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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 11:27-54 Supremely Blessed 11:27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"
Luke’s wording suggests that as Jesus was still teaching the Pharisees he was interrupted by a woman in the crowd, who had been so impressed by his words that she shouted out that the mother who bore and nursed him was extremely blessed or privileged to have such a son. 11:28 But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Jesus’ relationship with his mother Mary is discussed on several occasions in the gospels, and always the same idea is expressed. Although born of a woman, Jesus was the incarnate son of God. It was not that Mary was somehow unique that God chose her—rather, the reason why Mary was so blessed was that she heard God’s word through the angel Gabriel, believed and obeyed it with all her heart. We too should do as Mary did, for Jesus extends this blessing to all who not only hear but obey the Word of God (Rom. 2:13, Jam. 1: 22, Acts 2: 40-41).
Sign Seekers 11:29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
As the crowds began to increase in number Jesus challenged them: why did they come to hear him? Some among them were looking for sign (miracle) which would persuade them that he was the son of God, the promised Messiah. Indeed, Luke has already noted (verse 16) that some present were demanding this kind of sign. Since Jesus had been freely healing the sick (6:19), raising the dead (7:15) and casting out demons (8:36), one wonders what kind of sign they wanted to see? Most likely, they wanted him to repeat some of Moses’ miracles. Yet that is not the point of Luke’s using this verse. Rather, the point is that even if Jesus had parted the Red Sea and fed them with manna they would still not have believed (just as the people in Moses’ time did not – Ps. 78:22-32).
So, in view of heir unbelief, the only sign that will be given to them is the sign of Jonah (Jonah 1:17). These words of Jesus are recorded also in Matthew 12:39 where they are include the words: ‘For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:40. As Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and was in its belly for three days so he, the son of God, would be in the grave for three days and then would rise from the dead. 11:30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
The proclamation of the risen Christ that would be the ‘sign’ within Israel; for as when Jonah rose from the depths of the sea, and preached throughout Nineveh of God’s coming judgment, so Jesus’ disciples would, after his resurrection, preach the risen Christ; warning of future judgment and proclaiming that forgiveness of sins had been made possible through his name. 11:31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Although for some reason Luke omits from this section the reference to Jesus rising after three days (he has it elsewhere at 9:22, 18:33 and 24:7), resurrection remains at the heart of this passage. Jews expected that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the end of time (John 11:24), and this is what Jesus is referring to here. For at that time the Queen of Sheba—who came from a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon—would stand as a witness against Jesus’ own generation and condemn it for its unbelief; for they refused to listen to the Christ who stood among them, who was greater than Solomon. 11:32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Similarly, since the people of Nineveh had repented at the preaching of Jonah, so they would attest the condemnation those who had listened to the preaching of Jesus Christ—who is far greater than Jonah—but who had refused to repent.
The Light has Come 11:33 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
Jesus had come into the world as a light, and although his teachings were often given in parable form, it was not his intention to conceal the truth, but to make it plain so that all might see the light and be drawn to it; that is to say, be drawn to him. Jesus’ teaching was within the grasp of these Jews – they should have been able to understand it and respond appropriately without the aid of a sign. Similarly, anyone who receives Jesus Christ as their Lord Saviour will not hide the revelation they have received but will want to tell others. If a person is truly Christ’s, then the light within them will be a witness to all around them. 11:34-35 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
It is through the eye, by the faculty of sight, that light enters the mind so that the brain can interpret what is seen. If there is nothing wrong with our eyes then we are able to see perfectly; it is when our vision is defective that we fail to receive the correct signals from the light around us. In the same way, the light which Jesus brings is readily accepted and interpreted by those whose hearts are open to the truth. It is when our hearts are centred on Christ that his ‘light’ or ‘truth’ govern the actions of our minds and bodies in accordance with the life of Christ within us (Col. 3: 1-2, Phil. 2:5). But if a person hardens their heart to the word of God, and rejects the truth Christ brings, then they wilfully remain in spiritual ignorance and darkness. Moreover, Jesus’ words indicate that such a person’s life will be governed by the forces of darkness (Eph. 2:2-3). Jesus challenge in v. 35 is that we must make sure that we believe and act on the truth we hear from Christ, for only then can we be delivered from darkness. 11:36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."
When we come to Christ we are no longer in darkness (Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9); and from this time on we should take time to regularly meditate on the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ in us (John 14: 26). In this way, if we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us, then our whole being will be full of light (1 John 1:7) and a light (witness) to all around us.
Pretenders The previous verses (vv. 33-36) prepare us for Jesus’ encounter with the religious leaders of his day, and his scathing attack on their hypocrisy. 11:37-38 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that He had not first washed before dinner.
