The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Luke 11

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.’”

(a) Forgive us our sins. Jesus taught the disciples to pray for the forgiveness of sins and on the cross he answered their prayer.

On the cross the Lamb of God bore the sins of the whole world (John 1:29, 2 John 2:2). All your sins, past, present, and future, have been forgiven or carried away as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus told the disciples to preach the remission of sins or the good news of unconditional forgiveness (see entry for Luke 24:47).

(b) Sins. In Matthew’s account of this prayer, Jesus says “Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12). To someone living under the obligations of the old covenant, sin can be thought of as a debt owed to the Lord.

(c) We ourselves also forgive everyone. This is the same message Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:12), but without the law. There is none of the conditional forgiveness of Matthew 6:14-15.

Jesus preached old covenant law to those under the law, but as the messenger of the new covenant, he also demonstrated and proclaimed unconditional forgiveness that came through the cross (Matt. 9:2, 18:27, Luke 7:42, 47, 23:34).

(d) Lead us not into temptation. God will never tempt you (Jas. 1:13) or lead you anywhere near the tempter, so why would Jesus pray such a thing? The original word for temptation (peirasmos) means a trial or test and this is how the word is translated elsewhere. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (Jas. 1:2). The trials of life test our faith (Jas. 1:3). When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, it was a kind of trial. Trials like this are not to be feared. They are an occasion for rejoicing because they reveal the golden qualities of our God-given faith.

In context, Jesus is saying, “Father, do not lead us into trouble but lead us out of trouble.” Just as you can trust God to provide your daily bread, you can trust God to deliver you from all kinds of evil. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation (trials)” (2 Pet. 2:9).

Luke 11:5

Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;

(a) Suppose one of you. “Which of you?” Jesus begins with a question that draws his listeners in: “Suppose you go to a friend in the middle of the night to ask for bread?” He poses a practical question to reveal a spiritual truth, which is that God always hears our prayers, and he is generous and eager to help us in our time of need.

Not everyone sees it this way. Some read the Parable of the Friend of Midnight as a call to pound on the doors of heaven until you get what you want. “You have to persist in prayer and convince God that you are serious.” Apparently, we’re supposed to pray long prayers, even though Jesus told us not to (Matt. 6:7). Something doesn’t add up.

The parable arose from a simple request, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). In response, Jesus gave a prayer (the Lord’s Prayer), a parable (the Friend at Midnight), and a promise (“Ask and it will be given” (Luke 11:9)).

(b) Friend. The original adjective philos means “beloved friend.” If you need to wake your neighbor in the middle of the night to ask for a favor, you’ll appeal to the bond between you. “Dear friend, pal, buddy of mine.”

(d) Three loaves. You need bread because an unexpected guest has arrived. But your family has already eaten today’s bread, and there won’t be any more until your wife gets up to grind the flour, knead the dough, and bake again.

Luke 11:6

for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

I have nothing. The Middle Eastern obligation to show hospitality has put you in an awkward position. You have to provide food for your guest, but to do so, you will have to inconvenience your neighbor

Luke 11:7

and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’

Do not bother me. Like the unjust judge worn down by the persistent widow (Luke 18:5), your sleeping neighbor is irritated by your knocking and calling. “You’ll wake the children!” To get up means lighting a lamp, finding some bread, unbolting the heavy door, locking it again, extinguishing the lamp—it’s too much trouble. He hopes you’ll give up and go away.

Luke 11:8

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

(a) Not … because he is his friend. Your neighbor won’t help you because of friendship; he’ll help you because you’re a nuisance. The racket you are making threatens to wake the whole neighborhood.

(b) Persistence. The original noun anaideia means “shamelessness” or “impudence.” You don’t want to be rude, but you’re desperate. You will do whatever it takes to get bread from your neighbor.

Some say shameless persistence is necessary for effective prayer. “You have to be shameless when praying to God. You have to pound the doors of heaven until you get your breakthrough.” In other words, you have to be like the maniacal prophets of Baal trying to arouse a sleeping god (1 Kgs. 18:27).

