translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: LUK

label: NET study note

text: John refers to John the Baptist.


text: It was not unusual for Jewish groups to have their own prayer as a way of expressing corporate identity. Judaism had the Eighteen Benedictions and apparently John the Baptist had a prayer for his disciples as well.


text: When you pray. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.


text: א B (L: + ἡμῶν ) 1 700 pc as well as some versions and fathers. Given this more weighty external evidence, combined with the scribal tendency to harmonize Gospel parallels, the shorter reading is preferred. God is addressed in terms of intimacy ( Father ). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba . The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “Daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.


text: B L pc ), and cannot be easily explained as arising from the longer reading. Your kingdom come represents the hope for the full manifestation of God’s promised rule.


text: The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.


text: The three present imperatives in this verse ( Ask…seek…knock ) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.


text: The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.


text: The snake probably refers to a water snake.


text: The two questions of vv. 11-12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”


text: The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew ( 7:11 ) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit .


text: This miracle is different from others in Luke. The miracle is told entirely in one verse and with minimum detail, while the response covers several verses. The emphasis is on explaining what Jesus’ work means.


text: What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.


text: Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of those who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 17-20 ) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 21-22 ) about defeating the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation ( 4:1-13 ) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.


text: Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27 / Luke 11:19 ,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.


text: The finger of God is a figurative reference to God’s power (L&N 76.3). This phrase was used of God’s activity during the Exodus ( Exod 8:19 ).


text: The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21 .


text: Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10 , although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.


text: Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.


text: For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.


text: This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33 .


text: The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water ( Luke 8:29-31 ; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started ( Isa 13:21; 34:14 ).


text: The image of the house swept clean and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.


text: The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.


text: Both the reference to the womb and the breasts form a figure of speech called metonymy. In this case the parts are mentioned instead of the whole; the meaning is “Blessed is your mother!” The warnings seem to have sparked a little nervousness that brought forth this response. In the culture a mother was valued for the accomplishments of her son. So this amounts to a compliment to Jesus.


text: This is another reference to hearing and doing the word of God , which here describes Jesus’ teaching; see Luke 8:21 .


text: The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16 . Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.


text: As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.


text: On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12 , as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.


text: For the imagery of judgment , see Luke 10:13-15 and 11:19 . The warnings are coming consistently now.


text: The message of Jesus was something greater than what Solomon offered. On Jesus and wisdom, see Luke 7:35; 10:21-22 ; 1 Cor 1:24, 30 .


text: Here you is a singular pronoun, individualizing the application.


text: See the note on Pharisees in 5:17 .


text: The allusion to washing ( clean the outside of the cup ) shows Jesus knew what they were thinking and deliberately set up a contrast that charged them with hypocrisy and majoring on minors.


text: You fools is a rebuke which in the OT refers to someone who is blind to God ( Ps 14:1, 53:1; 92:6 ; Prov 6:12 ).


text: The expression everything will be clean for you refers to the agreement that should exist between the overt practice of one’s religious duties, such as almsgiving, and the inner condition of one’s heart, including true love for God and the poor; one is not only to wash the outside of the cup and plate, but the inside as well, since as Jesus said, God created the inside too. Religious duties are not to be performed hypocritically, i.e., for the applause and esteem of people, but rather they are to be done out of a deep love for God and a sensitivity to and concern for the needs of others. Then, everything will be clean , both hearts and lives.


text: These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).


text: Justice was a major theme of OT ethics ( Mic 6:8 ; Zech 7:8-10 ).


text: See the note on synagogues in 4:15 .


text: In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it , makes one unclean ( Num 19:11-22 ; Lev 21:1-3 ; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.


text: That is, an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law. They worked closely with the Pharisees.


text: The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” ( The Sayings of Jesus , 101).


text: The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.


text: Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.


text: It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25 .


text: You have taken away the key to knowledge is another stinging rebuke. They had done the opposite of what they were trying to do.