way, or against God and His ways. God answers prayers but only in a way consistent with His righteousness. He will never give us something that isn't in His plan for us or against His ways. We may not understand that at that time, or ever, but that's how it works from His perspective.
14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed.
15But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."
16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
Luke 11:14–16 (NASB95)
The point of saying, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul," is to make Jesus a devil or demon Himself. This does two things for the time. First, it removes the divinity of Christ, taking away all authority from anything He said. That means He couldn't claim to tell people what scripture meant, what God wanted His children to do, or correct people behaving badly. Second, it gave them license to ignore Jesus and persecute Him with a clear conscience.
17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.
18 "If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.
20 "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 11:17–20 (NASB95)
I don't fully understand the line about sons casting them out etc. However, Jesus uses this statement to confound His detractors. His point is that people have two choices about Jesus; He is either from God, or He is not from God. If they believe He is not from God, then the sons get to be their judges, and everyone knows how people act, fallen, and make mistakes. However, if Jesus is who He says He is, then the Kingdom of God is at hand, and He is worthy of being listened to. As I typed this out, I sort of explained the sons passage to myself. I hope it was helpful. Jesus goes on to put weight behind the idea that He is from God.
21 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.
22 "But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.
23 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
Luke 11:21–23 (NASB95)
Jesus removes all doubt as to His position. You are either with Jesus or against Jesus. There is no middle ground. I say this all the time in class. You cannot be a fence sitter. If you haven't sided with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, you are, by definition working for Team Satan. It is harsh but true and real.
24 "When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'
Luke 11:24 (NASB95)
If you've ever battled an addiction to food, drugs, alcohol, pornography, online gaming, or anything else that takes over your life, you understand this verse once you've beaten it. Like a smoker who craves a cigarette when quitting, that "unclean spirit" seeks to return to the only home it knew, and we must resist its return. Beating a bad habit, sticking to a diet, and struggling through abstinence of any kind is fighting off that returning of that unclean spirit into our lives.
Why resist the return? Why struggle and fight when it is so very, very hard and takes so much sacrifice? Jesus explains why.
25 "And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
26 "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
Luke 11:25–26 (NASB95)
"…and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." Things get so much worse, harder, and broken when we backslide into the thing we managed to defeat and eject from our lives. Remember how it was with the first thing before removing it? It will be far, far worse, letting it back in. Don't do it.
27While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Luke 11:27–28 (NASB95)
The Bible is the Word of God. When we read it, God speaks into our souls through the Holy Spirit. He who has ears, let him hear.
29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.
30 "For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
Luke 11:29–30 (NASB95)
What happened to Jonah? He was swallowed by a great fish and spent three days and nights in the darkness of his belly. This is symbology for the death and resurrection of Jesus who will spend three days and nights in the darkness of the tomb before returning as the glorified and risen Savior. That resurrection is the only sign the people of that time and ours will get.
31 "The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
32 "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:31–32 (NASB95)
The "Queen of the South" is Sheba. She came to see Solomon to test his wisdom. We all know Solomon was very wise, and she came away with that impression. Jonah going to Nineveh demonstrated God's wisdom, and the Ninivites turned to God because of it. At the end of each verse, Jesus mentions these two well-known events centered around intelligent wisdom to highlight the final things He says, "…something greater than Solomon is here.” "…something greater than Jonah is here." Jesus means Himself. He is here, and His wisdom is greater than Solomon and Jonah's.
33 "No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
34 "The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
Luke 11:33–34 (NASB95)
Jesus' statement is fairly self-explanatory. A light is lit to help others see. Jesus is light. He does not intend to be hidden. Neither does He intend those who follow Him to be hidden. Remember above where Christ tells us there are only two camps, Team Jesus and Team Satan. Verse thirty-four gives us that same two-camp decision but with a question implied. What do you set your eyes upon, and is it clear or dark, Jesus or Satan?