Like the unjust judge in the next parable, the irritated neighbor is an antitype. He does not portray God. Your neighbor may be tired and unwilling to help, but God is nothing like that. He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4), and his door is always open. Your heavenly Father invites you to bring every request to him, any time of day, knowing that it pleases him to bless you (Phil. 4:6).

(c) Give him as much as he needs. Your grumpy neighbor will load you up with whatever you want just to be rid of you. “You want bread? It’s yours. Wine, oil, olives? Take it all and go.”

As with the unjust judge, a negative contrast is made. If your unwilling neighbor will give you bread, how much more will your heavenly Father supply you with what you need? If you, being evil, give good gifts to your children, how much more will your good Father give you what you ask for (see Luke 11:13)?

Luke 11:9

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

(a) Ask. Asking is how we receive (Jas. 4:2). We can ask for grace (Heb. 4:16), and we can ask for wisdom (Jas. 1:5). We can ask our Father for whatever we need. Our heavenly Father wants us to ask because asking cultivates dependency and intimacy. He wants us to lean on him rather than ourselves. He wants us to see him as the Giver of every good gift (Jas. 1:17).

(b) It will be given or done. When we rest in the love of Christ and allow his word to take root in our hearts, our desires align with his desires. We pray with the mind of Christ and the aid of his Spirit, knowing that our righteous prayers will be answered (Matt. 21:22, John 15:7, 1 John 5:14).

(c) Seek. Don’t be weighed down by worldly worries, but seek his kingdom (Luke 12:31). Put God at the center, and he’ll take care of the rest. He promises to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:19).

(d) Knock on the gate of the kingdom, and you will be welcomed. Knock on the door of grace, and it will be flung open to receive you.

Jesus is contrasting two ways to live. We can live like unbelievers, fretting over food, clothing, and whatever troubles tomorrow may bring (Luke 12:22, 29–30), or we can rest in in our Father’s care, trusting him to provide everything we need, even our daily bread (Luke 11:3).

Luke 11:10

“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

Everyone. God turns no one away (John 6:37, Rev. 22:17). All who ask for mercy shall have it. All who seek his kingdom and his righteousness shall find it. All who knock are welcomed, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13).

Luke 11:11–12

“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?

(a) Suppose one of you. Jesus was a master at using everyday examples to illuminate spiritual realities. “You wouldn’t give your son something bad, would you? Of course not. Neither will God give you sickness or suffering.”

It may be tempting to think that God gives us trials and hardships to teach us things. But God is a blesser, not a curser. God didn’t give you cancer, anxiety, or poverty. He can’t give what he does not have.

(b) Fish… egg. Our daily needs.

Luke 11:13

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

(a) Being evil. If ordinary fathers, who are flawed and broken, want to bless their children, how much more generous is our good and perfect Father. “He who did not spare his own Son, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

(b) How much more? Our heavenly Father is the God of the “how much more.” He is much more loving, generous, and kind than the very best earthly father.

(c) Your heavenly Father. Jesus came to reveal a God who loves you like a father, who cares for you, and promises to meet your needs.

Theologians sometimes ask, “What was Jesus’ favorite subject?” Some say the kingdom, others money or love. But Jesus’ favorite subject by a long stretch was his Father. Everything he said and did flowed from that relationship. “I do what I see my Father doing,” said Jesus. “I speak what I hear him speaking” (John 5:17–20, 8:28, 12:49–50). When he prayed, “Righteous Father… I have made your name known to them” (John 17:25-26), he was referring to the name “Father.” And when he prayed, “Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:28), he was saying, “May you be known as Father.” See also the entry for Matt. 5:16.

(d) Give. God is a generous and giving Father (Matt. 7:11, Luke 12:32). He gives and gives until you have more than you need, and your cup is overflowing.

(e) Give the Holy Spirit. God does not just give to supply our material needs; he gives himself so that we might live in fellowship with him. When you have the indwelling Spirit of Christ, you have everything you need for life and godliness. Those who are one with the Lord lack no good thing.

Luke 11:15

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

(a) Some of them. In Matthew’s account, it is the Pharisees who accuse of Jesus of cooperating with the powers of darkness (Matt. 12:24). In Mark’s account, it is the scribes (Mark 3:22).

