Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 11: Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Luke 11 opens the school of prayer and the conflict of the kingdom. When a disciple asks, 'Lord, teach us to pray,' Jesus gives the model prayer and urges bold, persistent asking: 'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened,' promising that the heavenly Father will 'give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.' When He casts out a devil and is charged with working by Beelzebub, He answers that a kingdom divided cannot stand, and that 'if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.' He warns that mere reformation without Christ leaves the last state worse than the first, and blesses 'they that hear the word of God, and keep it.' He offers this evil generation no sign but the sign of Jonah, and calls for the single eye full of light. Finally, at a Pharisee's table, He pronounces woes on the Pharisees and lawyers for cleaning the outside while the inside is full of wickedness, and for hindering others from the knowledge of God. The chapter teaches us to pray, reveals the King who binds the strong man, and exposes the emptiness of outward religion.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 11. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, answers the Beelzebub charge, and pronounces woes on the Pharisees and lawyers. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Ask, Seek, Knock
Jesus teaches the model prayer and bold, persistent asking.
The Father Gives the Holy Spirit
The good Father gives the best gift to those who ask.
The Finger of God
Christ, the stronger man, binds Satan and plunders his house.
Clean the Inside
He exposes a religion clean without but full of wickedness within.
How Much More Shall Your Father Give the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:1-13)
Jesus gives His people a pattern for prayer and urges them to ask boldly and persistently of a good Father.
Ask, and It Shall Be Given You
"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
Word Study
"importunity," Greek anaideia (ἀναίδεια). The word means shamelessness, bold persistence that will not be put off. The man at midnight keeps knocking, unembarrassed, until his need is met, and "because of his importunity" the friend rises and gives him all he needs. Jesus uses this to teach not that God is reluctant like the sleeping friend, but that we should pray with the same undiscourageable persistence, keeping on asking, seeking, and knocking. Bold, shameless perseverance in prayer is not irreverence but faith; the God who is far kinder than any grudging neighbor honors the prayer that will not give up.
Explanation
Asked to teach them to pray, Jesus gives the model prayer -- hallowing God's name, seeking His kingdom, asking bread, forgiveness, and deliverance -- then presses persistence with the friend at midnight. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek... knock," for the door yields to those who keep coming. The argument rises from lesser to greater: if flawed fathers give good gifts, "how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Luke uniquely names the supreme gift of prayer -- the Holy Spirit Himself, the indwelling presence promised to every child who asks.
Gospel Focus
Seeing Jesus pray, a disciple asks, "Lord, teach us to pray." His answer is the model prayer, a pattern for all our praying. It begins with God: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done", we come to the one God as Father, a nearness made possible through the Son, and we put His name, kingdom, and will first. Then our needs: "daily bread" for the body, forgiveness of "sins" as we forgive others, and deliverance from temptation and evil. Prayer rightly ordered begins with God's glory and moves to our need, and joins asking for forgiveness with forgiving others. Then Jesus teaches how to pray: with bold persistence. The friend at midnight gets his loaves "because of his importunity", not because God is reluctant, but to teach us to keep asking. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened", the tenses mean keep on asking, seeking, knocking. And Jesus grounds our confidence in the goodness of the Father: no earthly father gives his hungry son a stone, a serpent, or a scorpion when he asks for bread, a fish, or an egg. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Note the crown of the promise, and it is distinctly Apostolic: the best gift the Father gives to those who ask is "the Holy Spirit" Himself. The greatest answer to prayer is not merely things but God's own indwelling Spirit, promised to all who ask. This shaped the Apostolic church, who asked and were filled with the Holy Ghost. So Jesus teaches us both the pattern and the persistence of prayer, and points us to the good Father who delights to give His own Spirit to His children. Come boldly; ask, seek, knock; and ask above all for the Holy Spirit, which the Father loves to give.
The Kingdom of God Is Come Upon You (Luke 11:14-28)
Charged with working by Satan, Jesus reveals Himself as the stronger man who binds the enemy, and warns of empty reformation without Him.
Blessed Are They That Hear the Word of God, and Keep It
"And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."
