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Luke Chapter
Eleven
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Teachings and Warnings of the Son of Man
the Savior
I. He taught them to pray (v.1-13).
II. He taught them the knowledge of casting out
demons (v.14-26).
III. He taught them the knowledge of the true
blessing------hearing the word of God and keeping it (v.27-28).
IV. He taught them the knowledge of sign (v.29-32).
V. The words of warnings:
A. We
should examine ourselves to make our eyes good and then the whole body will be
full of light (v.33-36).
B. We
shouldn’t clean the outward part only and we should also clean the inner part
(v.37-41).
C. He
warned the Pharisees of six woes (v.42-54).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 11:1 “Now it came to pass, as
He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples
said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as
John also taught his disciples.’”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, in his being in a certain place praying, as he ceased, a certain one of
his disciples said unto him, `Sir, teach us to pray, as also John taught his
disciples.’”
Literal Meaning: “Now it came to
pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased” It shows the
features of the prayer of the Lord Jesus: 1) there is a certain place; 2) for a
certain thing; 3) it could be heard; 4) there is a period of time. The ordinary
Christians always neglect this kind of prayer that one finds a period of time
and prays for a certain thing practically in a voice.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord set a good example with His own conduct
in the life of prayer and this made His disciples yearn for prayer. Therefore
they came to ask the Lord to instruct them. This is a good way to encourage
others.
2) The testimony of our life is the best platform.
Believers do not have to persuade sinners to be far from sins. As long as they
live the life of holiness before men, men will be naturally attracted to seek
the key of the holy life.
3) Usually we do not
know what we should pray (Rom. 8:26) and therefore we should “ask the Lord to
teach us to pray” with a heart that is willing to be instructed.
4) The disciples asked the Lord to teach them to
pray and the Lord answered them immediately and taught them (See v.2). It shows
that the desire to learn to pray is acceptable to the Lord and it will be
fulfilled assuredly.
Luke. 11:2 “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be
Your name. Yo
YLT: “And he said to
them, ‘When ye may pray, say ye: Our Father who art in the heavens; hallowed be
Thy name: Thy reign come; Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on earth;”
Literal
Meaning: “when you pray, say”
the Lord did not want us to recite exactly according to the prayer. What He did
was to give us an example of prayer and to teach us the principle of prayer.
“Our Father in heaven” Only the children of
God who are born from above could pray in this manner.
“Hallowed be Your name.” To the Jews, “name”
stands for one’s uniqueness. Here it indicates God’s character and nature. This
sentence means that God should be exalted above
all in the hearts of all men.
“Your kingdom come.” It means that God reign
among people on earth.
“Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.” It means that people on earth all do the will of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should start our prayer with worship, praise
and honor because our God is worthy of these.
2) Today, many people on earth ignore, despise and
insult God’s name and even among believers, many call God’s name rashly and
casually.
3) Today not merely
the world rebels against God and gainsays Him. God’s people honor Him with the
lips, but their heart is far away from Him (Matt. 15:8). They have not lived in
the reality of the
4) Today many believers, standing on their own
sides, pray for their own needs. Few believers, standing on the side of God,
pray for God’s kingdom and God’s will.
5) The highest prayer of believers is that they
work with God through prayer. It is to pray with the single-minded aim of
exalting God’s name, bringing in the
6) If the
7) Today God’s will
is done in heaven without any hindrance and it is hindered by men’s will on
earth. Therefore we need to pray to make paths straight for God.
8) God’s will is
like river and our prayer is like small pipes. God’s will is usually retrained
by prayer of His citizens.
9) The working principle of God is: God has a will
and He would let those who are of Him know it at first and then asks them to
pray to God for this will. Then God will answer their prayer to fulfill His own
will.
10) The true and effective prayer is to know the
will of God at first and let the will of prayers accord with the will of God to
move the mighty hand of God so as to fulfill the contents of prayer.
11) The prayers that we usually hear differ greatly
from the Lord’s teachings concerning prayer. We always pray according to our
own wills that, “Oh, Lord, bless me, my house, my assembly, my hometown…” We
miss the part to which the Lord gives priority in prayer.
12) The order of the Lord is that: the world is
first and then the individual. Since the Lord Jesus has given everything to us
and He even gave us His life on the cross, if He asks us to give priority to
His kingdom in prayer, how can it be the excessive demand? Only those who let
Christ have the preeminence in everything would gain the spiritual power.
Luke. 11:3 “Give us day by day our
daily bread.”
YLT: “our appointed bread
be giving us daily;”
Meaning of Words: daily: the daily
ration.
Literal
Meaning: “our daily bread”
stands for the necessities of life instead of luxury goods.
“Give us day by day.” Though we should not
worry about our life or food (See 12:22-24), we should pray for our daily bread
day by day. Though God will assuredly provide us with the daily bread, we still
have to pray and through prayer we exercise ourselves in trusting God in
everything.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When we live in
this world, if we could regard the profits of God, God will assuredly regard
our daily needs. For if we live, we live to the Lord (
2) Apparently, we get our daily bread by our toil (Gen.
3:17). Actually, it is given from God who affords us all things richly for
enjoyment (1Tim. 6:17). Therefore, we should rely on God’s provision,
concerning both the spiritual and material needs.
3) God gives us our daily bread day by day because
He wants us to pray day by day. Those who live by relying on God ask for bread
day by day instead of week by week.
4) When we pray, we should care about the need of
God firstly (See v.2) and we shouldn’t neglect the need of men.
Luke. 11:4 “And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into
temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.’”
YLT: “and forgive us our
sins, for also we ourselves forgive every one indebted to us; and mayest Thou
not bring us into temptation; but do Thou deliver us from the evil.’”
Meaning of Words: “temptation”: trial;
“deliver from”: save; “the evil one”: the devil that is a person and with a
mind.
Literal Meaning: “forgive us our
sins” “sins” indicate our offences against God and iniquities to men.
“For we also forgive everyone who is
indebted to us” “for” indicates the condition for the prayer to be answered by
God and it is to forgive others first because if we do not forgive others, our
conscience will not be good. Without good conscience we will also lose faith
(1Tim. 1:19). Our prayer will not be answered by God without faith.