(b) Beelzebul, or Baal-zebub, was the Philistine name for the prince of devils (2 Kgs. 1:2–3).

Luke 11:16

Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

A sign from heaven; see entry for Matt. 12:38.

Luke 11:20

“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

(a) The finger of God. The power of God. When the religious leaders saw Jesus casting out devils, they said he did it with the aid of Satan (Matt. 12:24, Mark 3:22). Jesus corrected their bad theology. “Only by the finger or power of God do we cast out demons.” He added that casting out demons by the Spirit of God was a sign that the kingdom of God had come. Sadly, it was a sign the religious leaders seemed to miss (Luke 17:20).

(b) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

Luke 11:21

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.

(a) Strong man. The strong man is Satan or the devil and his house is the fallen world.

(b) Possessions. Enslaved humanity.

Luke 11:22

“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

(a) Someone stronger. The stronger man who overpowers the strong man is Jesus himself.

(b) Armor. Jesus disarmed his enemies at the cross.

Luke 11:23

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

There is no neutral ground, no empty space between Satan’s kingdom (Luke 11:18) and the kingdom of God (Luke 11:20). We are either in darkness or the light. We are either dead in sin or alive in Christ.

Luke 11:28

But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

To hear the word of God and observe it is to repent and believe the good news of Jesus. Jesus is the Living Word of God (John 1:1, 14, Rev. 19:13). He is the Word of life (1 John 1:1) who imparts life to those who trust him.

The people of Nazareth are an example of those who heard the word of God but did not heed it (Luke 4:28).

See entry for Word of God.

Luke 11:29

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

(a) A wicked generation is one that seeks signs instead of seeking God. The Jews had an abundance of signs. They had the law and the prophets and the testimony of John the Baptist. They had the many extraordinary miracles already done by Jesus. Yet they remained unpersuaded and unrepentant.

(b) The sign of Jonah; see entry for Matt. 12:39.

Luke 11:30

“For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

(a) The Son of Man; see entry for Matt. 8:20.

(b) Jonah; see entry for Matt. 12:39.

Luke 11:32

“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

(a) The men of Nineveh. How can the men of Nineveh stand in judgment since they died before the heard about Jesus? We can only speculate, but it’s possible that Jesus, after he was crucified, descended to the depths and preached the gospel to those who were in the grave (1 Pet. 4:6). See also the entry for Eph. 4:8.

(b) Repented. To repent means to change your mind. In context, it means changing your mind about Christ and the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4). “Change your unbelieving mind and believe the glad tidings of God’s grace and forgiveness” (see Mark 1:15). Jesus is talking about people who heard the gospel and believed it.

(c) Preaching. The original word (kerugma) means a proclamation. This is one of three words that are commonly translated as “preaching” in the New Testament. See entry for Acts 5:42.

Luke 11:42

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

(a) Woe does not mean “God will punish you!” It’s an expression of distress or deep sorrow. When Jesus says, “Woe to those who are pregnant and nursing babies in those days” (Matt. 24:19), he’s expressing grief.

(b) Mint and rue. “You’ve got life back to front. You’re hung up on the small things – herbs, for pity’s sake! – and you’ve missed the big things.”

(c) Disregard justice and the love of God. To a nation burdened with the heavy yoke of law, the cry for justice and mercy was never far away. The law makes us acutely aware of our shortcomings and our need for mercy. The Pharisees laid down the law (as they saw fit) but neglected to tell people about the great love of God.

(d) Love of God. The unconditional love of God for us is the foundation of the new covenant. Indeed, it is the foundation of life, the universe and everything. The love of God is the answer to your deepest questions. Why did God make me? Why did he send his Son to rescue me? Why does he not hold my sins against me? Answer: Because God loves you with a love that will never give up.

