The Gospel According to St. Luke

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 11 -

(Matthew 6:5–15)

One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

So Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father,(a) hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.(b)

Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.(c)’”

Ask, Seek, Knock

(Matthew 7:7–12)

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’

I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish,(d) will give him a snake instead?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

So if you who 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!”

A House Divided

(Matthew 12:22–30; Mark 3:20–27)

One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,

but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul,(e) the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”

And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall.

If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.

And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure.

But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

(Matthew 12:43–45)

When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’

On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”

But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

The Sign of Jonah

(Jonah 3:1–10; Matthew 12:38–42)

As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body

(Matthew 6:22–24)

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good,(f) your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad,(g) your body is full of darkness.

Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.”

Woes to Pharisees and Experts in the Law

(Matthew 23:1–36)

As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at the table.

But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

“Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well?

But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.

Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.

Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”

One of the experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”

“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.

Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.

So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.

Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and others they will persecute.’

As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world,

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary.(h) Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things,

waiting to catch Him in something He might say.

Footnotes

(a)11:2 BYZ and TR Our Father in heaven; see Matthew 6:9.

(b)11:2 BYZ and TR include Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; see Matthew 6:10.

(d)11:11 BYZ and TR if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or for a fish; see Matthew 7:9–10.

(e)11:15 WH Beezeboul; Vulgate Beelzebub; also in verses 18 and 19

(f)11:34 Literally when your eye is sound; see Proverbs 22:9.

(g)11:34 Literally when it is evil; see Proverbs 23:6 and Proverbs 28:22.

(h)11:51 Literally the house

(Matthew 6:5–15)

When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Ask, Seek, Knock

(Matthew 7:7–12)

He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’

and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’?

I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?

Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

A House Divided

(Matthew 12:22–30; Mark 3:20–27)

He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”

Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.

If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.

“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.

But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.

“He who is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

(Matthew 12:43–45)

The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’

When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.

Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”

But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

The Sign of Jonah

(Jonah 3:1–10; Matthew 12:38–42)

When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will also be to this generation.

The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body

(Matthew 6:22–24)

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light.

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness.

Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.

If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”

Woes to Pharisees and Experts in the Law

(Matthew 23:1–36)

Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat at the table.

When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.

The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness.

You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?

But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”

He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens.

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.

Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute,

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

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”

As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him,

lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.