“And do not lead us into temptation.” It
means that do not let us suffer the temptations that we could not resist. Here
the Lord taught us to admit our weakness and ask God to protect us through
praying.
“But deliver us from the evil one.” “The
evil one” (John. 17:15) is the devil who walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour (1Pet. 5:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The moment we
live in the natural life, we will sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom.
3:23). Therefore we should confess our sins every day and ask God to forgive
our sins (1John. 1:8-10).
2) God’s heart is to forgive men’s sins (offences)
willingly. Since He has forgiven our offences, He assuredly wants us to forgive
other’s iniquities just like what He does (Matt. 18:21-35).
3) If men could not have communion with men, men
will not have communion with God.
4) When believers
stand on the side of God and pray for the name, kingdom and will of God, the
power of Hades will attack us. Therefore we need to be kept by God.
5) The devil, the tempter (Matt. 4:3), as a raring
lion walks about seeking whom he may devour (1Pet. 5:8). Nobody could resist
the devil by his own strength and therefore we need to rely on God’s keep.
6) The whole world lies in the wicked, but we are
of God and the wicked does not touch us (1John. 5:18-19). However, we should
still be united with God by prayer and hide ourselves in Him.
7) This prayer that the Lord has taught us concerns
both God’s glory (v.2) and men’s material (v.3) and spiritual (v.4) need.
Luke. 11:5 “And He said to them, ‘Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at
midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;”
YLT: “And he said unto
them, ‘Who of you shall have a friend, and shall go on unto him at midnight,
and may say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,”
The
Background: “at midnight” It is
torrid in summer in the
Enlightenment in the Word: It is truly unreasonable to wake up one’s whole
family late at night to lend three loaves. Many times, our prayers to God are
unreasonable just like this.
Luke. 11:6 “for a friend of mine has
come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;”
YLT: “seeing a friend of
mine came out of the way unto me, and I have not what I shall set before him,”
The
Background: Hospitality is a
virtue to which the Jews attach great importance (See Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2).
Literal Meaning: “a friend of mine”
there were three “friends” in this parable: 1) the friend who was on his
journey; 2) the friend who asked to lend three loaves; 3) the friend who was
asked to lend three loaves.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The one who is able to see the need of his
friend and his own could be a good prayer.
2) If one prays and treats the need of others as
his own, this kind of prayer will assuredly be answered by God.
Luke. 11:7 “and he will answer from
within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door
is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to
you'?”
YLT: “and he from within
answering may say, Do not give me trouble, already the door hath been shut, and
my children with me are in the bed, I am not able, having risen, to give to
thee.”
Literal Meaning: this verse shows
that the one who was asked to lend loaves was hardly a friend in need.
Luke. 11:8 “I say to you, though he
will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his
persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”
YLT: “`I say to you, even
if he will not give to him, having risen, because of his being his friend, yet
because of his importunity, having risen, he will give him as many as he doth
need;”
Meaning of Words: “persistence”:
importunity, impudence, shamelessness.
Literal Meaning: the parable from v.6 to v.8, by the selfish friend
who rose and gave him what he needed because he could not refuse his persistent
request, shows that if we beseech God persistently in like manner, shouldn’t we
be rewarded bountifully by the merciful God?
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The power of urgent prayer is greater than the
relationship of friends. One may not give him because he is his friend,
however, he has to give him because of his persistence.
2) The friend who is unwilling even changes his
mind because of the persistence and is forced to do according to the will of
the asker, shall not rather the Father who is willing to answer men’s prayers?
3) “His persistence” Prayer must be motivated by
the inner urgency of need and it should be the natural revelation. We should
never pray hypocritically or with exuberant but empty words. We should not pray
without any need.
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.”
YLT: “and I say to you,
Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
be opened to you;”
Literal Meaning: “ask”: the common
prayer;
“Seek”: to ask single-mindedly;
“Knock”: to request further;
“Ask, seek and
knock” all have the meaning of continuance in the original.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God’s “opening” is determined by our “knocking”.
God’s “will” is dominated by men’s “prayers”. The working principle of God is:
God starts to work after His people have prayed.
2) “Ask, seek and knock” shows that we should pray
at all seasons (Eph. 6:18) till God answers us.
3) If we want to have to have normal relation with
God, we should live a life relying on God and having intimate communication
with God by “asking, seeking and knocking”.
4) God loves that we ask Him in everything. You do
not have because you do not ask (James. 4:2).
5) “Asking” has a concentrated aim; “Seeking” takes
great effort. “Knocking” makes the practical action.
6) Many times, we
pray as if we “knock the wall” instead of “knock”. We must pray clearly and
specifically and we should never pray vaguely or generally.
Luke. 11:10 “For everyone who asks
receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
YLT: “for every one who
is asking doth receive; and he who is seeking doth find; and to him who is
knocking it shall be opened.”
Literal Meaning: v.9 is the promise
and this verse is the principle.
Enlightenment in the Word: There is only “and” between asking and receiving,
seeking and finding and knocking and being opened and there is not any other
condition being set here.
Luke. 11:11 “If a son asks for bread
from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish,
will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?”
YLT: “`And of which of
you the father if the son shall ask a loaf, a stone will he present to him? and
if a fish, will he instead of a fish, a serpent present to him?”
The
Background: in ancient times,
the bread was oblate and its shape was similar to that of a stone.
Spiritual Meaning: “If a son asks for
bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?” “Bread” symbolizes
the provision of life; “stone” symbolizes the lifeless thing.
“Or if he asks for a fish, will he give
him a serpent instead of a fish?” “Fish” swims in water freely. And it
symbolizes Christ and His life that could enable us to overcome the surrounding
circumstances. “Serpent” symbolizes Satan and any man or thing that has
connection with Satan that would deceive and frame us.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Children may ask wrongly because of their
childishness. However, parents won’t give wrongly. Father in heaven will not
only give us the right thing but also give us far exceedingly above all which
we ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
2) Many times, it seems that we are asking for
bread. Actually, what we ask is a stone. Many times, we think that God has
given us the stone. Actually, what God gives us is bread.
3) The devil always deceives us with a stone as
bread (Matt. 4:3). However what the Lord gives us is real.
4) Many times, we ask for a fish. Actually what we
ask is a serpent. Many times what God gives us looks like a serpent but
actually it is a fish.
