Luke 11 – Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Luke 11:1-4: Jesus teaches on prayer

A. Find Out:  

1. What was Jesus doing? v.1a
   • One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
2. What did this prompt his disciples to ask? v.1b
   • When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
3. What did he teach them to declare first of all? v.2
   • He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
4. What should they ask for daily? v.3
   • Give us each day our daily bread.
5. What should they ask God to do? v.4a
   • Forgive us our sins,  for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
6. What should they also ask Him to do? v.4b
   • And lead us not into temptation.”’

B. Think:

1. What does this passage say about example?
2. How does it show that prayer should come out of relationship?
3. What 3 aspects of prayer are then covered?

C. Comment:

 Luke’s recounting of what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer” is a shorter version than Matthew’s although in the notes at the bottom of your page you will see there are various alternatives. Perhaps Luke is giving us a summary, in which case it is important to note the things he has included.

 To start, note that the request for teaching comes out of observing Jesus’ example. Next observe the contents of this basic outline for prayer. First it is acknowledging God as Father. Prayer best comes out of a relationship. But it also recognises that God is the Holy One who is utterly different. This calls for a respectful attitude in the relationship. The reference to God’s kingdom as Luke puts it, could either be a request – “May your kingdom come” – or simply a declaration – “Your kingdom is coming”, it depends on your faith level!

Next we see the things Jesus includes as things to be asked for. First there is request for daily provision. In a day when we take for granted the tremendous variety of food on the supermarket shelves, it is good to remind ourselves that it is only by the grace and goodness of God that we have these things. Next comes a reminder of our frailty, our need of forgiveness when we fail, and finally a cry to keep us from falling. Each of these things remind us of our need of our relationship with the Lord

D. Application:

1. Relationship in Prayer: Do my prayers come out of my relationship with the Lord? Is His love for me and my love for Him, the foundation of my praying?
2. Awareness of Need: Am I aware of my daily needs of natural provision, of forgiveness, and protection, that generate an awareness of my need for reliance upon Him?

Passage: Luke 11:5-13: Teaching on Persistent Prayer  

A. Find Out:    

1. What does Jesus tell them to imagine? v.5,6
   •  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.”
2. What might be the response? v.7
   • And suppose the one inside answers, “Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.”
3. Yet why will the man respond? v.8
   •  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
4. So what principle does Jesus lay down? v.9,10
   • ‘So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
5. What illustration of a parent does Jesus then give? v.11,12
   • ‘Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
6. How does he apply that? v.13
   •  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

B. Think:

1. What is the point of the illustration in v.5-8?
2. What is the point of what he says in v.9 & 10?
3. What is the point of his illustration in v.11-13?

C. Comment:

Jesus has just given an outline of the sort of things to pray for and now he gives encouragement to pray and keep on praying. Let’s observe first the two sets of illustrations he gives.

Illustration 1: Be bold in your praying! In this first illustration he imagines one of them going to a friend in the middle of the night asking for a favour. The crucial thing in this is that it is the middle of the night and naturally the one they go to is not likely to be very helpful, yet simply because they are bold in their asking, the man will give. So, says Jesus, be bold in your asking of God.

Illustration 2: Trust in your asking! He asks them to imagine their responses to their children. If their children come hungry they are not going to give them inappropriate things in response. No, he says, in the same way your Father in heaven will only give you the best,   and that is His own Holy Spirit when you ask for him.

Now between the two illustrations is a basic principle which loses some of its impact because we cannot see the tense of the various verbs. In the original they are ongoing so it is “Ask and go on asking , seek and go on seeking,  knock and go on knocking ”. The power here is in the “go on” element. Don’t be put off, but persevere in prayer is his instruction to them.

D. Application:

1. Bold in Prayer? Am I able to be bold in asking for what I am sure is right? Does my security in the Lord’s love for me enable me to come like this?
2. Giving Up? Have I learnt to persevere and keep on until I get what I’m sure is right?

