Chapter 11
After I experienced the freedom of releasing my sinful burdens by giving my heart to Jesus many years ago—and after doing my own personal “testing” to make sure this Christian walk was real—I became absolutely convinced that our Heavenly Father is true and real. So, I went all in and gave my whole life to Him.
As a result, I began participating more and more in church life. I volunteered for anything that came up. I couldn’t do enough to support the family of God—my brothers and sisters in Christ. I also dove deeper into the Word, studying and learning as much as I could. That lifestyle naturally became my rhythm. It shaped a new pattern for my daily life.
But after several years, I found myself in a kind of “groove.” I was doing so much that I didn’t realize something had shifted. My focus had subtly moved to doing. My Christian education started leaning more on the letter of the Word than the spirit of it. Quietly, without even noticing, I had begun to turn into a “religious” person.
This chapter in Luke really continues the journey that began in the two chapters before. First, we gained an understanding of who Jesus truly is and the responsibility that comes with that knowledge. Then in Chapter 10, we looked at how to apply that understanding—putting others before ourselves and serving. We reflected on the acronym JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself.
Luke 11, you could say, shows both the danger of forgetting the “J” in JOY and the encouragement to remember it. It illustrates what can happen when we’re only left with “OY.” Ironically, that sounds like the Yiddish word “oy,” which means “Oh my” or “Oh no”—a little humorous reminder in itself.
This chapter begins with one of the greatest reminders: in verse 2, Jesus teaches us to pray with, “Father…” That word implies relationship. Starting our prayers with that deeply personal title should keep us focused on why we do what we do. It’s a word that can only truly be spoken by those in relationship, and it invites us to examine our hearts right from the start.
The Lord’s Prayer outlines the steps of relationship:
- “Father” is personal.
- “Hallowed be your name” acknowledges who we’re speaking to.
- “Give us each day our daily bread” reminds us our Father wants daily connection—keeping the “J” in focus.
- “Forgive us” reminds us that we fall daily, yet He lifts us up, and we are called to extend that same grace to others.
After this introduction, the chapter gives examples of people who had forgotten the “J” and were focused only on the “OY.” Then Jesus reveals that even the “O” was often just the “Y” in disguise—self-centeredness pretending to be service.
So, dear brothers and sisters, remember to start your day with “J.” Keep Jesus at the center so you don’t fall into the same trap. And if you realize you’re already there, it’s not too late—just add the “J” back into your daily life. Then you’ll begin to experience real JOY again.
Jesus Teaches How to Pray
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: ” ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, [Satan] the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. [The wrong heart seeks the “show” instead of acknowledging the wonder already shown. A greedy heart always wants more, not to be convinced, but to feed their own eye’s desire. God’s work is even today all around us, but we can easily excuse it, and want more “wonderful” signs. That comes from our flesh, not our faith.]
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.
23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” [Many people today are searching for inner peace. There are countless methods being tried, and some even seem to find peace through ways that don’t honor God. They often promote these new paths as the answer. But Jesus warns us that unless we invite Him—the Prince of Peace, the true source of peace—into our lives, any peace we find on our own will only be temporary. Sooner or later, that so-called peace will fade and leave us feeling worse than before. The kind of peace the world offers doesn’t last. But the enemy will try to convince us that it does. That’s one of Satan’s biggest lies: offering a counterfeit peace to keep us from the real one that only comes from God.]
27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” 28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
The Sign of Jonah
29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. [“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” – Matthew 12:40 ] 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law
37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you–be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”
45 One of the experts in the law [what was called lawyers back then, those who interpreted the law of Moses, many times expanding harsh and excessive interpretations to the basic laws.] answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” 46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.