5) As long as we ask our Father, He will assuredly
answer us. But He probably does not answer us according to what we ask. He
answers us according to what is profitable to us in His sight.
Luke. 11:12 “Or if he asks for an egg,
will he offer him a scorpion?”
YLT: “and if he may ask
an egg, will he present to him a scorpion?”
Spiritual Meaning: “an egg” symbolizes
the thing that could nourish life; “a scorpion” symbolizes the thing that makes
life suffer pain extremely.
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!’”
YLT: “If, then, ye, being
evil, have known good gifts to be giving to your children, how much more shall
the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking Him!’”
Literal Meaning: “if you then, being
evil” It does not merely mean that we are sinners. It also includes that we are
imperfect in morality and nature.
“How much more will your heavenly
Father” Our Father, wants us to have profit with a heart as a father (Heb.
12:10).
“How much more will your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” The inner dwelling of the Holy
Spirit (John. 20:22) gives us provision, guidance and comfort; the baptism of
the Holy Spirit (Acts. 1:8) gives us power. We should pursue to be filled with
the Holy Spirit (See Eph. 5:18). We should wait and pray to be baptized by the
Holy Spirit (See 24:49; Acts. 1:14).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The abundance of the
2) Our prayers will never fail. God may not merely
answer us according to what we pray because He knows what we really need.
3) The power produced by our prayers will never
disappear just like the law of conservation of mass in Physics. One substance
may disappear in one form but it still exists in another form. God will answer
our prayer according to His sovereignty and infinite wisdom.
4) Many times, we may ask for wrong things but He
won’t give us wrongly. What He gives us is good.
5) As long as men truly seek God, He gives him the
good thing all the time because God treats those who seek Him with the bowel of
a father.
6) Many times we think that God does not answer our
prayers and He does not love us. Actually, God wants to give us good things.
7) Sometimes, the sorrowful and difficult things
are permitted by God to come upon us. It is not that He does not love us but He
wants to edify us and gives us better things.
8) The Holy Spirit is the greatest reward that God
gives men. All the profit of life becomes our real enjoyment through the Holy
Spirit.
Luke. 11:14 “And He was casting out a
demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute
spoke; and the multitudes marveled.”
YLT: “And he was casting
forth a demon, and it was dumb, and it came to pass, the demon having gone
forth, the dumb man spake, and the multitudes wondered,”
Spiritual Meaning: “He was casting out
a demon” It symbolizes that the salvation of the Lord delivers us from the dumb
idols (1Cor. 12:2).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Once the dumb idols are cast out, men are able
to speak and pray to God and praise Him.
2) We have been delivered from the power of
darkness and conveyed into the
Luke. 11:15 “But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the
demons.’”
YLT: “and certain of them
said, ‘By Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons, he doth cast forth the demons;’”
The
Background: “Beelzebub” is the
Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron (2Kings. 1:2). The Jews changed its voice to call
“Beelzebub” and it means “the king of dunghill”. It also means “the king of
house” because the devil possesses men, treats men as houses and occupies men’s
body to be the king of house.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Since men abused and blasphemed our Lord, we
should not hope others to treat us good. When we are misunderstood, persecuted
and despised by others, we should remember how they treat our Lord.
2) The nominal Christians specially misinterpret
others’ works. Concerning whatever they cannot do, they say that others are
utilized by the demons.
Luke. 11:16 “Others, testing Him,
sought from Him a sign from heaven.”
YLT: “and others,
tempting, a sign out of heaven from him were asking.”
Meaning of Words: “sign”: wonder,
token.
Literal Meaning: “testing Him”
“testing” is the expression of unbelief towards the Lord.
“Sought Him a sign from heaven” The Lord
Jesus just cast out the demon of dumbness (See v.14), in other words, He just
done the sign. However, they were unwilling to admit it and asked for a sign
from heaven to prove that He is truly from God.
Enlightenment in the Word: nominal Christians pay attention to the outward
phenomena and signs (miracles) and neglect the inner connotation and
reality.
Luke. 11:17 “But He, knowing their
thoughts, said to them: ‘Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house
falls.”
YLT: “And he, knowing
their thoughts, said to them, `Every kingdom having been divided against itself
is desolated; and house against house doth fall;”
Meaning of Words: “house”: home,
household.
Literal Meaning: “He, knowing their
thoughts” “thoughts” include the meaning of schemes; here this indicates that
the Lord is able to see through the real meaning of men’s inner thoughts (See
Rev. 2:23).
“Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation.” It means that if men cast out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of
the demons (See v.15), won’t
the demons fight with each other? In this way, the
“And a house divided against a house
falls.” “Kingdom and house” are spheres adhering to different authority. They
exist because a kind of authority holds them together. Once the authority does
not work, they will naturally disintegrate.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The testimony of the assembly (house) depends on
the tolerance in love among believers and the uniting bound of peace.
2) If there is segregation in some assembly, there
won’t be any edification in that assembly.
Luke. 11:18 “If Satan also is divided
against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons
by Beelzebub.”
YLT: “and if also the
Adversary against himself was divided, how shall his kingdom be made to stand?
for ye say, by Beelzeboul is my casting forth the demons.”
Meaning of Words: “Satan”: the
adversary, the accuser.
Literal Meaning: “Satan” sets itself
against God and it does not set against itself.
Satan has its own kingdom------this
world is its kingdom and it is the prince of this kingdom (John. 12:31). It
never puts up with any provocation.
Enlightenment in the Word: Since Satan could not “be divided against himself”,
therefore if there is a bit position for Satan in us, it is impossible for us
to overcome Satan in the spiritual conflicts.
Luke. 11:19 “And if I cast out demons
by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your
judges.”
YLT: “`But if I by
Beelzeboul cast forth the demons your sons, by whom do they cast forth? because
of this your judges they shall be;”
Literal Meaning: the Pharisees also
cast out demons and they thought they did it by God in their eyes. However they
criticized that the Lord cast out demons by the ruler of the demons. And this
played a negative role in their standpoint.
Luke. 11:20 “But if I cast out demons
with the finger of God, surely the
YLT: “but if by the
finger of God I cast forth the demons, then come unawares upon you did the
reign of God.”
Meaning of Words: “the finger of God”:
means (See Exod. 8:19).
