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CHAPTER XI.

AND it came to pass, that as

he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of

midnight, and say unto him,

Friend, lend me three loaves:

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I his disciples said unto him, have nothing to set before Lord, teach us to pray, as John him?

also taught his disciples.

7 And he from within shall

2 And he said unto them, answer and say, Trouble me When ye pray, say, Our Father not: the door is now shut, and which art in heaven, Hallowed my children are with me in be thy name. Thy kingdom bed; I cannot rise and give come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 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.

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at

glory for the righteous. What, then, does wisdom dictate, as the portion which we should choose? 1 John 2: 17. 2 Pet. 3: 11, 13. Rev. 21: 4, 23-27.

CHAPTER XI.

1. Teach us to pray. It was common for the Jewish teachers to give a short form of prayer to those whom they instructed. John the Baptist, it seems from this verse, had imitated the practice. Jesus had, also, in the sermon on the mount, given instructions respecting prayer, and a model, to the spirit and manner of which he wished his disciples' prayers to be conformed. See Matt. 6:5-15. 7: 7-11. But he was not understood as prescribing a particular form of words to be used in prayer. Such a form, probably, was now requested by one of his disciples.

2. And he said unto them, &c. He at once recalled to the minds of his disciples the pattern which he had

thee.

8 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.

9 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.

10 For every one that asketh,

formerly given, being more anxious about the spirit, than about the words or the length of a prayer.

2-4. Compare Matt 6: 9-13.

5. Jesus then proceeded to encourage his disciples in the exercise of prayer, particularly with respect to perseverance and importunity.

7. Are with me in bed. That is, my children and I have retired to bed.

8. Though he will not rise, &c. If friendship on his part do not excite him to favor his neighbor, yet importunity on the part of his neighbor will prevail. In application to God's hearing the prayers of his people, this illustration is peculiarly strong. God has a love for his children, and is predisposed to hear their prayers and to bestow blessings. And if importunity can prevail over the unwillingness of a man to listen to his neighbor's entreaty, much more will importunate prayer to God be followed by favor able answers. Compare 18: 1-8.

9-13. Compare Matt. 7: 7-11

receiveth; and he that seeketh, house divided against a house, findeth; and to him that knock- falleth. eth, it shall be opened.

11 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?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 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?

14 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.

15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils.

16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and a

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

24 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.

12. A scorpion; a large venomous expression is more specific, having insect, found in hot countries among particular reference to the soul, as the stones of old walls and in decayed the soul's welfare is of paramount imbuildings. It has a sting at the ex-portance. tremity of its tail.

14-32. Compare Matt. 12: 22-45. 13. The Holy Spirit; the influences 16. Sought of him a sign from of the Holy Spirit, so indispensable heaven. The request, mentioned in to our salvation. In the language this verse, is replied to by our Saviour furnished by Matt. 7: 11, our Lord in v. 29. Compare Matt. 12: 38, used the expression good things · -a &c. general phrase, applicable to our temporal and our spiritual concerns. In the language furnished by Luke, the

20. The finger of God. Figurative language, expressing the power of God. See Matt. 12: 28.

25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26 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.

27 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.

23 But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

29 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. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

31 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

33-36. See Matt. 5:15. 6: 22, 23. These verses contain several weighty sayings of our Lord, delivered, probably, at different times, but inserted here according to the manner of Luke in other passages. See remarks on 6: 39. This place was probably regarded as a suitable one for recording these sayings, as the general principle contained in them has a similarity to the topic on which our Lord had just been speaking. He

of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

32 The men of Nineveh 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.

33 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.

34 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.

35 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

36 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.

37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in and sat down to meat.

38 And when the Pharisee

had described the people of that generation as neglecting the advantages which had been bestowed on them, and as therefore exposed to condemnation. These verses enforce the principle that knowledge and advan tages are bestowed in order to be used, and that sad consequences will result from abusing or neglecting them.

38. Washed. The original word here employed is the one which is

saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before din

ner.

39 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.

40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make that which is within also? 41.But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are clean unto

you.

done, and not to leave the other undone.

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

44 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.

45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also.

46 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.

42 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 usually rendered baptized; and it ex-in the judgment of the law were unpresses that copious use of water for clean, were prohibited to be used; cleansing which the Jewish rules re-things which were clean according to quired, when persons had been exposed to a promiscuous crowd, as had been the case at this time with Jesus. See v. 29. For the elucidation of the word in such a connection, see on Mark 7: 4.

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the law, it was allowable to use. Hence the terms clean and unclean came to be equivalent to the terms lawful and unlawful. Now, the Pharisees did not make such a use of their property as God required; instead of devoting a suitable portion of it to relieving the wants of the needy, they had regard to their own convenience and aggrandizement. But if they would lay aside their present selfish disposition, and, under the influence of impartial love to men, would administer to human woes, then they might lawfully enjoy the property which divine providence might put in their possession. Compare 3: 11. 10:37. 18: 22. 19: 8, 9.

42-44. Compare Matt. 23: 23, 6, 7, 27.

45. Thou reproachest us also. The lawyers, that is, teachers of the Mosaic law, were similar in opinions and character to the Pharisees, and by their teaching gave tone to the sentiments of the Pharisees.

46. See Matt. 23: 4.

47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48 Truly ye bear witness, that ye allow the deeds of your fathers for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepul

chres.

49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and per

secute:

50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

51 From the blood of Abel

47, 48. See Matt. 23: 29-31. Ye allow; ye assent to your fathers' deeds; ye have the same disposition which actuated your fathers in their persecution of the prophets. The similarity between the act of killing the prophets and the act of building sepulchres for them, led Jesus to declare that they were also similar to their fathers in their disposition. Besides, they acknowledged it was their fathers that had slain the prophets; and the descendants of those fathers were their children, not only by natural descent, but also by character. See on Matt. 23: 29-31, for the meaning of the phrase to be the son of a person. 49-51. See on Matt. 23: 34-36. Said the wisdom of God; God in his wisdom has said; or, the wisdom of God, speaking by me, has declared.

52. The key of knowledge. You, as the professed teachers of the people, ought to unlock for them the treasures of divine knowledge; in other words, ought to impart to them divine knowledge. But, instead of conferring on them this benefit, you withhold it from them; you hinder them from obtaining it. This the teachers of the law, the scribes, did by their opposition to

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.

52 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.

53 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;

54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Jesus, and their endeavoring to hinder the people from receiving his instructions. || Ye entered not in yourselves. The Messiah's dispensation is here likened to an edifice, into which these religious teachers ought themselves to have entered, and to have encouraged the entrance of the people. But, on the contrary, they entered not them. selves, and those who were somewhat disposed to enter, they hindered. That is, they did not themselves receive the doctrines of Christ, nor seek the blessings which he promised; and they did all they could to keep others from receiving his doctrines and blessings. So injurious was their influence on the spiritual condition of the people. Compare Matt. 23: 13.

53. To provoke him to speak of many things; to propose ensnaring questions, which they hoped he would answer incautiously.

54. That they might accuse him. They framed such questions as, if incautiously or even directly answered, might enable either the Pharisees to set one class of the people against him, or the Sadducees another class, or the Herodians another. Thus they hoped in some way to be able to draw

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