Lucas 11
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 11
Barclay - The very first word tells us that in prayer we are not coming to someone out of whom gifts have to be unwillingly extracted, but to a Father who delights to supply his children's needs. (Daily Study Bible) The fatherhood of God forms the foundation for this model prayer, and we as children are called to seek His face using the six (or seven) topical sentences Jesus presents in Mt 6:9-13. Father as a title for God was rarely used in the Old Testament (only 14 times) and always used with reference to the nation, not to individuals. Thus where "father" does occur with respect to God, it is commonly by way of analogy, and not used to directly address Him (Deut 32:6; Ps 103:13; Isa 63:16; Mal 2:10). Thus Jesus' teaching that kingdom citizens were to address God as Father must have surprised most of His audience. D A Carson says "There is no evidence of anyone before Jesus using this term to address God.” Mattoon adds "In the entire Old Testament, you will not find one individual speaking of God as Father." (Treasures from the Scriptures) Jesus Himself addressed God only as Father (some 60 times in the Gospels), never referring to Him by any other name! Virtually all of Jesus' prayers were addressed to God as Father (exception in Mt 27:46) God the Father - this phrase occurs 15x (and not once in OT): 1 Cor 8:6; Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11; Col 1:3; 3:17; 1Th 1:1; 2Th 1:2; 1Ti 1:2; 2Ti 1:2; Titus 1:4; 1Pet 1:2; 2Pet 1:17; 2 John 1:3; Jude 1:1. And thus the New Testament believer knows God as his Father, with even greater clarity than anything his Old Testament counterpart could have enjoyed. Thus it follows that his praying proceeds from a childlike trust, as expressed in the addressing of God as "Our Father". Joachim Jeremias, a respected German NT scholar wrote that the Aramaic word "Abba" was most likely the word Jesus used here when He spoke the words written in Greek in Mt 6:9. And from this premise, Jeremias argues that "in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus authorizes His disciples to repeat the word Abba after Him. He gives them a share in His sonship and empowers them, as His disciples, to speak with their heavenly Father in just such a familiar, trusting way as a child would with his father. (Borrow Joachim Jeremias, The Lord’s Prayer. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1980), Phillip Keller on Father - What an intimate, personal, family-like approach to God. What a reassuring, comfortable way in which to address the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Can it be that He, who is from everlasting to everlasting, the infinite One, really regards me as His child? Does He care enough to consider me His own son? This is a startling concept. It is unique. It stands as a brand new revelation of God, given to us with repeated emphasis and clarity by Christ. Prior to the time of Jesus, God was regarded as someone remote and august in His demeanor. He sat in the high and holy place, a stern Judge behind the hard, harsh bar of the Law. Only with fear and foreboding did any man dare to address himself to such a powerful potentate. All through the Old Testament account of God’s dealing with His people He is referred to as YAHWEH, the name which dared not be spoken for fear of offense. Fewer than seven times is He even referred to as a father, except indirectly and rather remotely. Yet in the first four gospels, Jesus, the Christ, casting aside all restraint, speaks of God as Father more than seventy times. It is a radical, new, and very exciting disclosure that God is our Father. Suddenly it puts man’s relationship to Him into an entirely new light. He moves from behind the bar of justice to come knocking on the door of our human hearts. He enters our lives to become a “Father to the fatherless.” The whole concept is replete with wonder and incredible love. It hardly seems possible that He who has been from everlasting to everlasting, the eternal, infinite God, should delight to have us call Him, “Our Father.” But not all of us can do this either easily or in sincerity. It is a frightening fact that for many people, the word father does not denote a dear one. It does not conjure up the thought of a happy home. Rather, to them it may well be a repulsive and abhorrent title. Many people have known only harsh, hard fathers. Their human father may have been a selfish, self-centered person who cared little for their well-being. He may have been a derelict, a drunkard, a dope addict, or some other distorted person who wrought havoc with their personalities in early childhood. (Borrow A layman looks at the Lord's prayer) Jesus Himself used Abba (Aramaic for "Father") in addressing God, a use without parallel in the whole of Jewish literature. The explanation by some of the early Church fathers (Chrysostom, Theodore, Theodoret) was that Abba was the word used by a young child addressing his or her father. It was an everyday family word, which no one had ventured to use in addressing God. And so Jesus uses it quite naturally to address His heavenly Father in as childlike, trustful, and intimate a way as a little child to its father. And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt." (Mark 14:36) Paul likewise mentions that because of our redemption and adoption into God's family, NT believers can address God as "Abba". For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:14-15) But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:4-6) R Kent