Passage: Luke 11:14-20: Deliverance challenges   

A. Find Out:

1. What did Jesus do? v.14
   •  Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.
2. How did some say he was doing this and others ask for? v.15,16
   •  But some of them said, ‘By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.’ 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
3. What principle did Jesus declare to refute this? v.17
   • Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: ‘Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.
4. How did he then apply it? v.18
   •  If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
5. What question did he ask of them? v.19
   • Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
6. What conclusion did he challenge them with? v.20
   • But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

B. Think:

1. How were some of the watchers being critical?
2. Why were their suggestions unthinking?
3. What are really the only two possibilities here?

C. Comment:

Continuing to press us with spiritual realities, Luke now recounts an incident that nudges us to consider the authority behind what Jesus was doing. On this occasion Jesus was driving out a demon. Apparently it was quite obvious what was happening because the demon had silenced this man and Jesus releases him so that he can speak. The Jews have no question that a demon has been cast out, but what they query is how Jesus did it.

Some of them, unthinkingly, claim that Satan has been giving Jesus this power, that he came from the devil and was doing the devil’s work – that is basically what they are saying! (Beelzebub was just another name that the Jews used for Satan, as the following verses show). Jesus’ response to them is basically, “Think about it guys, is Satan likely to pull down his own kingdom? Is Satan likely to drive out one of his own minions? No way!”

Then he prods back at them – so who are your people guided by when they cast out demons? He knows their answer will be God. That is the only alternative answer. OK, says Jesus, now we’ve ruled out Satan, that only leaves God doing this work, so please recognise God at work in my ministry! When demons are cast out, this is the kingdom or rule of God coming into your midst. Acknowledge it!

D. Application:

1. What do I feel about deliverance? Do I recognise that deliverance ministry is a work of God, and still operates today?
2. What is deliverance? Deliverance is the rule of God releasing people from darkness where they have been held prisoner by demons.  Have I ever seen this ministry and the wonder of this experience?

Passage: Luke 11:21-26: More deliverance teaching  

A. Find Out:

1. When did Jesus say a man’s possessions are safe? v.21
   • ‘When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.
2. When are his things taken? v.22
   • But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.
3. What principle did Jesus then state? v.23
   • ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
4. What does an evil spirit do when it comes out of someone? v.24
   •  ‘When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left.”
5. What does it find when it comes back? v.25
   •  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
6. So what do they do, with what result? v.26
   • Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.’

B. Think:

1. What had Jesus previously been speaking about?
2. How does the analogy of v.21,22 flow on?
3. How does Jesus then explain the analogy in v.24-26?

C. Comment:

The subject of demon possession had come up because Jesus had just cast a demon out of a man and then had to defend himself against the negative Jews. He takes the opportunity now to teach on the subject with a hidden powerful message.

First of all he gives a simple human analogy: a strong man guarding his house. Most of the time, he implies, this man is safe, safe that is until someone stronger comes along! That’s the summary of these two verses. Very simple, very obvious.

In verses 24 to 26 he then tells what actually happens in the case of deliverance ministry if the person delivered doesn’t take appropriate precautions. The cast out demon is a living spirit and it looks for somewhere to rest. It looks for someone who has given their life over to the enemy by rejecting God (no, that’s not there, but that’s what happens). If it doesn’t find someone it thinks of returning to the person it left. When it goes back, it finds that the man has cleaned up his life and isn’t so easy to re-inhabit, so it goes and finds other evil spirits and together they wage warfare on this person until they take possession of him and his latter state is worse than the former.

So what is the implication? It is that there must be an occupier who is stronger than ANY demons. Who is that?   Jesus himself!   Hence verse 23.  So what is he saying? It’s not just enough for a person to be delivered from Satan, they must receive Jesus into their life to be the reigning, occupying Lord.

D. Application:

1. From where to what? Delivering a person is not enough; they must let Jesus in. Let’s not be content to deliver people from darkness, they must be delivered into Jesus kingdom (Col 1:13)
2. Access for the enemy? Strong demonic attack comes when a life is not surrendered to God and when it is given over to the enemy through occult means. Ensure your life is clean of such things.