On an occasion when Jesus was speaking with the people, a Pharisee approached him and invited him to dinner. Jesus went with him, but as he sat at the table and began to eat the meal, the Pharisee was shocked to see Jesus eating without having washed his hands. The custom of hand washing was nothing to do with hygiene—this ‘hand washing’ was a religious ceremony among the Pharisees which Jesus was refusing to conform to. 11:39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
Jesus was deliberately using the occasion to reveal the hypocrisy of those who make an outward show of being godly, through the observance of outward religious ritual, without having a true relationship with God. The hearts of such people are not right with God; they remain full of greed and wickedness. 11:40-41 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
Nor is this a general teaching – Jesus is applying git directly to his hearers, calling them hypocrites and fools (Psalm 14:1). They had created an outward appearance to pretend to others that they were righteous whilst all the time using it as a cloak to conceal their sinful motives. God was not
fooled - he made both body and soul and was aware of what was in their hearts (Luke 16:15). Jesus exhorts them that if they truly wished to be righteous then they should show benevolence to the poor and needy out of a compassionate heart. Such actions would reveal that a genuine work of God’s grace had been done within their souls, making their hearts and their actions ‘clean’. 11:42-44 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on."
The Pharisees were very careful to give a tenth of all that they had, even of the herbs they grew. Yet although they were so particular about tithing they had neglected matters of justice according to God’s Word (perhaps especially in terms of the oppression of the poor by the rich and powerful); and this neglect revealed that God’s love was not in them. Moreover, they also loved to be accorded with honour—being given the chief seats in the synagogues and receiving respectful greetings in public—more than they loved to show God’s compassion. Jesus warned that the Pharisees would suffer great sorrow as they faced God’s judgment. His illustration of how corrupt they were before God is shocking. The Pharisees, more than the ordinary Jews, sought to avoid ritual uncleanness - especially that which was brought about by contact with dead bodies. But Jesus says to them that when people come into contact with the Pharisees—who appeared to be clean outwardly—they are as contaminated by them as much as if they had trodden on a grave without knowing it. 11:45 "Teacher," said an expert in religious law, "you have insulted us, too, in what you just said."
Jesus had not been pulling any punches, and one of the experts in the Law of Moses perceived that Jesus was directing his criticism at his group also, even though until that point his remarks were addressed to the Pharisees. 11:46 And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
So Jesus turned his attention to those experts in the law who were not of the Pharisee sect, for in terms of their religious hypocrisy they were no better than the Pharisees. These so called experts used their interpretation of the law to place heavy religious obligations on the common people— rules which were having a crushing effect. The context may suggest that some of these obligations were financial, and may have increased the hardship of the poor, when they should have in fact used their power and influence to help the poor. On the other hand, it may also suggest that the standards which they espoused were too high even for them to attain, although they hypocritically demanded them of others. 11:47-48 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
Great sorrow would come upon all these religious leaders, for they were the sons of those who had killed the prophets. Jesus is not here saying that they would be punished for their fathers’ sins, but rather that they would be punished because they shared their fathers’ attitude of disobedience to
the word of God. As their ancestors had killed the prophets, so they were plotting to kill the Christ. Jesus reference to them building the tombs of the prophets is another attack on their hypocrisy, for they did this in order to look righteous outwardly. But, the message of those prophets was still extant – would they not listen to it? It seems they found it easier to build tombs for the prophets than to listen and obey their message. 11:49-51 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
For this reason the wisdom of God (which was embodied in Jesus Christ) decided that he would send these leaders prophets and apostles to declare God’s Word. The fact that they would persecute and even kill some of them would reveal that they were indeed the descendants of those who killed the prophets. Thus, the present generation would be found guilty of the murder of all God’s prophets who had been killed from the creation of the world; from the murder of Abel by his brother Cain to Zechariah the prophet who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary. The implication appears to be that although God had been very forbearing until now, he would be no longer - the generation which rejected Christ would be held to account. 11:52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."
How terrible will God’s judgement be for these religious leaders who had been entrusted with the law, which Jesus describes here as being the key to the knowing God and entering his kingdom? Although this way—through Christ—had been made clear and plain in the Scripture, they had chosen not to follow it and were active in hindering those who wanted to enter in to God’s kingdom. 11:53-54 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.
Rather than bringing them to repentance, Jesus’ tirade against the scribes and the Pharisees only served to increase their hostility towards him. They began to provoke him with many questions, watching and plotting against him so that they might catch him out in something he said so that they would have sufficient grounds to issue a warrant for his death. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2015. Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org