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Barclay on hallowed - The word which is translated hallowed is a part of the Greek verb hagiazo. The Greek verb hagiazo is connected with the adjective hagios, and means to treat a person or a thing as hagios. Hagios is the word which is usually translated holy; but the basic meaning of hagios is different or separate. A thing which is hagios is different from other things. A person who is hagios is separate from other people. So a temple is hagion (Greek #39) because it is different from other buildings. An altar is hagios because it exists for a purpose different from the purpose of ordinary things. God's day is hagios because it is different from other days. A priest is hagios because he is separate from other men. So, then, this petition means, "Let God's name be treated differently from all other names; let God's name be given a position which is absolutely unique." But there is something to add to this. In Hebrew the name does not mean simply the name by which a person is called-- John or James, or whatever the name may be. In Hebrew the name means the nature, the character, the personality of the person in so far as it is known or revealed to us. That becomes clear when we see how the Bible writers use the expression. The Psalmist says, "Those who know thy name put their trust in thee" (Ps 9:10). Quite clearly that does not mean that those who know that God is called Jehovah will trust in him. It means that those who know what God is like, those who know the nature and the character of God will put their trust in him. The Psalmist says, "Some boast of chariots and some of horses, but we boast of the name of the Lord our God" (Ps 20:7). Quite clearly that does not mean that in a time of difficulty the Psalmist will remember that God is called Jehovah. It means that at such a time some will put their trust in human and material aids and defenses, but the Psalmist will remember the nature and the character of God; he will remember what God is like, and that memory will give him confidence. So, then, let us take these two things and put them together. Hagiazo, which is translated to hallow, means to regard as different, to give a unique and special place to. The name is the nature, the character, the personality of the person in so far as it is known and revealed to us. Therefore, when we pray "Hallowed be Thy name," it means, "Enable us to give to thee the unique place which thy nature and character deserve and demand." (Matthew 6 - William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Name (3686) (onoma) is the proper name of a person or object. In our modern world, a name does not have the same significance as it did in antiquity. In both the Old and New Testament times "the name" concisely summed up all that a person is. One's whole character was implied by their name. And so it follows that the Names of God denote not just His title, but also include all that by which He makes Himself known and all that He shows Himself to be. In Biblical times a Name was a means of self-revelation. In the ancient world it was especially important to know the name of the deities in order to invoke their presence and obtain help from them. One of the most famous encounters is found in Exodus when Moses was confronted by God at the burning bush, and given a commission to deliver Israel from bondage. Moses argued with God, saying that no one would believe him. Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" And God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (Exodus 3:13-15) Kingdom (932) (basileia from basileus = a sovereign, king, monarch) denotes sovereignty, royal power and dominion. Most of the NT uses of basileia do not refer primarily to a geographical territory, the territory or people over whom a king rules. The Kingdom of God is the sphere in which God is acknowledged as King in the hearts of those giving Him loving obedience. This is the Kingdom in its present form (But see in depth discussion at basileia). In Luke 11:2 the petition is asking for the future Kingdom (and King) to come where "THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." (Mt 13:43+) Swindoll says basileia means "“kingdom,” “government,” “royal