Luke Chapter 11:29-54
Memory verses
for this week: Acts 10:28 And he said
unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that
is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but
God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Introduction:
We continue our study of
the book of Luke this week as we continue in chapter 11. Last week,
we studied the first half of Chapter 11 where Jesus taught the
disciples how to pray as he gave them the model prayer. He
expanded the teaching showing how much love our Heavenly Father has
for us as he gives us the best gifts using the Parable of the Father
and Son. We closed with a study on the futility of self
reformation. If we want to have success, we must be born again,
and that takes turning our lives over to Jesus Christ.
I. The
Sign of Jonas
Luke
11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to
say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall
no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
Luke
11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the
Son of man be to this generation.
People gathered
around to hear Jesus, and he calls their group an ‘evil
generation.’ Instead of taking things on God’s Word, they wanted
to see a sign. Jesus tells them that the only sign they would
receive would be Jonas the prophet. As Jonas was in the belly of
the whale for 3 days and 3 nights so would the Lord Jesus be in the
heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. There are so many that
teach that Jesus was crucified on Friday because they look at the
comment about taking the bodies off of the cross before the
beginning of the sabbath at six pm. Many never notice that this
was a ‘High Sabbath Day’ which was observed on Thursday. No matter
how you count the days from Friday, you can’t get 3 days and 3
nights if he rose on the first day of the week. Jesus was buried on
Wednesday night, and he was in the grave all that night, all day
Thursday, all night Thursday, all day Friday, all night Friday, and
then all day Saturday. As you can see… a full 3 days and 3
nights. The beginning of the Jewish day came at sundown, and on
Saturday night, at the dawning of the new week, that is when the
women came to the grave and found it empty.
John
19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the
bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for
that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs
might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Mat
28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see
the sepulchre.
Mat
28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of
the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone
from the door, and sat upon it.
Mat
28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as
snow:
Mat
28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead
men.
Mat
28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Luke
11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the
men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the
utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and,
behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The queen of the
sought mentioned here is the Queen of Sheba. She dwelt many miles
away from Jerusalem, but she was anxious to hear Solomon. She
traveled a great distance at her own cost to meet him.
1 Ki
10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon
concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard
questions.
1 Ki
10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels
that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when
she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in
her heart.
1 Ki
10:3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any
thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
1 Ki
10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and
the house that he had built,
1 Ki
10:5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants,
and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his
cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the
LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
1 Ki
10:6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in
mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
1 Ki
10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes
had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and
prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
1 Ki
10:8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
1 Ki
10:9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set
thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for
ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
1 Ki
10:10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold,
and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no
more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave
to king Solomon.
After the queen
visited, she said that the half about Solomon had not been told her.
Jesus said the Queen of Sheba would stand in the judgment and
condemn the generation living in Christ’s days. She came to hear
Solomon, and a greater than Solomon had appeared. His wisdom,
meat, table, servants, and everything else was greater than
Solomon’s.
Luke
11:32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching
of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Many to those
present were self-righteous Jews. Christ says the men of Nineveh
would rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it,
because they did not repent. When Jonah preached, those people
repented in sackcloth and ashes. Jesus came with the whole gospel,
and he was so much greater than Jonas. Yet these would not hear
the truth.
II. Parable of
the Lighted Candle
Luke
11:33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret
place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which
come in may see the light.
Luke
11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is
evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
When we are
saved, the Holy Spirit comes inside of us and dwells within us. We
become a light shining forth of Jesus Christ. We have a
responsibility to let that light shine before men. We are
commanded to not hide our light under a bushel and keep it a
secret. But rather, our lives should shine out and reach others.
Jesus says that when our eye is sound and healthy, the whole body is
full of light. If our eye is evil, then we are full of darkness.
We are told that
men love darkness rather than light. This is due to our fallen
nature which we inherited from Adam.
John
3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh
to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Luke
11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not
darkness.
Luke
11:36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part
dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining
of a candle doth give thee light.
We are warned to
take heed lest the light which is in us be darkness. We should
ever strive to be Christ-like in our lives and be of the light as
God is of the light.
1
Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall.
We are warned to
not have confidence in our flesh. Without God’s grace, there is no
telling where we might be. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus,
things will be well with us.
III. Jesus is
Invited to a Pharisee’s House
Luke
11:37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with
him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
Luke
11:38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not
first washed before dinner.
Luke
11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean
the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full
of ravening and wickedness.
Luke
11:40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make
that which is within also?
Jesus goes to
eat with this Pharisee. It surprises the man that Jesus does not go
through a customary ceremony that they believed was very important.
Before the Pharisees would eat, they would always wash before
dining. These Pharisees cleansed the body with water, but the
heart was unclean. Unless we know Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are
still in our sins. Jesus was not ignoring the importance of
cleansing the body, but he used this as an opportunity to witness
that the heart must be purified. He calls these fools for not
washing the important parts. Having a clean and pure heart is so
much more important than clean hands.
Luke
11:41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold,
all things are clean unto you.
Luke
11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and
all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God:
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke
11:43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in
the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Luke
11:44 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.
Our Lord
pronounces three woes upon the Pharisees.
1. They
emphasized the tithing of minor things while neglecting the more
important things of life. They were guilty of passing over the
judgment and love of God. Outward observance will never make up
for the lack of inner life.
2. In verse 43,
the second woe pronounced was because of the devotion of the
Pharisees to the uppermost seats in the synagogue. They wanted to
be seen in the markets with their greetings. They favored an
outward show and having people look up to them in they synagogue.
3. The third
woe was dealt with hidden uncleanness. To get the full impact of
this last woe, we need to understand something about the law.
According to the Law of Moses, an Israelite was defiled if he walked
over a grave or came in contact with the bones of a dead body. If
this happened, he had to go through a process of cleaning before he
could again take his place with the worshippers in the house of
God.
These Pharisees
should have been examples of holiness and been the ones to whom
others come for help and guidance. Rather, they had corrupted
themselves and were misleading people due to their unholy influence
and hypocritical lives. To associate with the Pharisees was like
coming in contact with dead men’s bones and becoming defiled.
IV. Jesus
Pronounces Woes Upon the Lawyers
Luke
11:45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master,
thus saying thou reproachest us also.
Luke
11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men
with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the
burdens with one of your fingers.
Luke
11:47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets,
and your fathers killed them.
Luke
11:48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your
fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
Like the
Pharisees, Jesus pronounces three woes on these lawyers. In these
days, a lawyer was one who expounded the Law of Moses. These men
had spent years studying the sacred scriptures. When questions came
up about the interpretation of the scriptures, these were the ones
people turned to get the final word. One of them was stirred to the
depths of his soul when Jesus spoke of the condition of the
Pharisees. He tells Jesus that in condemning the Pharisees, he
also reproached them. If the shoe fits, wear it is the old
saying. If it was wrong for the Pharisees, it was wrong for the
lawyers.
Luke
11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them
prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and
persecute:
Luke
11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the
foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luke
11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which
perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It
shall be required of this generation.
Luke
11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of
knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering
in ye hindered.
Luke
11:53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the
Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak
of many things:
Luke
11:54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of
his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Note the three
woes upon the lawyers.
1. In verse 46,
Jesus points out that these teachers laded men with burdens grievous
to be borne. While doing this, they were not touched by the
burdens with even one of their fingers. They added to the law with
their traditions rather than teaching accurately.
2. In verses
47-51, he condemns them for hypocrisy.
3. Their third
woe is for taking away the key of knowledge. They should have been
going in to the truth and being saved, rather than hindering
others.
It says that
they all sought to speak of many things so that they could catch
something for which to accuse him.
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Prov
4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day.
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