Luke 11:1-54 King James Bible KJV

The Lord’s Prayer, Ask Seek and Knock, Jesus and Beelzebul, The Sign of Jonah, Lamp of the Body, Woes to the Pharisees

Luke Chapter 11:1-54. Luke Chapter 11 is a powerful call to a life of prayer, faith, and spiritual discernment. Jesus teaches His disciples to pray persistently, live with open hearts to God’s truth, and avoid the dangers of hypocrisy. The chapter also underscores the reality of spiritual warfare, the need for inner transformation, and the urgency of responding to Jesus’ message before it is too late.

• Prayer and Persistence: Jesus emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer, trust in God’s goodness, and the power of the Holy Spirit to work in believers’ lives.
• Spiritual Warfare and the Kingdom of God: Jesus’ casting out of demons and His teachings about spiritual blindness reveal the ongoing battle between God’s kingdom and the forces of evil. Neutrality in this spiritual battle is not possible – people must choose to follow Jesus or remain vulnerable to darkness.
• The Dangers of Hypocrisy: Jesus condemns religious leaders who focus on external observance while neglecting the core principles of God’s law. True faith requires both inward purity and outward justice.
• Judgment and Repentance: Jesus calls for repentance, warning that rejection of His message leads to judgment. He contrasts the willingness of the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba to seek God with the hardness of heart in His own generation.

Luke 11:1-54 King James Bible KJV
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The Lord’s Prayer verses 1-4
Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. In response, He gives them what is known as the Lord’s Prayer, which emphasizes reverence for God, submission to His will, daily provision, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation.

The prayer is a model for how believers should approach God, focusing first on His holiness and kingdom, then on their own needs. It emphasizes reliance on God for daily sustenance, the necessity of forgiveness (both receiving and offering it), and the importance of seeking protection from sin. Prayer is essential to the life of a disciple, and it should be rooted in dependence on God’s will, provision, and grace. It is both personal and communal, asking for both individual needs and the needs of the community.

The Parable of the Persistent Friend verses 5-8
Jesus tells a parable of a man who goes to his friend at midnight to ask for bread. Though the friend is reluctant at first, he eventually gives in because of the man’s persistence. This parable illustrates the importance of persistence in prayer. God, unlike the reluctant friend, is willing to give good gifts to those who ask Him.

The message is that if persistence can overcome human reluctance, how much more will God, who loves His children, respond to persistent prayer. Persistence in prayer is encouraged. God is willing to answer, and we should not give up in seeking His help or provision.

Ask, Seek, Knock – verses 9-13
Jesus encourages His disciples to “ask, seek, and knock,” promising that those who do so will receive, find, and have doors opened to them. He compares God to earthly fathers, saying if human fathers give good gifts to their children, how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Jesus is reinforcing the idea that God is eager to respond to the prayers of His people.

The promises of “ask, seek, and knock” indicate that prayer is a process requiring persistence, action, and faith. God, being a good Father, will not withhold what is truly good, especially the Holy Spirit. God desires to bless His children, and He invites us to be persistent and expectant in prayer. The greatest gift He offers is the Holy Spirit, which empowers believers to live according to His will.

Jesus and Beelzebul – verses 14-28
Jesus casts out a demon, but some accuse Him of doing so by the power of Beelzebul (Satan). Jesus refutes this, explaining that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He teaches that His power over demons demonstrates the arrival of God’s kingdom. He also warns that when an evil spirit leaves someone but finds no spiritual filling, it can return with more spirits, making the person’s condition worse. Jesus’ casting out of demons is proof that God’s kingdom is breaking into the world, overpowering Satan.

The accusation that He works through Beelzebul is both illogical and blasphemous. Jesus also highlights the danger of spiritual emptiness – if people don’t fill their lives with God’s presence, they are vulnerable to worse spiritual conditions. Jesus’ authority over evil demonstrates the power of God’s kingdom. Spiritual neutrality is dangerous – people must actively seek to be filled with God’s Spirit, or they remain vulnerable to evil influences.

The Sign of Jonah – verses 29-32
Jesus rebukes the crowds for seeking a sign, saying the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, Jesus will be a sign to His generation. He warns that the people of Nineveh and the Queen of the South (Queen of Sheba) will condemn this generation for rejecting the greater message of Jesus. Jonah’s three days in the belly of the fish foreshadow Jesus’ death and resurrection. The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s message, and the Queen of Sheba traveled far to hear Solomon’s wisdom.

Jesus is greater than both Jonah and Solomon, and yet many in His generation refuse to repent or believe in Him. Their rejection will lead to judgment. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the ultimate signs of God’s saving power. Those who reject this message will face judgment, while those who respond in faith and repentance will be saved.

The Lamp of the Body – verses 33-36
Jesus uses the metaphor of a lamp to teach about spiritual sight. He says the eye is the lamp of the body, and if the eye is healthy, the whole body is full of light. However, if the eye is unhealthy, the body is full of darkness. He warns people to make sure the light in them is not darkness.

The “eye” here symbolizes spiritual perception and openness to God’s truth. If a person’s spiritual perception is clear and focused on God, their whole life will be filled with light (truth and righteousness). But if they are spiritually blind or reject the light of God’s word, their life will be full of darkness. Spiritual discernment and receptivity to God’s truth are crucial. Those who open their hearts to Jesus will be filled with light, but those who reject Him remain in darkness.

Woes to the Pharisees and Experts in the Law – verses 37-54
While dining with a Pharisee, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for focusing on outward religious observance while neglecting justice and love for God. He pronounces woes on them for their hypocrisy, legalism, and pride. He also rebukes the experts in the law for burdening people with religious obligations they don’t help them fulfill and for hindering others from entering the kingdom of God.

Jesus condemns the Pharisees and legal experts for their hypocrisy and for leading people astray. Their focus on external rituals and rules, while ignoring the core values of justice, mercy, and love for God, makes them spiritually blind. Their legalistic approach not only fails to help people but also prevents them from experiencing the true message of salvation. True religion is about inner transformation and devotion to God, not just outward appearances or strict adherence to rules. Hypocrisy and legalism hinder both personal faith and the faith of others, drawing Jesus’ strongest condemnation.

Luke 11:1-54 King James Bible KJV

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom 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 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 have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give 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 receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh 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 house divided against a house falleth.
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 armour 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.
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.

28 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 of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineve 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 saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
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.
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 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.
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 sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
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 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.