power” This term denotes the dominion of a lawful king, which the Greeks saw as something derived from Zeus. In the Old Testament, Israel was originally a theocracy, a nation whose king was God. Therefore, Israel was the kingdom of God. Even when a human sat on the throne of Israel, he derived his power from God. The Gospels depict the earth as the dominion of Satan or evil, a usurper to the rightful throne of God. Jesus came to reestablish divine rule (i.e., the kingdom of God). (Insights on Luke) Basileia in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:33; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 6:20; Lk. 7:28; Lk. 8:1; Lk. 8:10; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:27; Lk. 9:60; Lk. 9:62; Lk. 10:9; Lk. 10:11; Lk. 11:2; Lk. 11:17; Lk. 11:18; Lk. 11:20; Lk. 12:31; Lk. 12:32; Lk. 13:18; Lk. 13:20; Lk. 13:28; Lk. 13:29; Lk. 14:15; Lk. 16:16; Lk. 17:20; Lk. 17:21; Lk. 18:16; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 18:24; Lk. 18:25; Lk. 18:29; Lk. 19:11; Lk. 19:12; Lk. 19:15; Lk. 21:10; Lk. 21:31; Lk. 22:16; Lk. 22:18; Lk. 22:29; Lk. 22:30; Lk. 23:42; Lk. 23:51; Acts 1:3; Acts 1:6; Acts 8:12; Acts 14:22; Acts 19:8; Acts 20:25; Acts 28:23; Acts 28:31 Give us: Ex 16:15-22 Pr 30:8 Isa 33:16 Mt 6:11,34 Jn 6:27-33 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PETITION FOR PROVISION The prayer now shifts from God-ward to the man-ward focus. Once God is given His rightful place, then we have a proper perspective toward ourselves. Some people feel that it’s too selfish to ask God for their own needs, and yet this is exactly what Jesus is teaching us to do. The writer of Proverbs 30:8 says "Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion." Give us each day - Give is in the present imperative reflecting our continuing need for His spiritual and physical sustenance. Matthew 6:11+ has "Give us this day." One clear implication of this petition is that our Father wants to hear our voice each day! Have you spoken with Him today? Praying this prayer is a reflection of our dependence on Him and our faith that He will supply our need. "Jesus teaches us to ask our heavenly Father for a day’s rations at a time. It is the natural corrective to Martha’s anxiety about many things (Lk 10:40-41+)." (Brooks) Another implication of this request acknowledges our daily dependence on God not self, trusting in His sufficiency to supply our needs (not our greeds). ILLUSTRATION - George Muller of Bristol, England built orphanages which cared and educated 1000's of children in the 1800's without ever asking any human to supply his need, instead committing to ask only his Father in heaven. And the children never once went without a meal, food sometimes arriving by a knock at the door with the children seated at their tables with empty plates. Over his lifetime, Muller received donations that would be the equivalent of $180 million dollars today, all without an appeal letter, a phone call, a personal visit, etc. Watch this one hour docudrama of Muller's incredible life of faith and prayer to His Father. His legacy has remained alive now for well over 100 years. O to live a life of faith like George Muller should be the heart cry of every hungry disciple of Christ. Amen Brian Bell has a convicting thought - I believe when we won’t seek Him, He will teach us to pray. Example: Absalom and Joab story in 2 Sa 14:28-33. When we are lifeless in prayer, backwards in our exercise of it, and we disregard His invitation to “seek His face” don’t be surprised if He lovingly sets your Barley on fire! (Coming Up for Air) Jesus explained that He was the true Bread of Life, the Bread that alone meets man's greatest need... Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe....48 “I am the bread of life. 49“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50“This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” (John 6:35, 48-51) D A Carson - “The prayer is for our needs, not our greeds. It is for one day at a time, reflecting the precarious lifestyle of many first-century workers who were paid one day at a time and for whom a few day’s illness could spell tragedy.” Brian Bill asks "Do we pray for our daily needs? Do we take time to ask God to meet our physical needs or do we at least give thanks for them? Sure, we might say grace before every meal but these prayers can easily become just a sanctimonious way of saying, “Let’s eat.”Friends, if we don’t ask God to give us what we need every day we will gradually succumb to the delusion that we actually can provide for these needs ourselves. We can think that we handle this part and God only handles stuff that is serious. Here’s the danger in thinking like this: pride can swell up within us and we can subtly pull away from trust in God." (Luke 11:1-4 How to Pray the Lord’s Way) Luke 11:4 'And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" KJV