Passage: Luke 11:27-32: Signs & Belief     

A. Find Out:

1. Who did a woman say was blessed? v.27
   • As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, ‘Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’
2. But who did Jesus say was blessed? v.28
   • He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’
3. What did Jesus say about that generation? v.29a
   • As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,
4. What did he say would be given it? v.29b,30
   • but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.
5. Who will condemn them and why? v.31
   • The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here.
6. Who else will condemn this generation and why? v.32
   • The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

B. Think:

1. Read Jonah 1:17 & 3:1-10 & 2 Chron 9:1-9
2. Why was Jesus deriding the present generation?
3. What was the point of his illustrations?

C. Comment:

In verse 16 some had been asking for a sign from God to verify who Jesus was – just after he had delivered a mute demoniac. They were grumbling against him and not rejoicing in the things that were happening. He has moved from the north down to the area around Jerusalem (see 9:51, 10:38) so he’s in the area that has a history with God, a city where the Temple of God was, a place where you would expect faith, but instead there was grumbling unbelief.

“You want a sign?” implies Jesus, “well if you can’t see all the miracles I’m doing, all you’re going to be left with is the sign of a man who was dead for 3 days and who came back from the dead” – that was Jonah. What can this be other than a clear reference to his coming death and resurrection?

Then he derides their unbelief: on the day of judgement, the Queen of Sheba will rise up as a condemnation against you – she, a Gentile, heard what was happening in Solomon’s reign and came looking. Here there is something much more wonderful and you can’t see it! The people of Nineveh will stand against you as well on that day, for when they saw Jonah and heard his message they repented – but all you do is moan and remain in your unbelief.

These examples show up this present generation for what it is – an unbelieving, non-seeking, grumbling bunch who are missing the wonder before them!

D. Application:

1. Sign Seeking? Is our faith so weak we demand signs foolishly? God does give signs to confirm our commitment of faith, but He wants that to come first.
2. Complacent? Do we appreciate the wonder of the salvation that is ours? Have we become complacent over the wonder of what God has done for us and in us? Ask Him to open your eyes afresh to this.

Passage: Luke 11:33-36: Light and Sight

A. Find Out:

1. What doesn’t and does someone do with a lamp? v.33
   •  ‘No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.
2. How does Jesus describe our eye? v.34a
   • Your eye is the lamp of your body.
3. What happens when the eye is good, and then bad? v.34b,c
   • When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.
4. What instruction does Jesus then give? v.35
   • See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
5. What does he conclude about the body? v.36 
   • Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.’

B. Think:

1. How does the human body depend on the eyes?
2. How do you think “light” is used in a spiritual sense?
3. So what is the point of what Jesus is saying here?

C. Comment:

To catch the meaning here we have to take the passage slowly, verse by verse. Jesus starts this passage repeating what he said in 8:16 with an obvious statement, that if you have a lamp you put it where it can be seen and where it will shed light. Jesus has just been speaking about how past people responded to the revelation that came to them. Surely the implication must be that he is, or is bringing, the spiritual light that the world needs and he’s out in the open to be seen by those who have eyes to see.    

But then he pivots the teaching to talk about the quality or state of our eyes. He says your eyes are like a lamp that lets light into your body to tell the body what is happening so the body can respond. If you can’t see, you are in darkness. But the way he uses this language, it seems to hint that he’s speaking of more than natural light, but instead spiritual light. Spiritual light came with his illustrations from history, and he’s bringing spiritual light now, but are their “eyes” (heart, perhaps) open to receive it?    

His enigmatic challenge of verse 35 is likely to mean, if you think you have revelation and understanding, make sure that it is truly spiritual insight from heaven, otherwise you’re still in darkness. If the light from heaven (himself and his revelation) is truly received and is allowed to shine in to a person’s life, then it will transform that life completely, as our vision is when a bright light shines naturally. 

D. Application:

1. Transformed? Has the revelation of Jesus completely transformed us? He is light and wants to shine into every corner of our lives dispelling any darkness (wrong).
2. Openness: Have we opened our hearts fully to him? His light cannot fully shine into every corner unless we invite him to do that.

