RSV ~ Luke 11 Notes

Lk 11:2-4 | ISB Notes

A shorter version of the Our Father from Mt 6:9-13. As a model of prayer, it leads us first to adore God as our Father, and only then to petition him with our spiritual and material needs. Because it calls us to converse with the Lord on a daily basis, it is a sure means to deepen our relationship with him and develop confidence in his fatherly care. The repetition of the word us makes it is a family prayer for the Church (CCC 2601, 2765-66). See note on Mt 6:9.

Lk 11:2 | ISB Notes

hallowed: The holiness of God’s name should be revered by all (1:49; Ezek 36:22-28; Jn 12:28).

Lk 11:3 | ISB Notes

daily bread: Literally “bread for tomorrow” or “super-substantial bread”.

It is food for the whole person: for the body, God gives us daily necessities, and for the soul he gives us the eucharistic “bread of life” (Jn 6:48) (CCC 2837). See note on Mt 6:11.

Lk 11:8 | ISB Notes

importunity: i.e., persistence. The parable (11:5-8) advocates perseverance in prayer, so that God’s children learn to approach him repeatedly with daily concerns. It is not that God needs to be informed of our needs, but that we must realize our total dependence on him for everything (CCC 2613).

Lk 11:13 | ISB Notes

the Holy Spirit: The Father’s greatest gift to us is his own divine life (Jn 14:17). Through the Spirit, he sanctifies his children and distributes the graces of salvation won by Christ (Rom 8:14-17; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Gal 5:22). The fullness of the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) (CCC 728, 2670-71).

Lk 11:15 | ISB Notes

He casts out demons: Jesus forces his opponents to decide for themselves whether he is empowered by God or the devil, leaving no neutral ground for them to stand upon.

Beelzebul: A derogatory name for Satan. It is linked to a pagan idol worshiped at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2). See note on Mt 10:25.

Lk 11:20 | ISB Notes

the finger of God: i.e., the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:28; CCC 700).

• Jesus alludes to Ex 8:19, where Pharaoh’s magicians finally confess that their own sorcery has been outmatched by the power of Yahweh. Jesus likewise wields divine power that is far superior to that of other exorcists in his day (11:19). .

Lk 11:22 | ISB Notes

one stronger: A reference to Jesus, who overthrows Satan and plunders his house of sinners held captive (13:16; Is 49:24-25; Heb 2:14-15).

Lk 11:26 | ISB Notes

the last state: Those delivered of demons must be filled with the goodness of Christ’s kingdom. To benefit from his ministry without accepting his message leads to spiritual ruin (2 Pet 2:20). See note on Mt 12:44-46.

Lk 11:28 | ISB Notes

Blessed: It is better to belong to Jesus’ spiritual family than to his earthly family. His mother Mary is blessed on both counts, since she is Christ’s biological mother (1:42, 48) and the sterling example of one who hears and keeps the word of the Lord (1:38, 45).

Lk 11:29-32 | ISB Notes

Both Jonah and Solomon ministered to the Gentiles, the former to the Assyrians in Nineveh (Jon 3) and the latter to the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). They together prefigure Jesus, who sends the gospel out to all nations (24:47; Mt 28:19).

Lk 11:33-36 | ISB Notes

These sayings make use of two traditional beliefs about the eye. (1) Ancient peoples including Israel commonly held that the human eye was a source of light that shone out into the world and made vision possible (Ps 38:10; Prov 15:30). (2) The difference between a good eye and an evil eye was a metaphorical distinction between a generous and compassionate spirit (Prov 22:9) and a selfish and miserly one (Deut 15:9; Sir 14:8-10). In this context, Jesus is calling for an examination of the interior of our lives. Unless one is filled with light, which shines out through healthy eyes in the form of generosity, one cannot be a lamp enabling others to see and enter the kingdom (11:33; Mt 5:15-16). To be filled with darkness and beset with an evil eye of greed and selfishness is to stand outside of the kingdom and to leave others in the darkness as well (11:52). This emphasis on what is inside a person is closely connected with the following episode, where Jesus chides the Pharisees and lawyers for their preoccupation with the exterior practices of religion and their neglect of interior holiness (11:37-52). That they appear outwardly devout to others when in fact they are inwardly filled with corruption and impurity makes them guilty of “hypocrisy” (12:1).

Lk 11:34 | ISB Notes

not sound: Literally, “evil”. The expression is related to several Greek terms in the surrounding context. In 11:26 Jesus warns of being filled with seven “evil” spirits; in 11:29 he calls his contemporaries an “evil” generation; and in 11:39 he says the Pharisees are full of extortion and wickedness (or evil).

Lk 11:38 | ISB Notes

did not first wash: Jesus disregards Pharisaic customs of cleansing. These washing rituals were religious in nature, not hygienic. See note on Mk 7:3.

Lk 11:39 | ISB Notes

cleanse the outside: The religious zeal of the Pharisees focused on the exterior of the body and often fail

ed to penetrate to the heart. See topical essay: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2.

Lk 11:42 | ISB Notes

woe to you: An oracle of judgment. See note on Mt 23:13. you tithe: The Pharisees give a tenth part of all produce to the Temple, even the smallest of their herbs and spices (Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22-27). Sadly, their concern for the Torah’s most minute laws distracts them from its most important principles: justice and the love of God (10:25-28).

Lk 11:44 | ISB Notes

like graves: Jews were temporarily defiled by contact with tombs and corpses and thereby disqualified from worshiping at the Temple (Num 19:11-16). Ironically, the Pharisee

s also became sources of defilement, since the influence of their strict ceremonial piety was keeping people from the kingdom.

Lk 11:51 | ISB Notes

Abel … Zechariah: Abel’s martyrdom is the first recorded in the Bible (Gen 4:8), while Zechariah’s death centuries later is not mentioned in the Old Testament. The point here is that the bloodguilt accumulated throughout the OT era will spill over when the Jerusalem leaders conspire to execute the Messiah. .

Lk 11:52 | ISB Notes

the key of knowledge: Legal experts kept the Scriptures locked up, concealing from the multitudes the most important spiritual principles of the Old Covenant.