Luke 11:4 And 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. And forgive us our sins 1 Kings 8:34,36; Ps 25:11,18; 32:1-5; 51:1-3; 130:3,4; Isa 43:25,26; Daniel 9:19; Hosea 14:2; Mt 6:12; 1 John 1:8-10 For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us Mt 6:14-15; 11:25,26; 18:35; Eph 4:31,32; Col 3:13; James 2:13 And lead us not into temptation 8:13; 22:46; Mt 6:13; 26:41; 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Cor 12:7,8; Rev 2:10; 3:10 but deliver us from evil. (Only in KJV) - Genesis 48:16; Ps 121:7; John 17:15; 2 Th 3:3; 2 Ti 4:18 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:4 Forgive Us Our Sins, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 11:4 Forgive Us Our Sins, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 11:4 Forgive Us Our Sins, Part 3 - John MacArthur Luke 11:4 Forgive Us Our Sins, Part 4 - John MacArthur Luke 11:4 Lead Us Not into Temptation - John MacArthur Related Passages: Matthew 6:12-15+ - ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] 14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. PETITION FOR PARDON And forgive (aphiemi) us our sins - The clear implication is that we sin daily with sins of commission and omission. Forgive is in the aorist imperative and speaks of a request to dismiss a debt we owe to God, Who "dismisses" the charge against us. The verb forgive is aphiemi which from God's perspective "refers to the act of putting something away. God did that at the Cross when He put sin away by incarnating Himself in humanity in the Person of His Son, stepping down from His judgment throne, assuming the guilt of man’s sin, and paying the penalty, thus, satisfying His justice, and making possible an offer of mercy on the basis of justice satisfied. When a sinner avails himself of the merits of that atoning sacrifice, he thus puts himself within the provision God made. His sins were put away at the Cross, and he comes into the benefit of that when he believes." (Wuest) Matthew's version substitutes debts for sins, Adam
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Barclay puts it this way (cited by Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], p. 414): Either, what Jesus said about Himself is false, in which case He is guilty of such blasphemy as no man ever dared to utter; or, what He said about Himself is true, in which case He is what He claimed to be and can be described in no other terms than the Son of God. Jesus leaves us with the definite choice-we must accept Him fully or reject Him absolutely. That is precisely why every man has to decide for or against Jesus Christ. There is a spiritual battle raging with two and only two sides. Clearly, Jesus has authority over Satan and his forces. We are on one side or the other. If you are not decisively on Jesus’ side, you are against Him. To join His side, you must believe in Him and follow Him in obedient faith. (The Heavenly War) James Rosscup comments on Lk 11:27 - Correcting a Misguided Focus -- Jesus taught about prayer (Lk 11:1–13), then about His casting out demons and showing that God is His source (Lk 11:14–26). He has just issued this teaching when a woman in the crowd cries out to Him, touting His mother’s womb for bearing Him and her breasts for nursing Him (Lk 11:27). It is time to correct values that can get so twisted (Lk 11:28). Jesus teaches what a proper sense of worth will promote as blessed. The focus will not be on His mother’s womb, but on God’s Word which is God’s source of truth. It will not tout His mother’s breasts as nursing Him, but belief in God’s Word that begets obedience to it. The woman who addresses Him needs to get her eyes on Him, not on His mother as blessed of God as she is (Lk. 1:28). God is the One who blesses, and she is a recipient, highly blessed by Him. A follow-up to this is His teaching that the generation at the time He is speaking is wicked, getting its attention on a sign it craves. The woman’s concentration, the focus of the people at large, should be on Him, the Son of Man. He Himself will be the sign by His resurrection, He being greater than Solomon in wisdom (Lk 11:31), and greater than Jonah in what He preaches (Lk 11:32). Guidelines relevant to prayer derive from this woman’s utterance to the Lord. First, it is wise to be sure the focus is on the Lord in a proper way rather than letting a flush of emotion incite one to spout off lightly. Diligence to know God’s Word aright can shape the one who speaks to Him to speak along right lines, and not need correcting. People emulate the woman in saying many careless things to the Lord out of ignorance. Second, the Lord’s graciousness in correcting what one says to Him, if the person will hear, gives new opportunity. Third, wise prayer can be shaped by giving a true place to hearing God’s Word and obeying what one learns. (An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible).
