9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks fore a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spiritf to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. 17But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. 18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?—for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. 19Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcistsg cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. 22But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. 23Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
24“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25When it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
True Blessedness
27While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” 28But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
The Sign of Jonah
29When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! 32The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!
The Light of the Body
33“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar,h but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. 35Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. 36If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.”
Jesus Denounces Pharisees and Lawyers
37While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. 38The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you.
42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. 44Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.”
45One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.” 46And he said, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. 47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. 48So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. 52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
next chapter
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a Other ancient authorities read Our Father in heaven
b A few ancient authorities read Your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us. Other ancient authorities add Your will be done, on earth as in heaven
c Or our bread for tomorrow
d Or us into temptation. Other ancient authorities add but rescue us from the evil one (or from evil)
e Other ancient authorities add bread, will give a stone; or if your child asks for
f Other ancient authorities read the Father give the Holy Spirit from heaven
g Gk sons
h Other ancient authorities add or under the bushel basket
11.1–13 Cf. Mt 6.9–13; 7.7–11. A discourse on prayer appropriate to the time of the kingdom.
11.1 On John’s teaching, see 5.33.
11.2 Father (see 6.36; 9.26; 10.21; Deut 32.6; Ps 89.26–27; Mal 2.10; Sir 23.1, 4; 51.10) implies an intimate relationship (see Mk 14.36; Rom 8.15; Gal 4.6; cf. Acts 4.24). Hallowed, i.e., recognized as holy (see Ezek 36.22–23). Your kingdom come. See note on 4.43; see also 10.9;17.20–21; 22.16.
11.3 Daily bread (see Ex 16.4), the bread necessary to live or bread for the future (see text note c). The phrase stresses constancy (see 9.23; Acts 6.1) or eschatological fulfillment (22.16).
11.4 Trial, or temptation, implies conflict with spiritual powers and human adversaries (4.1–13; 8.13; 22.28, 40, 46).
11.8 His persistence, i.e., his begging friend’s shamelessness. On the application of persistence to prayer, see 18.1–8.
11.13 On the gift of the Holy Spirit, see 24.49; Acts 1.4–8; 2.1–13, 38; 4.31; 5.32; 10.44–47.
11.14–54 Jesus meets opposition.
11.14–28 Cf. Mt 12.22–30, 43–45; Mk 3.22–27. The Beelzebul controversy sharpens the question of where God’s power is at work.
11.14 Mute (Greek kophos), or “deaf” (see 1.20, 62).
11.15 Beelzebul, a variant of the name of a Philistine god (see 2 Kings 1.2–16), here identical with Satan (v. 18).
11.16 On the test of Jesus’ ability to produce a sign, see 4.9–12, 23; 11.29; 23.8.
11.17 House falls on house, warfare in households or dynasties (see 12.52–53). Knew what they were thinking. See note on 2.35.
11.20 Finger of God, an allusion to Ex 8.19, where Pharaoh’s magicians recognized God’s true power at work in Moses and Aaron.
11.21 A strong man, here Satan.
11.22 Jesus claims to be the stronger one who has invaded Satan’s domain (see Isa 49.24–25).
11.23 In this conflict there is no middle g
round (cf. 9.50).
11.24 Waterless regions, thought to be the preferred haunts of demons (see 8.29; Lev 16.10).
11.26 To return with seven other spirits would mean infestation (see also 8.2, 30).
11.27 Blessed. See note on 6.20. The blessing pronounced by the woman conforms to Mary’s prediction (1.48; see also 1.42; Gen 49.25).
11.28 Jesus redirects this blessing to those who hear the word of God and obey it (see 8.19–21; see also 6.47; 8.15).
11.29–32 Cf. Mt 12.38–42; Mk 8.12. A direct verdict on the preceding demand for a sign (v. 16).
11.29 An evil generation. See note on 7.31.
11.30 Sign of Jonah, in Mt 12.39–40 Jonah’s three days and nights in the fish, here Jonah himself and his prophetic message (see Mt 12.41). Son of Man. See note on 5.24.
11.31 Queen of the South, the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10.1–13; 2 Chr 9.1–12).
11.32 The Ninevites repented on hearing of impending judgment (see Jon 3.6–10).
11.33–36 Cf. Mt 5.15; 6.22–23; Mk 4.21. A series of loosely related sayings on light.
11.33 Lamp…lampstand. See 8.16.
11.34 Lamp of your body, the ancient notion that the eye emits light that enables one to see.
11.37–54 Cf. Mt 23.1–36; Mk 12.38–40. This second story of meal fellowship with a Pharisees (see 7.36–50) is structured around six “woes” (see also 6.24–26).
11.37 Pharisee. See note on 5.17.
11.38 Amazed, i.e., shocked. To wash before dinner was a matter of ritual cleanliness and obedience to the law, not mere hygiene (see Mk 7.1–5).
11.39 The contrast between outside and inside is a charge of hypocrisy (see Mt 23.25).
11.41 Alms, charitable donations to the poor, important in Jewish piety (Tob 4.7–11). The proper use of possessions is a major Lukan concern. Here almsgiving is recommended as a strategy for cleansing (see note on 12.33).
11.42 Woe. See note on 6.24. The Pharisees gave a tithe, or tenth part, of the harvest to the temple (see 18.12; Lev 27.30–33; Deut 14.22–29;26.12–15; Mal 3.8–10). You…neglect justice, a classic prophetic indictment (see Isa 1.21–23; Am 5.21–24; Mic 3.9–12).
11.43 The seat of honor. See also 14.7;20.46; Mt 23.6; Jas 2.1–7.
11.44 Unmarked graves could cause unwitting defilement (see Lev 21.11; Num 19.11–22).
11.46 Lawyers. See notes on 7.30; 20.45–47. On the burden of keeping the law, see Acts 15.10; cf. Mt 11.30.
11.47 Build the tombs of the prophets, perhaps implying the sealing up of their testimony through complex interpretations (see note on 11.52). Whom your ancestors killed. See 13.34; Acts 7.52.
11.49 The Wisdom of God (see also 7.35) is closely identified with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 6.3, 10), but Matthew places Wisdom’s words directly in Jesus’ mouth (see Mt 23.34; see also 1 Cor 1.24). On the killing and persecution of apostles, see Acts 12.1–5.
11.50 This generation. See note on 7.31.
11.51 Blood of Abel. See Gen 4.8–11. Blood of Zechariah. See 2 Chr 24.20–22.
11.52 Taken away the key, i.e., controlled the scriptures through their interpretations rather than opening them by teaching (see note on 11.47).
11.53–54 The hostility of the religious leaders becomes a theme in the narrative (see esp. 19.47–48; 20.1–21.4).
Luke 12
A Warning against Hypocrisy
1Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. 2Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 3Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Exhortation to Fearless Confession
4“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authoritya to cast into hell.b Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about howc you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?d 26If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;e yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, strive for hisf kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Watchful Slaves
35“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, heg would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
41Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manage
r whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 43Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces,h and put him with the unfaithful. 47That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. 48But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
Jesus the Cause of Division
49“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
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