Passage: Luke 11:37-42: Jesus invited by a Pharisee      

A. Find Out:

1. What happened to Jesus next? v.37
   • When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.
2. What did the Pharisee notice? v.38
   •  But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
3. What did Jesus say about the Pharisees? v.39
   • Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
4. What did he point out to them? v.40
   • You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?
5. What did he then instruct? v.41
   • But now as for what is inside you – be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
6. What did he say they did? v.42
   • Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone.

B. Think:

1. What was the Pharisee’s concern?
2. What, basically, did Jesus say they should be more concerned about?
3. How did he then illustrate that?

C. Comment:

Remember that Jesus has just been scolding the present generation for its lack of faith. A Pharisee now invites him to come in for a meal. Why? We’re not told. Perhaps he was looking for an opportunity to collect more evidence against Jesus. But Jesus accepts. Why? Possibly because he knows what is coming and wants to take the opportunity to speak the truth and build up more opposition to provoke the Cross.  He does not wash his hands.  He will know the Pharisee will object and he’s going to speak out of that.

Now the Pharisees were a semi-religious sect that was concerned to uphold every minute detail of the Law but had lost the meaning of it all. They are about to get some correction!

Jesus saw what this Pharisee was feeling about him not washing his hands first, and lays into them.  Look, he says, you focus on getting the outside clean but you don’t care about what you’re like on the inside, so you wash yourselves on the outside but are full of greed and wrong thinking on the inside.  You’re trying to please God by your outward cleansing, which didn’t make the inside clean as well, but God is just as concerned about what goes on inside you! Start being givers (v.41) and you’ll start changing. You think you give because of your tithing practices but you don’t give concern for the poor and needy and for God.   You’ve got it all wrong! What a condemnation for these people who thought they were so good spiritually!

D. Application:

1. Appearance or reality? Do we make the mistake of worrying only about appearances while ignoring our real state, what we’re like on the inside?
2. Heart condition? Jesus is more concerned for the state of your heart.   How is it? Really?

Passage: Luke 11:42-54: Woes on the Pharisees  

A. Find Out:

1. What was the first thing Jesus said the Pharisees did wrong? v.42
   • ‘Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone.
2. What was the second thing he said they did wrong? v.43
   • ‘Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the market-places.
3. What did he say they were like? v.44
   • ‘Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.’
4. Who next came under his fire and why? v.45,46
   • One of the experts in the law answered him, ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.’ 46 Jesus replied, ‘And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
5. Why next did he deride them? v.47-51
   • Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.” 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
6. Why finally does he chastise them? v.52
   •  ‘Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.’
7. What effect did this have on them? v.53,54
   •  When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

B. Think:

1. Sum up Jesus’ complaints against the Pharisees.
2. Sum up his complaints against the Scribes.

C. Comment:

First a Pharisee, then a Scribe brought themselves to Jesus’ attention and he spares neither. Both groups were concerned with the Law but Jesus said both missed the point.

The Pharisees: As we saw previously he scolds them for apparently keeping the minutiae of the Law (tithing herbs) but missing the big issues (justice and love of God). He says they are characterised by pride (v.43),  believing themselves to be the nation’s spiritual guardians, while all the time they are full of spiritual death (v.44).

Then the Scribes: in their efforts to reveal the full force of the Law, the Scribes had broken it down into tiny details for daily living that were actually impossible to live by (v.46). Thus they have actually hindered people having a relationship with God because the ‘religious thing’ had become impossible for the ordinary man (v.52).  Also they tried to make out that the nation’s history with God was very important and so built tombs and memorials to the men of the past – the prophets, but all that did was remind the nation that the people of the past had killed many of God’s prophets and rejected them. So it still is, he says, and so this present generation will be held accountable for all this.

In all this Jesus speaks forcibly against man-made religion that exalts itself while at the same time hindering ordinary people coming to God.

D. Application:

1. Missing the point? Do we sometimes miss the point with our religious practices? Be honest, why do we do some of the things we do as Christians?
2. A foundation of Love: Is practical, expressive love for God the top of our agenda? Is God’s love in us and through us and for us, at the very heart of all that we are and do?