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Barclay - In the day of judgment these people would rise up and condemn the Jews of Jesus’ time, because these Jews had had an opportunity and a privilege far beyond anything they had ever had and had refused to accept it. The condemnation of the Jews would be all the more complete because their privileges were so great. Privilege and responsibility go ever hand in hand. (Ibid) Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom (sophia) of Solomon - She came from modern day Yemen (but some think Africa), the most mountainous, fertile part of Arabia. What a contrast - here was Jesus in their midst with miracles and teachers and here is this pagan Queen who travels from afar to hear about the God of Israel. They reject Jesus and she blesses the True God! Whether she became a believer is not absolutely clear but in 1 Ki. 10:9+ she declares “Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” We will have to wait until we get to heaven to see if she truly became a believer in Jehovah. Wisdom of Solomon - 1 Ki. 4:34; 1 Ki. 10:4; 2 Chr. 9:3; Matt. 12:42; Lk. 11:31 Behold, something greater than Solomon is here - Some "thing" and some "One" greater than Solomon. Jesus was a King greater than Solomon, His kingdom was greater than Solomon, He was wiser than Solomon, His Gospel was more fully developed than that of Solomon. And in spite of this far greater insight, they rejected it all! On Jesus and wisdom, see Luke 7:35; Luke 10:21-22; 1Cor 1:24, 30. J C Ryle on something greater - The Queen of Sheba had such faith that she travelled a vast distance (ED: 1200-1400 miles by camel caravan which would have taken up to 3 months) in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Yet Solomon, with all his wisdom, was an erring and imperfect king (ED: Read 1Ki 11:1-13+). The Ninevites had such faith that they believed the message which Jonah brought from God, and repented. Yet even Jonah was a weak and unstable prophet. The Jews of our Lord’s time had far higher light and infinitely clearer teachings than either Solomon or Jonah could supply. They had amongst them the King of kings (Rev 19:16+), the Prophet greater than Moses (Dt 18:15, 18+). Yet the Jews neither repented nor believed! Steven
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Barclay - The attitude of the scribes to the prophets was paradoxical. They professed a deep admiration for the prophets. But the only prophets they admired were dead; when they met a living one they tried to kill him. They honoured the dead prophets with tombs and memorials, but they dishonoured the living ones with persecution and death. (Luke 11 Commentary) Instead of building tombs to "honor" the OT prophets, they should have honored their message! For you build the tombs of the prophets - Instead of building tombs to "honor" the OT prophets, they should have honored their message! They were hypocrites (cf Mt 23:29) By building they tombs they are trying to show others that they honored the prophets, but they were not being truthful. In fact they hated the prophets just as their fathers did. Here was the greatest Prophet standing in their midst (cf Dt 18:15, 18+) and they hated Him because He boldly attacked their hypocrisy just like the OT prophets had done, resulting in their murder, just as it would for Jesus! They failed to honor the Prophet in their midst by regulating their lives according to His teaching, even as their fathers had failed to listen to the prophets of their day. Building a few tombs hardly proved they were better than then fathers who killed the prophets. As with most of their religion, it was all a sham, all external show, but void of any true internal (heart) transformation. They were hypocrites to the core of the deepest abyss of their soul! Instead of building tombs, they should have condemned their fathers for killing the prophets, but they uttered not a peep of paternal condemNation! Leifeld comments that "Yet this very act ironically symbolized approval of their forefathers' crimes against God's messengers." J.D.M. Derrett ("`You Build the Tombs of the Prophets' [Luke 11:47-51, Matt 23:29-31]," Studia Evangelica 4 [1968]:187-93) suggests that the building of tombs was a way of acknowledging guilt analogous to the offering of blood money to a victim's survivors by a relative of one guilty of murder." (Borrow The Expositor's Bible Commentary) Steven
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Barclay on charity - To the Jew almsgiving was the most sacred of all religious duties. How sacred it was may be seen from the fact that the Jews used the same word—tzedakah—both for righteousness and almsgiving. To give alms and to be righteous were one and the same thing. To give alms was to gain merit in the sight of God, and was even to win atonement and forgiveness for past sins. “Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own worst enemies. (Tobit 12:8)… There was a rabbinic saying: “Greater is he who gives alms than he who offers all sacrifices.” Almsgiving stood first in the catalogue of good works. It was then natural and inevitable that the man who desired to be good should concentrate on almsgiving. The highest teaching of the Rabbis was exactly the same as the teaching of Jesus. They too forbade ostentatious almsgiving. “He who gives alms in secret,” they said, “is greater than Moses.” The almsgiving which saves from death is that “when the recipient does not know from whom he gets it, and when the giver does not know to whom he gives it.” There was a Rabbi who, when