Literal Meaning: “The
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Where there is the authority of God, there will
be no place for the demons. Magnifying the Lord is the key to overcome in the
spiritual conflicts.
2) Only “the finger of God” is needed in casting
out demons and “the hand of God’ (See John. 10:28-29) and “the arm of God” (See
Is. 53:1) are not needed here. It is impossible to cast out demons relying on
ourselves, however, it is easy to do it relying on God (See Zech. 4:6).
Luke. 11:21 “When a strong man, fully
armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.”
YLT: “`When the strong
man armed may keep his hall, in peace are his goods;”
Meaning of Words: “a strong man”: the
mighty one, the valiant one; “own palace”: court.
Spiritual Meaning: “a strong man”
indicates the powerful and mighty man and it symbolizes Satan; “guards his own
palace” “the strong man’s own palace” indicates the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If it is always “in peace” in us, we should be
careful because it may be firmly guarded by the strong man------Satan that is
“fully armed”.
2) The coming of Christ sometimes makes men feel
unpeaceful in themselves (See 12:49-53). Therefore, indeed, it is not good
sometimes if our spiritual states are too easy and calm.
Luke. 11:22 “But when a stronger than
he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which
he trusted, and divides his spoils.”
YLT: “but when the
stronger than he, having come upon [him], may overcome him, his whole-armour he
doth take away in which he had trusted, and his spoils he distributeth;”
Spiritual Meaning: “a stronger than he”
indicates the Lord Jesus.
“Overcomes him, he takes from him all
his armor in which he trusted.” The Lord Jesus had crushed the head of Satan on
the cross (Gen. 3:15) and corrupted its power that pillages men (See Eph. 2:8).
“And divides his spoils” All men are
formerly captives of the devil, however, believers have been set free by the
Lord (Gal. 5:1).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When Christ deals with the enemy, He “overcame”
it first and then “divided”. The principle to preach the glad tidings is also
to pray for binding Satan first and then gaining men.
2) Every spiritual work is the obvious plunder
instead of the secret robbery. Christians should not deal with Satan
courteously but without sincerity.
Luke. 11:23 “He who is not with Me is
against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
YLT: “he who is not with
me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me doth scatter.”
Meaning of Words: “with”: stand on the
same side; “gather”: lead together.
Literal Meaning: “He who is not with
Me”: who does not stand on the side of the Lord. “He who does not gather with
Me”: who does not bring men to the Lord.
In this cosmos, there are only the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We do not have any neutral position between the
Lord and Satan.
2) Concerning the attitude towards Christ, “he who
is not with Me is against Me”. Concerning the attitude towards works of those
who are of Christ, “he who is not against us is on our side” (See 9:50).
3) It is impossible for a Christian not to be with
the Lord on earth. It is also impossible for a Christian not to gather with the
Lord------never bring men to the Lord.
4) All that are not with Christ are against Christ.
Therefore we should desire Christ single-mindedly and we won’t become the enemy
of Christ.
5) All that are not gathered unto Christ scatter.
Therefore if we regard any person or thing besides Christ------spiritual
giants, doctrines and implementations as central, we destroy the oneness of the
assembly, i.e. sinning against Christ.
Luke. 11:24 “‘When
an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest;
and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house
from which I came.'”
YLT: “‘When the unclean
spirit may go forth from the man it walketh through waterless places seeking
rest, and not finding, it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came
forth;”
Meaning of Words: “dry”: waterless.
Literal Meaning: “unclean spirit”:
evil spirits. After they had been judged with water by God (See Gen. 1:2), they
lived in the sea. Then they roost in dry places and the body of men after men
had fallen and sinned against God. “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man,”
unless the spirit finds some other objects, it won’t have rest and has to
return to the sea (See Matt. 8:32).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The body of believers is the temple of the Holy
Spirit (1Cor. 6:19). Unbelievers are the lodgments (house) that the devils
strive for.
2) “I will return to my house from which I came.”
The word shows that it is possible for the devil to stage a comeback. Believers
should never forget to watch and withstand Satan because of the victory at a
time.
Luke. 11:25 “And when he comes, he
finds it swept and put in order.”
YLT: “and having come, it
findeth [it] swept and adorned;”
Meaning of Words: “put in order”:
decorate, adorn.
Literal Meaning: “swept” is negative,
shipping the original things out.
“Put it order” is positive, getting something in.
Spiritual Meaning: “he finds it swept
and put in order.” Though the religious believers also cast out demons, they
did not receive the Lord Jesus to abide in their hearts after demons had been
cast out from them (Eph. 3:17). They only paid attention to the outward morally
good behaviors (“swept”) and decorated themselves with letters and regulations
(“put in order”).
Luke. 11:26 “Then he goes and takes
with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell
there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.’”
YLT: “then doth it go,
and take to it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having entered,
they dwell there, and the last of that man becometh worst than the first.’”
The
Background: verse 24 to 26 is
the historical background of the Jews in the past and the Lord rebuked that
their state now is worse than before: through the event that they were taken
away captive to Babylon, they had been cleansed and delivered from idols.
However, as a result of their disobedience, unbelief and the hardness of their
hearts, their state now is worse than that of the period before they had been
taken away captive.
Spiritual Meaning: “Then he goes and
takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself.” “Seven”
symbolizes the temporary perfect in the Bible. “Seven other spirits” symbolizes
the complete power of Satan.
“Dwell there” “Dwell” in the original
means to settle down and reside for a long time.
“The last state of that man is worse
than the first.” If men only pay attention to religious ceremonies and do not
magnify the Lord, on the contrary, they will fall under the power of Satan and
they will be played with by Satan unconsciously------their state is worse than
that of the period when they have not paid attention to morality because not
only God and men but also Satan could do nothing to the true evil ones. However
the devil is able to manipulate and make fun of the good men who do not receive
the Lord and therefore their states are worse than the first.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If men only have temporary improvement in
morality and do not let the Spirit of God dwell in them and preside them
completely, their consequence will be worse.
2) Demons love to dwell in the good men who do not
believe in the Lord because they keep the law, stress on morality and do not
have Christ in themselves.
3) If a believer only pays attention to the
negative dealing with “swept” (v.25) and lacks the positive knowledge and gain,
he would become a “Puritan” at most and finally he will be occupied by more and
more wicked spirits and the last state of him will be worse than the first.