Word Study
"the finger of God," Greek daktulos Theou (δάκτυλος θεοῦ). The phrase, which Luke alone records here, echoes the words of Pharaoh's magicians, who confessed of Moses' miracles, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). The "finger of God" is a picture of God's direct power at work. Jesus says, "if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." His power over demons is not from Satan but is God's own power breaking into the world, the very reign of God arriving in His person. Where the finger of God casts out darkness, the kingdom has come.
Explanation
Accused of casting out demons by Beelzebub, Jesus exposes the folly -- a kingdom divided falls -- and declares, "if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." He is the stronger One who overpowers the armed strongman and takes his spoils. But an empty house swept clean invites seven worse spirits; deliverance must be filled with God or the last state is worse. When a woman blesses His mother, Jesus redirects the blessing: "blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" -- kinship and blessing come by hearing and obeying, not by blood.
Gospel Focus
When Jesus frees a man from a dumb spirit, some accuse Him of casting out devils "through Beelzebub the chief of the devils." Jesus answers with plain logic: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation." If Satan were casting out Satan, his kingdom would be collapsing; the charge is absurd. The truth is the opposite: "if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." His power over demons proves not that He is allied with Satan but that God's own reign has arrived in Him. He pictures it vividly: Satan is "a strong man armed" guarding his palace, but Jesus is "a stronger than he" who overcomes him, strips his armor, and "divideth his spoils." Christ has invaded the enemy's domain and is plundering it, setting captives free, because He has bound the strong man. And there is no neutrality: "He that is not with me is against me." Then Jesus gives a sobering warning about mere reformation. When an unclean spirit leaves a man and finds his house "swept and garnished" but empty, it returns with seven worse, "and the last state of that man is worse than the first." A life merely cleaned up, reformed, but not filled with Christ and His Spirit, is vulnerable to a worse bondage. It is not enough to be rid of old sins; the house must be occupied by a new Master. Finally, when a woman blesses Jesus' mother, He gently redirects the blessing: "Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." The truest blessedness is not physical relation to Christ but hearing and keeping His word. So the section reveals the King who binds the strong man and brings the kingdom by the finger of God, warns that a merely reformed life left empty invites worse bondage, and locates true blessing in hearing and keeping the word of God. Do not settle for a swept and empty house; let Christ fill you, and hear and keep His word.
Woe Unto You, Pharisees (Luke 11:29-54)
Jesus offers a sign-seeking generation only the sign of Jonah, calls for the single eye, and exposes the Pharisees and lawyers.
When Thine Eye Is Single, Thy Whole Body Is Full of Light
"And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him."
Word Study
"single," Greek haplous (ἁπλοῦς). The word means single, simple, sound, undivided, and by extension generous and clear. "When thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light." A single eye is one that looks with clear, undivided focus toward God and His will, without duplicity or double-mindedness; such a life is "full of light." An "evil" eye, by contrast, is clouded and divided, and the whole life is "full of darkness." The word warns against a divided heart that tries to serve God and self at once; only the single-eyed, whole-hearted devotion to God fills the life with light.
Explanation
To a generation demanding signs Jesus gives only "the sign of Jonas" -- his own coming resurrection -- and warns that the men of Nineveh and the queen of Sheba will rise in judgment against those who reject one "greater than Solomon" and "greater than Jonas" standing before them. He calls for a single, light-filled eye lest the light within be darkness. Then He pronounces woes on Pharisees who tithe herbs while neglecting "judgment and the love of God," and on lawyers who load men with burdens and take away "the key of knowledge." Meticulous religion that misses mercy and truth draws the Saviour's sharpest rebuke.