he wished to give alms, dropped money behind him, so that he would not see who picked it up. “It were better,” they said, “to give a man nothing, than to give him something, and to put him to shame.” There was one particularly lovely custom connected with the Temple. In the Temple there was a room called The Chamber of the Silent. People who wished to make atonement for some sin placed money there; and poor people from good families who had come down in the world were secretly helped by these contributions. (Gospel of Matthew - Daily Study Bible ) (Bolding added) And then all things are clean (katharos) for you - Here is the ESV " and behold (idou), everything is clean for you." The word behold (sadly not translated in most modern versions) calls for the reader to pay special attention to what follows. In other words Jesus is saying not just their outside, but their inside would be clean. As noted there deeds of charity would reflect their "clean" (pure) heart. A pure heart would contrast with the heart of the Pharisees who gave alms (and even with great fanfare to be seen by men - cf Mt 6:2-4+) but did so from a heart that was unclean, unregenerate. Jesus made a similar statement in Matthew "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean (katharos) also. (Matthew 23:26) Paul made a statement very similar to Jesus "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure (katharos) heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5+) James said "This is pure (katharos) and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27+) NET Note - In Jewish culture giving alms to the poor was a very important religious observance; it was meant to be an act of mercy, kindness, and love (D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1114). The implication from the text is that the Pharisees gave alms, but without any of the spiritual concern which should have motivated those generous actions. Here Jesus commands the Pharisees to give from within themselves to those in need instead of just giving of their possessions. In so doing they would show true inner purity acceptable to God. This is in keeping with the author's social concerns elsewhere in the Gospel (cf., e.g., Luke 1:52–53, 4:18–19, 6:20–21, 14:13). The expression everything will be clean for you refers to the agreement that should exist between the overt practice of one's religious duties, such as almsgiving, and the inner condition of one's heart, including true love for God and the poor; one is not only to wash the outside of the cup and plate, but the inside as well, since as Jesus said, God created the inside too. Religious duties are not to be performed hypocritically, i.e., for the applause and esteem of people, but rather they are to be done out of a deep love for God and a sensitivity to and concern for the needs of others. Then, everything will be clean, both hearts and lives. Steven
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Barclay - The more exaggerated the respect of the greetings the Pharisees received in the streets the more they were pleased. NET Note - The later Jewish summary of oral tradition, the Talmud, notes elaborate greetings for rabbis. The rebuke here is for pride. Jesus instructed His followers "Do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matt. 23:8–12; cf. Luke 14:8–11+)
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Barclay - Two things stand out about the Pharisees and for these two things Jesus condemned them. (i) They concentrated on externals. So long as the externals of religion were carried out that was all that mattered. Their hearts might be as black as hell; they might be utterly lacking in charity and even in justice; but so long as they went through the correct motions at the correct time they considered themselves good in the eyes of God. A man may be regular in his church attendance; he may be a diligent student of his Bible; he may be a generous giver to the church; but if in his heart there are thoughts of pride and of contempt, if he has no charity in his dealings with his fellow men in the life of the everyday, if he is unjust to his subordinates or dishonest to his employer, he is not a Christian man. No man is a Christian when he meticulously observes the conventions of religion and forgets the realities. (ii) They concentrated on details. Compared with love and kindness, justice and generosity, the washing of hands and the giving of tithes with mathematical accuracy were unimportant details. Once a man came to Dr Johnson with a tale of woe. He worked in a paper factory; he had taken for his own purposes a very little piece of paper and a very little bit of string, and he had convinced himself that he had committed a deadly sin and would not stop talking about it. At last Johnson broke out, “Sir, stop bothering about paper and packthread when we are all living together in a world that is bursting with sin and sorrow.” How often church courts and church people get lost in totally unimportant details of church government and administration, and even argue and fight about them, and forget the great realities of the Christian life! (Luke 11 Commentary) Chief seats (4410)(protokathedria from protos = first, chief + kathedra = a seat) means a seat of honor in a meeting place, most important place, place of honor, best seat, a position or place indicative of special honor for the person occupying it, Protokathedria - 4x Matt. 23:6; Mk. 12:39; Lk. 11:43; Lk. 20:46 and none in Septuagint. Synagogue (4864) sunagoge from sunago = lead together, assemble or bring