Shameless plug time. This next verse spawned a book I wrote. I will link to that book that explains this simple verse in detail.
35 "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.
Luke 11:35 (NASB95)
"How can light in me be darkness? I don't understand." That was the question asked in class that spawned the book What We Put in Darkness. The book is available on Amazon HERE. I am producing a series of informal videos exclusively for Patreon members who subscribe, diving into the notes I took to write that book. If you're interested in that series of videos, you can join the Patreon group either HERE or using the button at the end of this or any other post on Substack.
36 "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."
Luke 11:36 (NASB95)
Fairly self-explanatory again. This is why we should be ready to change when the Bible and the Holy Spirit illuminate something we must work on. Change is hard, but it is good, and we should be working to become closer to God our entire lives.
37Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.
38When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
39But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.
40 "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
Luke 11:37–40 (NASB95)
The Pharisees instituted a lot of ritual cleansings based on the Old Testament. The argument has been made that they overtook the intent and purpose of God's Law with Man's desire to exercise power over other men. Christ used this opportunity to highlight that abuse of power. Jesus' point about the inside of the cup centered around the Pharisee's purpose of controlling people rather than ministering to their holiness. Verse forty points out that God made both the intent and the action meaning that there is no separating what is seen, the act of ritual cleaning people see from the motivation behind it, and God's desire for people to grow closer to Him.
41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.
42 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
Luke 11:41–42 (NASB95)
"…give that which is within as charity…" intentions, purpose, what we mean. Our motivations should be toward God, and the rest comes of its own accord. Unfortunately, the Pharisees do things to be seen as holy rather than from holy motives. Their goal was for people to perceive them as good so that they could do whatever they wanted in private. This level of legalism is not pleasing to God. Verse forty-two connects both back to each other, though. Let us not think that as long as we have good intentions, we don't have to change or succeed in our outward efforts. The Pharisees messed it up in one direction. We should ensure we don't mess it up in reverse, "…but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." Do both.
43 "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.
44 "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."
Luke 11:43–44 (NASB95)
Jesus calls them out. The Pharisees love prideful recognition that everyone can see, but they miss the point. They are dead inside where no one can see, and people come to them for help, thinking they are the people who can help them grow closer to God. They are hiding a deadly secret that Jesus exposes at this dinner in the house of a Pharisee.
45One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."
Luke 11:45 (NASB95)
The lawyers were legal professionals who would argue points of the Law before judges. These laws were from the Old Testament that we read today. These lawyers were what we might call Old Testament Scholars today, but they were lawyers because when someone's ox got loose and rambled into your field, you had recourse against the other person. These lawyers helped you get what the Old Testament Law said you deserved. Jesus' short answer is, and I'm paraphrasing, "yeah, you guys too!" Here's what Jesus actually said.
46But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
Luke 11:46 (NASB95)
Jesus then explains why the lawyers are just as guilty as the Pharisees.
47 "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 "So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,
50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.'
52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering."
Luke 11:47–52 (NASB95)
Prophets typically brought messages from God that hinged on repentance, change, and doing things differently than the way the people were doing things. Usually, people didn't want to hear this message of change because they were comfortable with what they were doing. The lawyers are guilty here because they've made understanding the "Law" difficult, so an average person needed a lawyer to successfully navigate the law, much as we do today. In so doing, the lawyers made themselves more important to the people than the word of God contained in the Law. This is very bad. The law was given for the people to know how to grow closer to God by treating each other as God would want them treated. When the lawyers insert themselves between the people and the word of God, they become more important than that word, and that was never God's intention.
53When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
54plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.
Luke 11:53–54 (NASB95)
Thus the Pharisees and the Lawyers saw a way they could appear to remain clean and righteous while still getting rid of Jesus. They figured if Jesus spoke on enough things, they would eventually find something to trip Him up with and condemn Him. They didn't understand who He was and that He held a perfect understanding of the Law, the Word of God, and all of creation.