SCRIPTURE: LUKE 11
JESUS’ TEACHING ON PRAYER (vs. 1-13)
THE LORD’S PRAYER:
“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4)
OTHER TEACHINGS OF JESUS:
“Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give to him as much as he needs. 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. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to hm who knocks, the door will be opened. (vs. 5-10)
Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he ask for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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.” (v. 11-13)
JESUS AND BEELZEBUB (vs. 14-28)
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. But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come t o you.
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left. When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 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 man is worse than the first.” (vs. 17-26)
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.,” (v. 27). He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (v. 28)
THE SIGN OF JONAH (vs. 29-32)
Jesus said: “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 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 one greater than Jonah is her. (vs. 29-32)
THE LAMP OF THE BODY (vs. 33-36)
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you. (vs. 33-36)
SIX WOES (vs. 37-53)
A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. As Jesus reclined at the table, the Pharisee noticed that Jesus did not wash his hands before the meal. But Jesus said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside, the dish, to the poor and everything will be clean for you.” (vs. 37-42)
THE SIX WOES:
- 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 practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. (v. 42)
- Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market places. (v. 43)
- Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it. (v. 44)
- Woe to you experts in the law, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (v. 46)
- Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world 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. (v. 47-51)
- 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. (v. 52)
THOUGHTS:
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, Jesus taught them this “Lord’s Prayer”. The first priority when we pray is to praise God for His greatness and mercy, followed by the request of our needs and then the forgiveness we have to grant to those who have wronged us. Persistence in prayer is needed to help us recognize God’s works.
When Jesus drove out a demon that was mute, the Pharisees said that He was driving out demons through Beelzebub, the prince of demons. But Jesus retorted: How can Satan’s kingdom stand if it is divided against himself? How come your followers were also driving demons out? Then he concluded that his work of driving out demons proved that the Kingdom of God had arrived.
When Jesus said “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters”, he was talking about the conflict between God and the devil. In this battle, if a person is not on God’s side, he or she is on Satan’s side. There is no neutral ground. If you are not for Christ, then, you are against Him.
Jesus said that if an evil spirit comes out of a man and returns back , it becomes more wicked and the man’s condition will be worse than before. It is an illustration of our human tendency. It is not enough to be emptied of evil. We must be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s new purpose in our life.
THE SIGN OF JONAH HAS TWO MEANINGS:
- Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh (Gentiles) . Salvation is not only for the Jews but for all people
- Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days. Jesus would die and rise after three days.
The pagan queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. By contrast, Jesus, the perfect Son of God had come to preach to the people, but they rejected him. Today, we have eyewitness reports of the risen Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit and His Word. What is your response to Christ?
The lamp is Christ and the eye represents spiritual understanding and insights. Evil desires will blot out the light of Christ. How is your vision now? Can you see God at work in your life or are you being blinded by sinful desires?
The Pharisees were accusing Jesus for being unclean because he did not wash his hands before eating. The Pharisees thought of themselves as “clean” but Jesus reveals that it is generosity that reveals about the purity of their heart. How do you use the resources that God has given you? Are you generous in meeting the needs around you?
Tithing is important but Jesus wants our compassion to extend to the needy neighbors.
CRITICISM OF JESUS AGAINST THE PHARISEES AND THE EXPERT OF THE LAWS:
- They gave 1/10 but neglected justice.
- They loved praise and attention.
- They washed their outsides but not insides
- They loaded people down with burdensome religious demands.
- They would not accept the truth about Jesus
- They prevented others from believing the truth.