together) refers to a group of people “going with one another” (sunago) literally describes a bringing together or congregating in one place. Eventually, sunagoge came to mean the place where they congregated together. The word was used to designate the buildings other than the central Jewish temple where the Jews congregated for worship. Historically, the Synagogues originated in the Babylonian captivity after the 586 BC destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and served as places of worship and instruction. Sunagoge in Luke and Acts -Lk. 4:15; Lk. 4:16; Lk. 4:20; Lk. 4:28; Lk. 4:33; Lk. 4:38; Lk. 4:44; Lk. 6:6; Lk. 7:5; Lk. 8:41; Lk. 11:43; Lk. 12:11; Lk. 13:10; Lk. 20:46; Lk. 21:12; Acts 6:9; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:1; Acts 15:21; Acts 17:1; Acts 17:10; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:7; Acts 18:19; Acts 18:26; Acts 19:8; Acts 22:19; Acts 24:12; Acts 26:11 Respectful greetings (salutations)(783) aspasmos from aspazomai = welcome, greet, to salute) describes the use of set words or phrases to express a welcome or farewell -- salutation, greeting, either orally or by letter. Acknowledgement or expression of good will on meeting. Louw-Nida = "employ certain set phrases as a part of the process of greeting, whether communicated directly or indirectly." Liddell-Scott adds an embrace. Aspasmos - 10v - greeting(5), greetings(4), salutation(1). Matt. 23:7; Mk. 12:38; Lk. 1:29; Lk. 1:41; Lk. 1:44; Lk. 11:43; Lk. 20:46; 1 Co. 16:21; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17 Market places (58) agora was the town-square where the people assembled in public. It can also refer to a market or thoroughfare or a broad street. Here it refers to a forum or a market place where things were exposed for sale and where assemblies and public trials were held (See similar use in Mk 7:4; Acts 16:19; 17:17) (see use in Acts 16:19) Simon J. Kistemaker noted that the agora functioned not only as a marketplace, but also "as the social center of the city. Here the unemployed waited for suitable work, the sick were healed, and the magistrates judged court cases. In those days, a plaintiff could drag a defendant into court and ask the judge to pass a verdict (James 2:6). The owners of the slave girl were acting according to Roman law when they laid their hands on Paul and Silas and put their grievance before the city authorities. (New Testament Commentary: Acts [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990], 595)" Luke 11:44 "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it." KJV Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. For you are like concealed tombs Numbers 19:16; Ps 5:9; Hosea 9:8; Mt 23:27,28; Acts 23:3 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:37-44 How to Evangelize Religious People - John MacArthur Related Passage: Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. (THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW SPIRITUALLY ROTTEN THEY WERE!) THE THIRD WOE: "CONCEALED TOMBS" Woe (ouai) to you! - Whereas the woes above are warnings for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, this woe is a warning to them for their influence on others. Of course, this woe speaks to all of us, for we all "touch" other people's lives at home, at school, at work, etc. THOUGHT - The question we each need to ask ourselves is "Am I salt and light" to those I encounter each day? Or have I lost my saltiness and has my light grown dim? Am I sour, bitter, unforgiving, etc, so that contact with me is like a Jew walking over a concealed tomb? Lord, show me and deliver me from such spiritual dryness and deadness for Jesus' sake. Amen (cf Ps 139:23, 24) For you are (present tense) like concealed (better = "unmarked graves" ) tombs - Talk about irony! They thought Jesus was unclean because He did not ceremonially wash His hands. Their "unwashed hearts" were like defiling unmarked graves! The Jews whitewashed the tombs as a warning so that no one would accidentally touch them and be ceremonially defiled for 7 days (Nu 19:16+). In this cultural context, Jesus makes an incredible statement, for these men considered themselves bastions of holiness, and here Jesus is saying they are the exact antithesis, in fact they are paragons of perfidiousness, if you will. Their teachings seemed to be true to their hearers, but were perverted, non-biblical and thus misleading and defiling and as noted below had the potential to lead their hearers to hell (Mt 23:15). Woe! The paragons of purity were the pinnacle of perversion of God's standards of right and wrong. They who should have been a purifying influence, proved to be a defiling one. You can see the Pharisees wincing with this description! Steven
Lucas 11
Barclay - The scribes shut the people off from scripture. Their interpretation of scripture was so fantastic that it was impossible for the ordinary man to understand it. In their hands scripture became a book of riddles. In their mistaken ingenuity they refused to see its plain meaning themselves, and they would not let anyone else see it either. The scriptures had become the perquisite of the expert and a dark mystery to the common man. None of this is so very out of date. There are still those who demand from others standards which they themselves refuse to satisfy. There are still those whose religion is nothing other than legalism. There are still those who make the word of God so difficult that the seeking mind of the common man is bewildered and does not know what to believe or to whom to listen. (Luke 11 Commentary) Steven