Manmade religion portrays God as capricious and his love as variable. “Sometimes he loves you, sometimes he doesn’t.” But the gospel of grace declares God’s love for you is constant and shadowless (Ps. 136, Jas. 1:17). Religion prostitutes the love of God by putting price tags on his affection. “You have to earn his favor.” But the gospel of grace declares that God loved you while you were a sinner and nothing can separate you from his love (Rom. 5:8, 8:38–39). Religion demands that you impress God with the fervency of your love, but the gospel of grace inspires you to trust in your heavenly Father who loves you without limit (Eph. 3:17–19).

Luke 11:45

One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”

Lawyers. A lawyer was an expert in the Law of Moses. A lawyer was probably similar to a scribe (see entry for Matt. 22:35).

Luke 11:46

But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Lawyers; see previous verse.

Luke 11:47–48

“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. “So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.

(a) Tombs. The scribes and Pharisees tended the tombs of the prophets and martyrs, but Jesus was unimpressed. Their attempts to honor the dead were a sham. In their hearts they had more in common with the killers than the prophets they killed. “The tombs you build are monuments to your murdering ancestors” (MSG).

(b) Approve the deeds of your fathers. These sons of murderers were just like their forebears. Jesus knew these men would kill him and they did it within the week. He also knew that they would kill and persecute his apostles (see next verse).

Luke 11:49

“For this reason also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,

(a) “For this reason” is one of Jesus’s favorite sayings; see entry for Matt. 6:25.

(b) The Wisdom of God is Jesus himself (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus is the Word of God and the Wisdom of God. He is the way by which God speaks and reveals his wisdom to creation (see Isa. 11:2, Matt. 13:54, Luke 2:40, 1 Cor. 1:30). “Christ is… the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). Jesus is not quoting an Old Testament prophet. He is quoting himself. Evidently this was a saying he used more than once (e.g., Matt. 23:34).

(c) Prophets and apostles. A prophet is someone who calls forth God’s purposes. There were prophets in the old covenant (e.g., Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist) and in there are prophets in the new covenant (e.g., Agabus (Acts 21:10), Judas and Silas (Act 15:32), and the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8–9)). An apostle is a delegate or ambassador. It is someone who has been sent out as a messenger for God (see entry for 1 Cor. 1:1).

(d) Kill. Self-righteous religion ministers death to those who practice it and those who oppose it (2 Cor. 3:7).

(e) Persecute. Jesus told the religious leaders that they would scourge and persecute those he sent, then he told his disciples that they would be scourged and persecuted. See entry for Mark 13:9.

Luke 11:50–51

so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’

(a) Blood of Abel. “You’re going to pay for the blood of Abel and Zechariah.” See entry for Matt. 23:35.

(b) Charged or “required” in the sense that sin has consequences. Sow death, and you’ll reap death.

(c) This generation. The murderous Jews had sowed to the wind and would, within a generation, reap the whirlwind. See entry for Luke 21:32.

Luke 11:52

“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

(a) Woe to you lawyers! The lawyers of all people should have understood the proper purpose of the law which is to bring us to the end of ourselves and expose our need for grace. The law is a signpost to Jesus (Gal. 3:24).

Further reading: “What is the purpose of the law?”

(b) The key of knowledge is the law that unlocks the proudest heart revealing our need for grace. In a broader sense, it is the Old Testament.

The lawyers and religious leaders were the gatekeepers to the scriptures that pointed to the Messiah (John 5:39). If they had done their job, the nation of Israel would have eagerly received Jesus when he came. But they did not use the key they had been given and as a result they remained outside of the kingdom.

(c) You did not enter the kingdom of God. In pronouncing woe over the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus is lamenting their disastrous choices. “You’re not entering the kingdom of heaven.” This is terrible. “Nor do you allow others to enter.”

Luke 11:53

When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,

(a) Scribes; see entry for Matt. 5:20.

(b) Pharisees; see entry for Matt. 3:7.

The Grace Commentary is a work in progress with new content added regularly. Sign up for occasional updates below. Got a suggestion? Please use the Feedback page. To report typos or broken links on this page, please use the comment form below.

“The Grace Commentary is full of God’s love notes to us.” We’re building the world’s first grace-based Bible commentary. Join the team and your support will help us complete the Grace Commentary and offer versions in multiple formats and languages.

Luke 11