Luke 11:15-54 A Conversation with the Religious Leaders
1. Intro: This morning we get to take a look at something that is commonly misunderstood today. The Power of God. We live in a world where we wonder who would win in different types of fights. We see this on Youtube with rap-battles and even animated battles between super-heros. One that I want to see coming out in 2016 is Batman vs. Superman. In our study today we get an opportunity to see what Jesus says about the power of God verses the power of Satan.
2. Luke 11:15-28
1. Subject: Jesus's Power comes not come from Satan
2. Objective: The Power of God is Stronger than the Power of Satan.
1. Q- in verse 19, who will be their Judges?
1. Their own country men and disciples would judge them because if Jesus was doing this in Satan's power then so were they. To condemn Jesus was to condemn them and to condemn them would be condemning themselves.
2. Q- in vs. 21, what does this "strong man" illustration have to do with this subject?
1. Since showing that logically he wasn't casting out with the power of Satan it is only logical that it is by the power of God. If this is the case then it stands to reason that the power of God is stronger and Jesus being the Stronger man.
3. Q- What does the illustration at verse 24 have to do with the subject?
1. In this context, Jesus has just finished his discussion on exorcism. The house is the person that the spirit was living inside of. The man has cleaned up his life but remains empty. He still needs to be filled by the Holy Spirit and have a relationship with the Lord. Since he is empty he is in danger of demonic attack.
3. Luke 11:29-32
1. Subject: Sign of Jonah is the only Sign
2. Objective:
1. Q- who is the queen of the south?
1. This is in reference to the Queen of Sheba
4. Luke 11:33-36
1. Subject: Parable of the Lighted Lamp
2. Objective:
1. Q- How is the lamp of the body the eye?
1. Jesus made an analogy between receptivity to His ministry and the ability to see. Receptivity is like having healthy eyes; one can see well (light enters the body). The warning to ensure that the light in you is not darkness is paradoxical, not illogical. Jesus intended examination of the heart’s spiritual receptivity. Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1537). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
2. When the eye is functioning correctly the body receives the benefit of light (“is full of light”; cf. Ps. 18:28). The people seeking a sign did not need more light, but better receptiveness to the light they already had. What God was doing in Jesus was plain enough. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Lk 11:34). Nashville: T. Nelson.
5. Luke 11:37-44
1. Subject: Woes on the Pharisees
2. Objective:
1. Q- Why were the Pharisees so worried about Jesus washing before dinner?
1. Such washing was not for reasons of hygiene, but ceremonial purity. The hands made contact with all sorts of things, some of which may have been ritually defiling. Scrupulous Jews purified themselves by washing their hands before eating so that defiled hands would not contaminate their food. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Lk 11:38). Nashville: T. Nelson.
2. Q- Why didn't he wash before dinner?
1. This washing was referring to ceremonial washing, which he hadn't done. Jesus's focus was still on the inner life in contrast to the outer physical self.
3. Q- why did the Pharisees tithe herbs?
1. Tithing was intended as a joyful and thankful offering expressing love for God, but the Pharisees, by counting up stalks of mint and the like, had turned it into a burdensome duty. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Lk 11:42). Nashville: T. Nelson.
2. Jesus does not quarrel with the Pharisees’ concern to be obedient even in minor points. But this concern must not get in the way of weightier issues such as justice and love. King James Version study Bible . (1997). (electronic ed., Lk 11:42). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
4. Q-What is the importance of unseen graves?
1. People could unwittingly walk over them and, potentially, become ritually unclean (see Num 5:2; 19:11–13). Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Lk 11:44). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
2. Touching a grave made a person ceremonially defiled (Num. 19:16), so graves were whitewashed to warn people. An unmarked grave was a hidden source of ritual impurity. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Lk 11:44). Nashville: T. Nelson.
5. Q- What does verse 46 mean?
1. This is referring to traditions of the elders, which were oral teachings of the Pharisees throughout the centuries. These teachings served to clarify and protect the Law. -FSB
2. The legal experts added many regulations to the law to ensure that the law itself would not be broken. This created heavy burdens for the people. -RSB
6. Q- How did the Lawyers build the tombs of the prophets?
1. Jesus asserted that the same spirit that caused the ancestors of the scribes to reject and murder God’s prophets animated the scribes’ rejection of Him. They demonstrated their collusion by building tombs for the prophets their ancestors murdered. The scribes, of course, would object that their monuments to the prophets implied the opposite. Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1538). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
7. Q- in verse 51, how can blood be required from one generation to the next?
1. Since Abel and Zechariah were the first and last of the slain OT figures in the Hebrew Bible, Jesus’ statement here can be understood as a merism. As such, citing Abel and Zechariah is intended to include all other slain figures in between. If so, Jesus is saying that the scribes and Pharisees are responsible for the deaths of all of the righteous people of the OT who were unjustly killed. By extension, Jesus may be holding the Pharisees responsible for the death of any righteous servant of God among His people. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 23:35). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
6. Luke 11:45
1. Subject: Woes on the Lawyers
2. Objective:
1. Q- How did the Lawyers take away the key of knowledge?
1. Through their traditional interpretation of the law, the “lawyers” had made it impossible for ordinary people to understand the true meaning of the law. The Pharisees and lawyers themselves also used their traditions to evade the demands of the law (cf. Mark 7:5–13). Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Lk 11:52). Nashville: T. Nelson.
7. Conclusion: Jesus gave warning to the Pharisees about the receptivity of His ministry. The Lord minister's to our hearts in many different ways, and part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin. It is also to sanctify us and grow us. The key is, are we receptive to the work that the Lord wants to do in our lives?