Luke. 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!’”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, in his saying these things, a certain woman having lifted up the voice
out of the multitude, said to him, `Happy the womb that carried thee, and the
paps that thou didst suck!’”
Literal Meaning: “Blessed is the womb
that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” It means that blessed is the
mother (Mary) of the Lord Jesus according to the flesh (See 1:42).
Luke. 11:28 “But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of
God and keep it!’”
YLT: “And he said, `Yea,
rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping [it]!’”
Literal Meaning: “Yes” in the
original shows that He did not deny that Mary was blessed.
“More than that, blessed are those who
hear the word of God and keep it!” It shows that those who trust and obey the
word of the Lord are more blessed than the mother of the Lord Jesus according
to the flesh (See 8:20-21). The word of the Lord again proves that the blood
relationship is inferior to the spiritual relationship. This verse is enough to
make those who worship Mary say nothing.
Luke. 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.”
YLT: “And the multitudes
crowding together upon him, he began to say, `This generation is evil, a sign
it doth seek after, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of
Jonah the prophet,”
Meaning of Words: “sign”: miracle,
wonder.
Literal Meaning: “an evil generation”
“Generation” indicates the age of the whole world in broad sense and all one’s
life in narrow sense.
Spiritual Meaning: “sign” is the
miraculous phenomenon with spiritual meaning. Religious believers only pay
attention to apparent phenomenon and neglect the real meaning.
“The sign of Jonah the prophet” is the
type of the Lord’s death and resurrection.
This verse means that only Christ who
died and rose up from the dead could meet the need of this evil generation.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Signs are of no effect to men who are with evil
intentions and only arouse their curiosity.
2) The rising life of Christ that is manifested in
believers is the sign that the world urgently needs to see.
Luke. 11:30 “For as Jonah became a
sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.”
YLT: “for as Jonah became
a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of Man be to this generation.”
Spiritual Meaning: Jonah in the belly
of the great fish is a sign. It typifies that the Lord died and was buried for
us. He descended into the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9) and stayed in hell
(Acts. 2:27).
Luke. 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.”
YLT: “`A queen of the
south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall
condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and lo, greater than Solomon here!”
Meaning of Words: “greater”: more in
quality and quantity.
Literal Meaning: “The queen of the
South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn
them.” “The queen of the South” was the queen of
“And indeed a greater than Solomon is
here.” Solomon asked for an understanding heart (1Kings. 3:9) and Christ
Himself is wisdom. Solomon spoke of the trees (1Kings. 4:33) and Christ is the
Lord that created all. Therefore He is greater than Solomon. He is the greater
king and he is king of kings (Rev. 17:14).
Spiritual Meaning: Solomon spoke words
of wisdom (1Kings. 4:34), built the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we want to hear the wisdom of the Lord, we
should humble ourselves like the queen of the South.
2) In order to hear the words of the Lord, some
believers pay the price and they even disregard their lives. However some
believers in easy environment do not have interest or longing in the Lord’s
words, and even incline to the worldly things.
Luke. 11:32 “The men of
YLT: “`Men of
Meaning of Words: “greater”: more in
quality or quantity.
Literal Meaning: “the men of
“And indeed a greater than Jonah is
here.” Jonah did not obey God’s dispatch and fled unto Tarshish (Jon. 1:3).
Christ accepted God’s dispatch and became obedient even unto death (Pill. 2:8).
Therefore He is greater than Jonah.
Christ is the prophet that is greater
than Jonah. He was sent by God and spoke for God through His deeds.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The only need of this generation is to see and
receive the rising Christ.
2) The men of
3) Death first and then the resurrection. Our
natural life should be delivered unto death and then the life of the rising
Christ will be manifested (2Cor. 4:11).
4) If Christians are of two minds towards the Lord
and do not follow the Lord well, lest a group of people will rise up and
condemn us one day in future.
Luke. 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.”
YLT: “`And no one having
lighted a lamp, doth put [it] in a secret place, nor under the measure, but on
the lamp-stand, that those coming in may behold the light.”
Meaning of Words: “a secret place”:
hidden place, in secret.
Literal Meaning: “No one, when he has
lit a lamp, put it in a secret place or under a basket.” Here it means that
light should not be hidden.
“But on a lampstand.” It means to put it
on an obvious place in order to shine all around.
Spiritual Meaning: “under a basket”
“Basket” is a measure made by wood and it is used to measure grain. Therefore
it symbolizes cares of life. The lamp is put under a basket shows that
believers are bound by the concentrations of life (i.e. they are busy making a
living) so that the light is covered.
“But on a lampstand.” “Lampstand” is the
proper utensil to put lamp, symbolizing the life that bears witness to Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The enjoyment of life------“basket” always darkens
the inner spiritual light and therefore we should live in the assembly------“on
a lampstand” and then it must be bright.
2) The light that we have seen from the words of
the Lord may be covered under a basket by us and it cannot shine because of the
cares and enjoyment of life.
3) Our attitude towards life------whether we
exactly live to the Lord or to ourselves (See Rom. 14:7-8)------crucially
determines whether the light is manifested or covered.
4) If we want to shine for the Lord so as to lighten
men around us, we have to overcome cares of life (Matt. 6:24-34).
5) Lamp shines because oil is lighted up. “Oil”
indicates the inner-dwelling Holy Spirit. If we want to shine, we have to be
filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
6) Everything that may hide the Lord to shine from
us is “the secret place and basket”. Everything besides the Lord, even the best
thing, may turn to be the “the secret place and basket” to hide light.
7) The light of Christians not only changes men’s
outside ways, but also affects their inner hearts.
8) If we want to know whether someone is of the
Spirit, we shouldn’t see how he behaves in the meetings, we should see how he
behaves in his own house.
9) Today, in the time of grace, men need not seek
the sign from heaven (See v.29-32) and men could see the heavenly light from
true Christians.
Luke. 11:34 “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.”
YLT: “`The lamp of the
body is the eye, when then thine eye may be simple, thy whole body also is
lightened; and when it may be evil, thy body also is darkened;”
Meaning of Words: “good”: pure,
single, single-minded, sound; “bad”: evil, wicked.