Gospel Focus
To a sign-seeking generation Jesus refuses every sign but "the sign of Jonas", His own death and resurrection after three days, of which Jonah's deliverance from the fish was a foreshadowing. And He warns that they will be judged by those who had far less light: "the queen of the south" who traveled far to hear Solomon, and "the men of Nineve" who repented at Jonah's preaching, will rise in judgment against a generation that had "a greater than Solomon" and "a greater than Jonas" among them and would not repent. Greater light brings greater accountability. Then Jesus speaks of the single eye: the life shaped by clear, undivided focus on God is "full of light," but the divided, evil eye fills the body with darkness, so "take heed... that the light which is in thee be not darkness." At a Pharisee's table, Jesus exposes the whole system of outward religion. They "make clean the outside of the cup and the platter" while the inward part "is full of ravening and wickedness", but "did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?" God cares for the inside. Then come the woes: on the Pharisees for meticulous tithing while they "pass over judgment and the love of God," for loving the chief seats, for being like hidden "graves" that defile unnoticed; and on the lawyers for loading men with burdens they will not lift, for honoring dead prophets while sharing their fathers' murderous spirit, and, gravest of all, for taking "away the key of knowledge", they neither entered the kingdom themselves nor let others enter. This is the tragedy of a religion that is all outside and no heart, that majors on externals while neglecting justice and the love of God, and that even blocks others from the truth. The chapter that began with the school of prayer ends with the exposure of dead religion, and the two belong together: God seeks not the washed hands of the Pharisee but the single eye, the clean heart, and the persistent, believing prayer of a child who knows the Father. Let Him cleanse the inside; keep the eye single; and do not, like the lawyers, hold the key of knowledge from yourself or others. Come to the Father in prayer, and be full of light.
Chapter 11 in Review
Luke 11 teaches prayer and exposes empty religion. Asked, "Lord, teach us to pray," Jesus gives the model prayer and urges bold persistence, "Ask, and it shall be given you," grounding it in the good Father who will "give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." Charged with casting out devils by Beelzebub, He answers that a divided kingdom cannot stand, and that "if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you," binding the strong man as the stronger One, and warning that a swept but empty house invites worse bondage. He blesses "they that hear the word of God, and keep it," offers only "the sign of Jonas," calls for the single eye full of light, and pronounces woes on the Pharisees and lawyers for cleaning the outside while the inside is full of wickedness, and for taking away "the key of knowledge."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter joins the way of prayer to the heart God seeks. It calls us to come to the one God as Father through the Son, to pray with the pattern Jesus gave and with undiscourageable persistence, and to ask above all for the Holy Spirit, the best gift the Father gives, as the Apostolic church did. It reveals the King who casts out darkness by the finger of God and binds the strong man, and warns that mere reformation, a life swept but not filled with Christ, ends worse than it began. And it exposes the deadly religion of the Pharisees and lawyers, all outside and no heart, meticulous in externals but empty of justice and the love of God, and even hindering others from the truth. Against it, Jesus sets the single eye, the clean inside, and the blessed life of those who hear the word of God and keep it. So the chapter searches us: are we praying to the Father with bold, believing persistence; are we filled with His Spirit, or merely swept and empty; is our eye single and our inside clean; and do we hold or hide the key of knowledge? Lord, teach us to pray, and make us full of light.
- Pray by Jesus' pattern: God's glory first, then our needs, with a forgiving heart (11:2-4).
- Ask, seek, knock with bold persistence; keep on praying (11:9-10).
- The best gift the Father gives to those who ask is the Holy Spirit (11:13).
- Christ binds the strong man; the kingdom comes by the finger of God (11:20-22).
- A life swept but not filled with Christ ends worse than before (11:24-26).
- God seeks the single eye and the clean inside, not outward religion (11:34, 39-42).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you pray to the Father with the pattern and persistence Jesus taught?
- Have you asked the Father for the Holy Spirit, His best gift?
- Is your house merely swept and empty, or filled with Christ?
- Is your eye single and your inside clean, or is your religion all outside?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The model prayer: Matthew 6:9-13. The Father giving the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:38-39; Luke 24:49; John 7:37-39. The finger of God: Exodus 8:19; 31:18. Christ binding the strong man: Isaiah 49:24-25; Colossians 2:15. The sign of Jonah: Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:38-42. Cleansing the inside: Matthew 23:25-28; Psalm 51:6, 10. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The Lord's Prayer and bold asking: Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 6:9-13; 7:7-11.
- The Beelzebub charge and the finger of God: Luke 11:14-28; Matthew 12:22-45; Mark 3:22-30.
- The sign of Jonah and the woes on the Pharisees and lawyers: Luke 11:29-54; Matthew 12:38-42; 23:1-36.