Literal
Meaning: here it illustrates
the connection between heart and life with the connection between the eye and
body. Eye here stands for profit, desire, ambition and the direction that one
pays attention to.
Two eyes could only see one thing at one
time. If one’s eyes want to see two things at one time, his sight will be
blurred.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The function of lamp is to lighten all around
(See v.33) and men’s eyes should be good so that the whole body would be full
of light. In like manner, in the spiritual realm, men should concentrate their
eyes on which is good and do not let the evil hide themselves.
2) The condition of
one’s eyes determines the condition of his vision. In like manner, whether
one’s intention towards God is single determines whether his life has a proper
direction and meaning.
3) What men’s eyes see usually shows what they love
in their hearts. The eye is “the lamp of the body”. The eye will light up and
show what are hidden deeply in the whole body.
4) The pride or humbleness of one’s eyes shows his
character.
5) If our hearts mind things in heaven fully, our
eyes will focus on God Himself solely, our whole body will be full of light and
our spiritual senses will be opened.
6) If we want to have the spiritual enlightenment,
we should turn our eyes to God (2Cor. 3:16). The reason why children of God do
not have the spiritual enlightenment is that they have not turned their hearts
to God.
7) How perfect one’s heart is towards God depends
on the extent of his dedication to God. The more completely one devotes himself
to God, the more perfect his heart will be towards God and the lighter his
spiritual vision will be.
8) Spiritual sight
is very important. If men are in darkness, they are in sins and they are not
living in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:8, 1John. 1:5-6).
9) Once our hearts wander from the Lord, all kinds
of things of the world will attract our eyes to make ours eyes bad and
unwittingly we may fall into darkness.
10) Eyes of citizens of the kingdom of heaven have been
opened and have turned from darkness to light (Acts. 26:18). If they fall into
darkness again, their last state will be worse than the first (2Pet. 2:20).
Luke. 11:35 “Therefore take heed that
the light which is in you is not darkness.”
YLT: “take heed, then,
lest the light that [is] in thee be darkness;”
Meaning of Words: “take heed”: look
on, consider.
Literal Meaning: the verse asks us to
pay attention to “the light in us” and should not let it be quenched.
Luke. 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.’”
YLT: “if then thy whole
body is lightened, not having any part darkened, the whole shall be lightened,
as when the lamp by the brightness may give thee light.’”
Literal Meaning: the verse shows that
the one whose eyes are good and pure must be full of the light of life in
himself and the whole body must be immersed in the divine light (See Ps. 36:9).
Luke. 11:37 “And as He spoke, a
certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.”
YLT: “And in [his]
speaking, a certain Pharisee was asking him that he might dine with him, and
having gone in, he reclined (at meat),”
Literal Meaning: “dine with him”
“dine” in the original specially means the breakfast.
Luke. 11:38 “When the Pharisee saw it,
he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.”
YLT: “and the Pharisee
having seen, did wonder that he did not first baptize himself before the
dinner.”
The
Background: According to the
regulations of the Law of Moses, priests had to wash their hands and their feet
before they enter into the temple to serve (Exod. 30:19). However, the
supplementary teachings preserved in oral had extent the commandment towards
priests to the details of life of common people, lest men touch unclean things
(such as dead body, dead cattle and unclean animals). Therefore they were asked
to wash their hands before dinner. Rabbis always said, “The holy people (
Literal
Meaning: “He had not first
washed before dinner.” It could be translated as “He did not do the ceremony of
washing before dinner” in the original. Therefore it indicates that He had not
washed according to the religious ceremony instead of the common washing of
hands for hygiene.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today Christianity had accumulated much
tradition in the past two thousand years. However it is not obligatory for
Christians to obey the tradition.
2) If we stress on the outward regulations and
ways, we may become current scribes and Pharisees.
Luke. 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.”
YLT: “And the Lord said
unto him, ‘Now do ye, the Pharisees, the outside of the cup and of the plate
make clean, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness;”
The
Background: “you Pharisees make
the outside of the cup and dish clean.” The cup and dish which the Pharisees
used in worship should be cleansed through ceremonial procedures.
Literal Meaning: “but your inward
part is full of greed and wickedness.” Just like the vessels which are
outwardly clean could be full of poisonous things inward, those who have been
cleansed through ceremony may be full of greedy and wickedness.
“Greed” is related to the love of money
and “wickedness” is related to lustfulness; “greed” indicates to oppress others
in order to fulfill himself and “wickedness” indicates to indulge himself to
fulfill his selfish desire.
In this verse the Lord Jesus blamed them
that they only stressed on the cleanness of letters (See Mark. 7:4) despite
that inside they are dirty and unclean.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus received the invitation of the
Pharisee and dined with him (See v.37), however, He blamed him strictly without
any concealment. This shows that the Lord could condescend concerning the deeds
of life, however, concerning the spiritual witness, He never compromise because
of these. This should also be the principle of our life.
2) Many people restrict their own behaviors before
a big crowd (“make the outside of the cup and dish clean”) and show their lust
to swallow others and indulge themselves when others are unaware (“inward part is full of
greed and wickedness”).
3) Religious believers have a form of godliness but
deny the power of it (2Tim. 3:5).
Luke. 11:40 “Foolish ones! Did not He
who made the outside make the inside also?”
YLT: “unthinking! did not
He who made the outside also the inside make?”
Literal Meaning: this verse indicates
that we should pay attention to the inside state because the inside is more
important than the outside (See Mark. 7:15).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we live in the spiritual reality, we should
deal with the inside intentions first and naturally good and pure words and
deeds will be brought forth out of the inside (See 12:35, 15:18-19).
2) The outside behaviors are originated from the
inside life------the more Christ is formed in us (Gal. 4:19), the more Christ
will be manifested through the outside behaviors (Pill. 1:20).
Luke. 11:41 “But rather give alms of
such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.”
YLT: “But what ye have
give ye [as] alms, and, lo, all things are clean to you.”
Spiritual Meaning: “But rather give
alms of such things as you have” “such things” imply “the greed and wickedness
inside of the cup and dish” (See v.39). Therefore the whole sentence means that
“give what you are greedy for” and then indeed all things are clean to them.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If one is willing to give alms to the poor, his
heart won’t be controlled by “greed and wickedness” (See v.39).
2) He who is willing to give alms will do uprightly
in others things.
Luke. 11:42 “‘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.”
YLT: “`But wo to you, the
Pharisees, because ye tithe the mint, and the rue, and every herb, and ye pass
by the judgment, and the love of God; these things it behoveth to do, and those
not to be neglecting.”
Meaning of Words: “justice”: judgment,
righteous.
Literal Meaning: “but woe to you”
include the twofold meaning that “they will receive the just deserts of
evildoing” and “how sorrowful and miserable it is”.
“For you tithe mint and rue and all
manner of herbs.” The scribes and the Pharisees stressed on tithe and they even
cared about the small products in the field (See Lev. 27:30, Deut. 14:22).
“Mint and anise” are the plants used to make medicine or flavor.
“And pass by justice and the love of
God” “Justice” indicates the justice towards men; “the love of God” is the
beginning of all things towards God.
“These you ought to have done, without
leaving the others undone.” It indicates that “justice and the love of God”
should be done, and “tithe” should not be left aside and neglected because of
these things.
This verse shows
that the Pharisees only obeyed the least regulations of the Law such as the
tithe (without leaving the others undone), however, they neglected the
weightier matters of the Law: justice and the love of God which should have
been done. In other words, they changed the tithe into regulations and did not
have the testimony of life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord did not ask men to despise the tithe.
He asked men to know the relative importance.
2) If believers of today only talk about justice and the love of God and do not have actual actions and
misunderstand that the tithe is not important, contrarily they are inferior to
the Pharisees.
Luke. 11:43 “Woe to you Pharisees! For
you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.”
YLT: “`Wo to you, the
Pharisees, because ye love the first seats in the synagogues, and the
salutations in the market-places.”
Literal Meaning: “For you love the
best seats in the synagogues” “the best seats” indicate seats of the front row
in the synagogues and these seats are usually kept for those with the highest
positions.
“And greetings in the marketplaces” It
means that they love to be flattered, respected and honored by men in public.
Spiritual Meaning: “the best seats”
symbolize the spiritual position.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The greatest temptation for leaders of the
assembly comes from their inner hearts------they like to be exalted by men and
show their importance in the multitude.
2) He who minds titles and positions in the
assembly could not serve the Lord well.
3) Religious believers like to show off themselves.
They may give alms, bear witness, serve, preach, write books and do other
spiritual good works, however, perhaps the motivations of many are for the vain
glory (See Pill. 2:3).
Luke. 11:44 “Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men
who walk over them are not aware of them.’”
YLT: “`Wo to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are as the unseen tombs, and the men
walking above have not known.’”
The
Background: if the Jews step on
the tomb, they held that they may be infected with the uncleanness of the dead
and they were unclean according to the religious ceremony (See Lev. 21:1, Num.
19:16). Therefore the Jews always avoided stepping on the tomb. However,
sometimes they walk on it because of dim moonlight or their carelessness.
Spiritual Meaning: it shows that the
Pharisees themselves were unclean and those who drew near to them were unaware
that they were tainted with uncleanness.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Religious believers think in one way and behave
in another. They are dead because there aren’t lives in them. But they hide
their dead situation in the outside (See Rev. 3:1).
2) The outside behaviors of religious believers are
not out of lives, and therefore they appear beautiful outwardly. However, they
are still unclean before God because God has perspective sight (See 1Cor. 2:10)
and He is able to search reins and hearts (Ps. 7:9, Rev. 2:23).
Luke. 11:45 “Then one of the lawyers
answered and said to Him, ‘Teacher, by saying these
things You reproach us also.’”
YLT: “And one of the lawyers
answering, saith to him, `Teacher, these things saying, us also thou dost
insult;’”
Meaning of Words: “reproach”: entreat
shamefully, insult.
Luke. 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.”
YLT: “and he said, `And
to you, the lawyers, wo! because ye burden men with burdens grievous to be
borne, and ye yourselves with one of your fingers do not touch the burdens.”
Meaning of Words: “touch” (the medical
term and it indicates to lightly touch the wounds of the body).
Literal Meaning: “for you load men
with burdens hard to bear” “Burdens” especially indicate the burdens of the
Law; they bind many strict letters and regulations on men and make it difficult
for them to carry out.
“And you yourselves do not touch the
burdens with one of your fingers.” It means that they use the strict
regulations to demand others instead of themselves.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers not only should not lay burdens on
others’ shoulders but also should bear one another’s burdens (See Gal. 6:2).
2) Religious believers are not only “unable” to do
but also “unwilling” to move. He who only knows to teach others and does not
move himself with one of his fingers is unworthy to be a leader of the church.
Luke. 11:47 “Woe to you! For you build
the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.”
YLT: “`Wo to you, because
ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.”
Literal Meaning: “build the tombs of
the prophets” It indicates the behaviors of respect towards the prophets; “the
prophets” are those who speak for God.
“And your fathers killed them.” They
built the tombs of the prophets who were killed by their fathers in order to
show that they were different from their fathers.
Enlightenment in the Word: the Pharisees respected the former prophets and
could not bear the current prophets. Men in the religious circles usually exalt
the dead ones, however, they despise the living ones.
Luke. 11:48 “In fact, you bear witness
that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and
you build their tombs.”
YLT: “Then do ye testify,
and are well pleased with the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed
them, and ye do build their tombs;”
Meaning of Words: “approve”: be
pleased, have pleasure, accept (the legal term, it indicates that though one
has not committed a crime, he has helped the evil one).
Literal Meaning: the Lord meant that
the true respect towards the prophets should be the inner conviction and
repentance instead of the outward acts. If they built the tomb of the prophets
but neglected their messages, they only show their hypocrisy and in fact they
“approve” what their fathers had done.
Luke. 11:49 “Therefore the wisdom of
God also said, ‘I will send them prophets
and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,'”
YLT: “because of this
also the wisdom of God said: I will send to them prophets, and apostles, and
some of them they shall kill and persecute,”
Literal Meaning: “therefore the
wisdom of God also said” The Lord here may use implicit expression to show that
He Himself is “the wisdom of God” or “the wise one of God” (See 7:35).
“I will send them prophets and apostles,
and some of them they will kill and persecute.” The Lord predicted that how the leaders of
Judaism would persecute and kill all the apostles, prophets and teachers of the
New Testament who are sent by the Lord (See Acts. 5:40, 8:1-3 and etc).
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,”
YLT: “that the blood of
all the prophets, that is being poured forth from the foundation of the world,
may be required from this generation;”
Literal Meaning: “may be required of
this generation” It means that the sin of the blood of all the prophets which
was shed may be required of the leaders of Judaism and God would let them take
on the condemnation which their fathers should take on and this was fulfilled
in A.D. 70 as expected.
Enlightenment in the Word: God makes inquisition for sin towards not only
individual one but also the corporate generation.
Luke. 11:51 “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.”
YLT: “from the blood of
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house;
yes, I say to you, It shall be required from this generation.”
Literal Meaning: “from the blood of
Abel to the blood of Zechariah” “Abel” was the first righteous one who was
killed (Gen. 4:8-11, Heb. 12:24).
“To the blood of Zechariah who perished
between the altar and the temple” “Zechariah” may be the son of the priest
Jehoiada and he was stoned by men in the
Luke. 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.’”
YLT: “`Wo to you, the
lawyers, because ye took away the key of the knowledge; yourselves ye did not
enter; and those coming in, ye did hinder.’”
Meaning of Words: “hinder”: keep from,
forbid.
Literal Meaning: “For you have taken
away the key of knowledge” It indicates that those who take the responsibility
to explain the Law of God and make men understand the will of God contrarily
hinder them from finding the way to comprehend the full knowledge of God
because of their teachings of error.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today there are also many people who consider
themselves as men of authority concerning the spiritual knowledge. However,
they are unwilling to humbly pursue the full knowledge of Christ and hinder
others from pursing Him. They shall be punished by the Lord.
2) Religious leaders do not magnify the Lord
themselves and hinder men from hearkening to the word of the Lord simply. When
someone does not obey their teachings of heresy, they condemn him that he
betrays “the delegation of authority” and excommunicate him. This kind of
situation is often seen in the church history.
3) In the spiritual way, the moment one does not
make progress (“You did not enter in yourselves”), he becomes others’
obstruction (“and
those who were entering in you hindered”). The spiritual leaders who walk “in front”
should never close the door for others to receive grace because of their own
delaying and conservation and complacency.
Luke. 11:53 “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,”
YLT: “And in his speaking
these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began fearfully to urge
and to press him to speak about many things,”
Luke. 11:54 “lying in wait for Him,
and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.”
YLT: “laying wait for
him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse
him.”
Meaning of Words: “lying in wait for”:
lie in ambush for the chance; “catch”: hunt with the snare.
Literal Meaning: “seeking to catch
Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.” It means that they
wanted to catch Him in something from His words that could be used by them to
distort so as to accuse Jesus.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Pharisees cannot catch the Lord Jesus in
anything concerning His deeds and they wanted to catch something in His words.
Believes should be careful in both deeds and words (See Col. 4:5-6).
2) Today the devil wants to find fault with
Christians through many people and therefore we should learn to be careful and
wise in words.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The
Knowledge of Prayer
I. The need of prayer------Jesus was praying
in a certain place (v.1)------the Lord Jesus Himself needed to pray.
II. The foundation of prayer------our Father
in heaven (v.2a)------it is built upon our spiritual relationship with God.
III. The priority of prayer------for the
glory of God (v.2b):
A. Hallowed be Your name------worship God and acknowledge Him and all
that He has done.
B. Your kingdom come------with the purpose of the realization of the
C. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven------with the
precondition of the will of God.
IV. What we ask in prayer------for our own
needs------it bases on the knowledge of God:
A. Give us day by day our daily bread (v.3)------for our own needs of
the flesh------knowing that God is the source of provision.
B. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to
us (v.4a)------so as to remove the obstruction of our communion with
God------knowing God’s disposition.
C. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one
(v.4b)------for the spiritual conflicts------knowing God’s power and authority.
V. The attitude of prayer------the prayer
that is answered:
A. Lend me three loaves (v.5)------it must be the real need.
B. I have nothing to set before him (v.6)------one has to know that he
has nothing.
C. Because of his persistence (v.7-8)-------it must be of one’s inner
burden.
VI. The promise of prayer (v.9-10):
A. Ask, and it will be given to you------one has the specific actions of
prayer.
B. Seek, and you will find------one has the single-minded item of
prayer.
C. Knock, and it will be opened to you------one has the clear aim of
prayer.
VII. The faith of prayer:
A. “If one asks for…, will he give…” (v.11-12)------one believes that
God will assuredly give the right thing.
B. The heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him
(v.13)------one believes that God will assuredly give the best thing.
The
Knowledge of the Spiritual Conflicts
I. The power of casting out demons------it
is not by the ruler of the demons but the power of God (v.14-20).
II. The strategy of casting out
demons------overcome the stronger first and then divide his spoils (v.21-22).
III. Soldiers who cast out demons------he
who is not with the Lord is against Him (v.23).
IV. Alertness of casting out demons------be
wary of its comeback (v.24-26).
The
Knowledge of the Way of Life
II. It is not the outward signs but Christ
of God:
A. This generation is only in need of the sign of Jonah the prophet
(v.29-30)------He is the Son of Man who rose from the dead.
B. Indeed the Son of Man is greater than Solomon (v.31)------He is our
true wisdom.
C. Indeed the Son of Man is greater than Jonah (v.32)------He is our
true redemption.
III. It is not the outward sight but the
inner enlightenment:
A. Our attitude towards life determines whether we could see the
enlightenment of life (v.33).
B. Whether our eyes of heart are good determines whether the whole body
is full of light or darkness (v.34-35).
C. If the whole body is full of light, the way of one’s life will be
completely bright (v.36).
IV. It is not the outside cleanness but the
inside cleanness (v.37-41).
V. It is not the obedience of the letters of
the Law but the keeping of the spirit of the Law (v.42).
VI. It is not the honor of men but the
praise of God (v.43).
VII. It is not the concealment before men
but the reality before God (v.44).
VIII. It is not your words but your deeds
(v.45-46).
IX. It is not the outer building but the
inner intention (v.47-51).
X. It is not the gain of outward knowledge
but the inner experience (v.52).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren