Introductory remarks:
In the last chapter, Christ was visiting Martha and Mary at their house, and He was making the point of showing Martha the importance of fellowship. This chapter opens with Christ teaching His disciples to pray. This chapter may be outlined as follows: Teaching about prayer vv. 1-13; Jesus and Beelzebul vv. 14-23; the return of the unclean spirit vv. 24-26; the blessedness vv. 27-28; the demand for a sign vv. 29-32; the light of the body vv. 33-36; the denouncing of the Pharisees and Lawyers vv. 37-54.
Verse 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."
LGT "And it came to pass, as He was in a certain place praying, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as also John taught his disciples."
One of Christ's disciples had overheard Christ praying, and he wanted Him to teach them to pray as He did; he mentions the fact that John the Baptist also taught his disciples to pray. Luke presents an abbreviated form of the prayer presented in Matthew chapters 6 & 7. As I mentioned in my exposition of Matthew, this prayer is not a prayer for us in this age of grace.
Verse 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."
LGT "And He said to them, When you pray, say, Father, sanctified be Thy name: let Thy kingdom come:"
Jesus taught His disciples first and foremost that their prayers were to be addressed towards their heavenly Father; next they were to praise Him with this recognition of the sanctity in His name, for there is no other name worthy of their praise. Then He taught them to always be looking forward to Christ's earthly reign.
Verse 3, "Give us this day our daily bread."
LGT "Our needed bread gives us daily."
"The disciples were to pray for daily bread. This was particularly true of those who like the Twelve or the seventy were sent out as Christ's witnesses with no provision for these needs. But they were to trust God for them" (Pentecost).
Verse 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."
LGT "And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one indebted to us: and bring us not into temptation."
In this verse we can readily see that this is not a prayer for the grace-age believer, in that, we are never to ask for forgiveness; you see God has already forgiven us through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. We are simply to confess our sins, that is, name them to the Father. Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples before He went to the cross. These disciples were heading for some difficult times, so Christ encouraged them to be completely dependant on their heavenly Father, for they would be soon without Him to succor them. They were not to trust their own hearts, but depend on God for all their strength to fight off temptation.
Verse 5, "And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go into him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend lend me three loaves?"
LGT "And He said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,"
Jesus again speaks to them with a parable. Jesus says that a man goes to his friend at midnight, a most inopportune time, to say the least, and asks him for three loaves of bread.
Verse 6, "For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?"
LGT "Because my friend is come to me off a journey, and I have not what I shall set before him:"
The friend was caught by surprise when his friend came calling at midnight, and found himself as a mediator, going to his other friend for help, because he was out of bread that had been baked for that day.
Verse 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."
LGT "And he from within answering should say, Cause me no trouble: already the door has been shut, and my children are with me in bed; I am not willing to rise up to give to you."
Whole families in the Orient sleep in the same room. "The poorer Palestinian house consisted of one room with only one little window. The floor was simply of beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes. The room was divided into two parts, not by a partition but a low platform. Two-thirds of it was on ground level. The other third was slightly raised. On the raised part the charcoal stove burned all night, and round it the whole family slept, not on raised beds but on sleeping mats. Families were large and they slept close together for warmth. For one to rise was inevitably to disturb the whole family. Further, in the villages it was the custom to bring the livestock, the hens and the cocks and the goats, into the house at night" (William Barclay).
Verse 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 as many as he needeth."
LGT "I say to you, Though he will not give to him, having risen up, because of him being a friend of his, yet because of his importunity [shameless persistence], having risen up, he will give to him as many as he needs."
From the viewpoint of the man in bed, this shameless persistence [this is what the Greek word means] of the knocking at the door by his friend was enough to make him give him what he needed. The Lord uses this parable as to contrast this persistence of the man to get what he needed, over against the willingness of our Lord to supply His children's needs. The Greek word parabole means to place one thing by the side of another, so the Lord uses this parable in order to contrast this thing.
Verses 9, 10, "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. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
LGT "And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you: for every one that asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened."
Many expositors have used this parable to teach that we should be persistent with God in order to get what we want; this is a very immature and even foolish concept; what the verse is actually doing is contrasting the reluctance of the neighbor with the willingness of God to grant His children's petitions. It must be taught with this willingness, that the thing asked for, must be what is best for the believer, for a loving God will not allow His child to hurt themselves. Whatever is in line with the will of God will be granted, even without the asking, seeking or knocking.
Verse 11, "If a son 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?"
LGT "And of which of you that is a father, [if] the son shall ask a fish, and instead of a fish, will he give him a serpent?"
The oldest manuscripts leave out the part about the bread. The meaning is not lost, however, for the contrast continues with the Lord supplying the obvious.
Verses 12, 13, "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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?"
LGT "Or also he should ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If therefore ye, being evil, know [how] to give good gifts to your little children, how much more the Father [Who] is from heaven, will give [the] Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."
Christ continues the contrast in verse twelve with regard to the egg and scorpion; but now in verse thirteen He tells them to ask for the Holy Spirit. There are those who teach that we need to ask for the Holy Spirit. We must remember that this was before Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh; every believer is baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment he or she accepts Christ as Savior. The life we live now in the flesh, we live by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. There has never been a man who has been able to live this supernatural life apart from the filling of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is altogether another issue from the baptism of the Spirit. The baptism comes instantaneous the moment one believes, and the filling comes through yielding to the Spirit. The believer can either choose to be led of the Spirit or to be led of the flesh, be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit (Eph, 5:18). For a person to be controlled of the Spirit it takes an adjustment of the life to the Word of God, that is, to walk in the Light as He is in the Light, one has fellowship with the Father, and this is being filled [controlled] by the Spirit. It is no longer an issue of asking for the Holy Spirit, for He indwells every believer; neither is it required of us to ask for forgiveness, for the forgiveness of sin has already been accomplished. What is required in this age of grace is for every believer to confess their sins, If we confess [name] our sins, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) Confession is the key to the filling, for without confession there can be no filling. Remember, kids, the Lord is not requiring us to do anything but name our sins; He doesn't require us to ask for forgiveness, nor does He require us to tell Him how sorry we are; He tells us to name the sins and then move on in fellowship with Him, doing the will of God as outlined in His Word, and I might add, we cannot know what His will is if we don't take in Bible doctrine on a daily basis.
Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matt. 12:22-30; Mark 3:20-27)
Verse 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."
LGT "And He was casting out a demon, [and it was] dumb; and it came to pass, the demon having gone out, the dumb spoke; and the crowds wondered."
This section begins with Jesus performing another of His miracles of casting out a demon from a dumb man. Some of the crowd wondered in amazement, while the Pharisees [identified in Matthew and Mark] had another blasphemous explanation.
Verse 15, "But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils."
LGT "But some of them said, By Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, he casts out the demons."
The Pharisees could not explain away the fact that Jesus certainly did cast out the demons, so they came up with this ridiculous, blasphemous charge that He did it through the power of Satan. (See the exposition on Matthew for the details on the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit)
Verse 16, "And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven."
LGT "And others, tempting [Him], were seeking from Him a sign from heaven."
There were many exorcists in those days, so some wanted Christ to display some miraculous sign from heaven to prove He was genuine.
Verse 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."
LGT "But He knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falls."
The last phrase, and a house against a house falls, describes what happens to a kingdom divided against itself. "One tumbling house knocking down its neighbor, a graphic picture of what happens when a kingdom is divided against itself" (Bruce). "The divided kingdom is brought to desolation, and its families and household in their party strifes are brought to ruin" (Vincent).
Verse 18, "If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub."
LGT "And if also Satan be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say by beelzebul I cast out the demons."
The first proof Jesus uses to prove that their claims were ridiculous was to point out to them that if He were using power He received from Satan, against Satan, this would be anarchy.
Verse 19, "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges."
LGT "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast [them] out? On account of this, they shall be judges of you."
Jesus use this argument to prove reductio absurdum, that is, their logic has been reduced, by our Lord, to an absurdity. "There were many exorcists in Jesus' time in Palestine. Josephus traces this power back to Solomon. Part of Solomon's wisdom was that he was skilful with herbs and had invented incantations, which drove out demons in such a way that they never came back; and Josephus states that he had seen Solomon's methods used with success even in his own day. So Jesus delivers a home-thrust. If I, He said, cast out devils because I am in league with the prince of devils, what of your own people who do the same thing? If you condemn Me, you are only condemning yourselves." (William Barclay)
Verse 20, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."
LGT "But if by [the] finger of God, I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you."
Jesus is telling them that it is by the power of God that He performs such miracles, and that the kingdom of God is present among them, in His very person; that is, He is the King.
Verse 21, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:"
LGT "When the strong [man] being fully armed, may keep his own dwelling, in peace are his goods."
Jesus states the obvious to this crowd. If Christ is able to enter Satan's stronghold, He must have more power than he; for greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world: Satan is the prince of the power of the air, But Christ is the King of the universe.
Verse 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."
LGT "But as soon as the stronger than he coming upon [him] shall overcome him, his whole armor he takes away in which he had trusted, and his spoils he divides."
As strong as Satan is, Christ is stronger. It seems that the dividing of the spoils is referred to in Colossians 2:15, "Christ is pictured as triumphing openly over the powers of evil by the Cross" (Robertson). In Ephesians Paul tells them to put on the whole armor of God (the Word of God) in order to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Verse 23, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."
LGT "But the one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who gathers not with Me scatters."
Jesus tells this crowd that they must make a decision then and there; they were to either be for Him or against Him, that is, to accept Him and His doctrine, or the doctrine of the Pharisees. This is the decision that every child of God has to make from Adam and Eve to the present, that is, to either become His child (John 1:12) or a child of Satan.
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
(Matt. 12:43-45)
Verses 24-26, "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. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 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."
LGT "When the unclean spirit is gone out from a man, he goes through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none: then he says, I will return into my house whence I came out: And having come he finds [it] swept and adorned. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits, more wicked than himself, and having entered, they dwell there: and the last of that man becomes worse than the first. "
"By this story the Lord revealed His estimate of the nation. Israel was unclean and John had carried on a ministry of calling the people to repentance. Multitudes had responded to John the Baptist's ministry, acknowledging their sin. These identified themselves with John by baptism with a view to experiencing the forgiveness of sin when the Messiah, whom they were anticipating, should come. Thus the nation was cleansed. But in the interval the nation had turned from John's message and now was in the process of rejecting Christ. This meant that the good John had done in the nation was being dissipated. And with the progressive rejection of Christ there was an accompanying spiritual deterioration and retrogression. Thus when the nation finalized its decision to reject Christ, the spiritual condition of the nation would be worse than it was before John began his ministry. This was a serious accusation against the nation" (Pentecost).
The Blessedness
Verse 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."
LGT "And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman, lifting up her voice from the crowd, said to Him, Blessed the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts which You did suck."
This certain woman is fulfilling Mary's own prophecy of Luke 1:48; For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Verse 28, "But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it."
LGT "But He said, Yes, rather blessed are the ones who hear the Word of God and keep it."
The Lord agrees with the woman, but says that she is speaking strictly from the viewpoint of a woman; then He adds the divine viewpoint, rather, blessed are the ones who hear the Word of God and keep it. To hear the Word of God is the appropriation of knowledge; the keeping the things written in the Word of God is wisdom. "The originality of Christ's reply guarantees its historical character. Such a comment is beyond the reach of an inventor" (Plummer).
The Demand for a Sign
(Matt. 12:38-42; Mark 8:12)
Verse 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."
LGT "But the crowds were gathering together unto Him, He began to say, This generation is wicked: it seeks a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonas."
Christ directed this statement of this generation being evil in the main at the Scribes and Pharisees, that is, the religious rulers; however, it was to those who were followers of these rulers also. The preaching of Christ was enough for those who believe, and this is true of every generation. Anyone seeking a sign will never believe. Those who seek a sign will do so in order to disprove that sign. The believer needs no sign, the unbeliever wants a sign to satisfy their unbelief; the problem is, no sign has ever satisfied unbelief.
Verse 30, "For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall the Son of man be to this generation."
LGT "For just as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, thus also shall be the Son of Man to this generation."
The preaching of Christ should have been enough for this generation, just as the preaching of Jonah was enough for the Ninevites. Luke does not teach the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ here, for it was yet future; but it seems as though the Lord says, "wait and see", you will get your sign.
Verse 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."
LGT "A queen of [the] south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a Greater than Solomon is here."
"Just as once long ago Jonah had been God's sign to Nineveh, so now Jesus was God's sign to them - and they failed to recognize Him. When Solomon was King, the Queen of Sheba recognized his wisdom and came from afar to benefit from it; when Jonah preached the people of Nineveh recognized the authentic voice of God and responded to it" (William Barclay). These people have no excuse, because the one who Jonah had been preaching about, and Solomon's wisdom centered around was with them in the flesh. Just as the people in this age of grace have no excuse because we have the entire written Word of God.
Verse 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."
LGT "Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold, a greater than Jonas is here."
This verse completes Christ's teaching on this subject with the fact that in the judgment day all these will be witnesses against this generation's unbelief. That generation heard the Wisdom of Solomon, but this generation is hearing the wisdom of the Christ. That generation heard the preaching of Jonah, but this generation is hearing the preaching of the Christ. All this will be a condemning witness against their rank unbelief.
The Light of the Body
(Matt. 5:15; 16:22-23)
Verses 33-36, "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. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light, which is in thee, be but darkness. If the 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."
LGT "No one, having lit a lamp, sets in secret [neither under the corn measure], but upon the lamp stand, in order that the ones who enter in may see the light. The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is single, also thy whole body is light: but when it is evil, also your body is dark. See therefore, lest the light that is in you is darkness. If therefore, thy whole body [is] light, it shall all be light, as when the lamp with [its] brightness lights thee. "
With this parable following His last exposition, it seems to me that what He is expounding here is simply that they should always walk in the light. When we first commit a sin, most of the time it is quite difficult, especially for those of us who have been raised in a Christian home. After committing that sin a few times, it becomes quite easy, and pretty soon it even seems quite natural, that is, we convince ourselves that it is natural. The more we sin, the more we build up calluses on our souls, and so it makes it easy to walk in darkness.
Pentecost writes:
"Christ likened His word to light. The light that Christ brought was knowledge of the Father. What He revealed in Himself of the Father was not revealed in secret, for people do not light lamps to put them where the light will be hidden. Rather, they light their lamps and put them in places where the light may shine. What Christ taught and did to reveal the Father was done before the nation. But the nation was spiritually blind and rejected the light. The reason for the rejection was not in the light but rather in the eye of the beholder. So Christ said, When your eyes are good, your whole body is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. The reason Israel remained in darkness was not the fault of the Revealer but the fault of the nation that refused the Revelation. Christ promised that if they would receive the Revelation, they would have light. And He invited them to Himself as the Light.
The Denouncing of the Pharisees and Lawyers
(Matt. 23:1-36; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47)
Verse 37, "And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat."
LGT "Now as He was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him that He would dine with him: and having entered, He reclined Himself."
This was the morning meal that He was invited to by the Pharisee, after returning from the morning prayers in the Synagogue.
Edersheim describes a meal in a prosperous home:
"The Babylonian Jews were content to make a meal without meat; not so the Palestinians. With the latter the favorite food was young meat: goats, lambs, calves. Beef was not so often used, and still more rarely fowls. Bread was regarded as the mainstay of life, without which no entertainment was considered as a meal. Indeed, in a sense it constituted the meal. For, the blessing was spoken over the bread, and this was supposed to cover all the rest of the food that followed, such as the meat, fish, or vegetables - in short, all that made up the dinner, but not the desert. Similarly, the blessing spoken over the wine included all other kinds of drink. Otherwise it would have been necessary to pronounce a separate benediction over each different article eaten or drunk. He who neglected the prescribed benedictions was regarded as if he had eaten of things dedicated to God, since it was written: The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. Beautiful as this principle is, it degenerated into tedious questions of casuistry [meaningless ritual]. Thus, if one kind of food was eaten as an addition to another, it was settled that the blessing should be spoken only over the principal kind. Again, there are elaborate disputations as to what should be regarded as fruit, and have the corresponding blessing, and how, for example, one blessing should be spoken over the leaves and blossom, and another over the berries of the caper. Indeed, that bush gave rise to a serious controversy between the Schools of Hillel and Shammai. Another series of elaborate discussions arose, as to what blessing should be used when a dish consisted of various ingredients, some the product of earth, others, like honey, derived from the animal world. Such and similar disquisitions, giving rise to endless argument and controversy, busied the minds of the Pharisees and Scribes."
Verse 38, "And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner."
LGT "But the Pharisee seeing [it] wondered that He washed not first before the dinner."
Jesus sits down to the early meal apparently without the ceremonial washing of the hands.
Edersheim explains this practice of ceremonial washing:
"At the entertainment of this Pharisee, as indeed generally, our Lord omitted the prescribed washing of hands before the meal. But as this rite was in itself indifferent, He must have had some definite object, which will be explained in the sequel. The externalism of all these practices will best appear from the following account, which the Talmud gives of a feast. As the guests enter, they sit down on chairs, and water is brought to them, with which they wash one hand. After this the cup is taken, when each speaks the blessing over the wine partaken of before dinner. Presently they all lie down at table. Water is again brought them, with which they now wash both hands, preparatory to the meal, when the blessing is spoken over the bread, and then over the cup, by the chief person at the feast, or else by one selected by way of distinction. The company responds by Amen, always supposing the benediction to have been spoken by an Israelite, not a heathen, slave, nor law-breaker. Nor was it lawful to say it with an unlettered man, although it might be said with Cuthaean [heretic, or else Samaritan], who was learned. After dinner the crumbs, if any, are gathered - hands are again washed, and he who first had done so leads in the prayer of thanksgiving. The formula in which he is to call on the rest to join him, by repeating the prayers after him, is prescribed, and differs according to the number of those present. The blessing and the thanksgiving are allowed to be said not only in Hebrew, but in any other language."
Verse 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."
LGT "But the Lord said to him, Now ye Pharisees the outside of the cup and of the dish ye cleanse, but the inside of you is full of plunder and wickedness."
The Lord tells the Pharisees that they keep the outward regulation but their hearts are full of wickedness.
Verse 40, "Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?"
LGT "Fools, [did] not the One who made the outside, also make the inside?"
Jesus says that they should be more concerned with cleansing their minds than cleansing the outside of their bodies, for God made both body and mind.
Verse 41, "But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you."
LGT "But of the things which are within give alms, and lo, all things are clean to you."
The Pharisees were only concerned with the outward appearance, and the Lord tells them to show brotherly love by giving of their substance "Jesus is insisting upon inward righteousness as against pharisaic externalism, and says: 'Your virtue consists in washing the outside, and making a respectable appearance. Cultivate rather the loving, brotherly spirit of inward righteousness, which will prompt you to give of the food which the vessels contain (that which is within) to your suffering brother' Do you think it is enough to wash your hands before eating? There is a surer means. Let some poor man partake of your meats and wines" (Godet-quoted by Vincent).
Verse 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."
LGT "But ooiee to you Pharisees, because ye pay tithes of the mint and the rue [anise] and every herb, and pass by the judgment and the love of God: for theses things [it] behooved [you] to do, and those things not to pass by."
Jesus pronounces a woe against the Pharisees for their religious practice of tithing, [giving a tenth] even unto the ridiculous extent as to the very spices, while neglecting their own brother's needs, and love for God. The law demanded a tithe, but their tithing even from the garden spices made them feel as though they were fulfilling the Law of Moses.
Verse 43, "Woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market."
LGT "Ooiee to the Pharisees, because you love the first seat on the synagogues, and the salutations in the market-places."
The next thing Christ pronounced a woe against the Pharisees was for their pride. They loved to occupy the first-seats [the semi-circular bench that faced the congregation] in their synagogues, and the reverent salutations, as holy men, in the market place from the Jews.
Verse 44, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisee, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."
LGT "Ooiee to you, because you are as the tombs, the unseen ones, and the men [who] walk over [them] do not know [it]."
In the third place, Christ condemned them for their hypocrisy. "These unseen tombs would give ceremonial defilement for seven days (Num. 19:16) Hence they were usually whitewashed as warning" (Robertson).
Pentecost notes:
"They were not what they wanted people to think they were. To Jews a grave was a source of defilement, and anyone who touched a grave was defiled. It was therefore customary to whitewash graves so that people could avoid defilement from contact with them. The location of an unmarked grave would seem to be a suitable place for walking when in truth that grave could defile. Christ characterized the Pharisee as unmarked graves that defiled without giving warning of the contamination they spread."
Verse 45, "Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also."
LGT "And answering one of the doctors of the law says to Him, Teacher, saying these things, You insult even us."
Jesus includes the lawyers [Scribes] in His woes; now they respond to Him, saying, that what the woes He pronounced on them was a personal insult. They respond to Him, "He was insulting even them, the doctors of the law, the learned ones" (Vincent).
Verse 46, "And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye laden men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers."
LGT "And He said, Ooiee also to you, the doctors of the law, because you burden the men [with] burdens heavy to bear, and yourselves with one of your fingers do not touch the burdens."
The Scribes were guilty of placing burdens on the people they themselves wouldn't even touch with their fingers. "It is a fierce indictment of scribes [lawyers] for their pettifogging [underhanded] interpretations of the written law in their oral teaching (later written down as Mishna and then as Gemarah), a terrible load which these lawyers did not pretend to carry themselves, not even with one of their fingers to touch. A physician would understand the meaning of prospauo, to touch with a view to remove, that is, for feeling gently a sore spot or the pulse" (Robertson).
Verses 47, 48, "Woe unto you! For ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers."
LGT "Ooiee to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly you are witness and consent to the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and you build [their tombs]."
By building the tombs for the prophets, these hypocrites said they approved of the prophets; by rejecting Christ's message they were consenting to their fathers who killed the prophets. These hypocrites were witnesses against themselves.
Verses 49-51, " Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay 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 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."
LGT "Because of this also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they will kill and drive out, that the blood of all the prophets poured out from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation. From [the] blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house: Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation."
"In rejecting Christ they were identifying themselves with those who murdered the prophets. Consequently, Jesus said, This generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah. This generation had identified themselves with murders and were under divine judgment. If any of them had argued that they were not identifying themselves with their fathers but were honoring those whom their fathers had wrongfully put to death, they could have been asked why they did not observe all that the prophets commanded them to do. The prophets had called for righteousness, but this had not been forthcoming. The prophets also had promised the coming of Messiah. By rejecting Christ's words, this generation had identified themselves with their forefathers who had murdered the prophets. Thus they were equally guilty" (Pentecost).
Verse 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."
LGT "Ooiee to you, the doctors of the law, because you took away the key of knowledge: you yourselves did not enter, and those who were entering you hindered."
These religious rulers were obscuring the Scriptures by their terrible interpretations. They not only were blind, they were leading the people into their blindness; they were the blind leading the blind, as Robertson put it, "It is the most pitiful picture imaginable of blind ecclesiastics trying to keep others as blind as they were, blind leaders of the blind, both falling into the pit." Christ accused them of taking away the Key of Knowledge.
Verses 53, 54, "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: laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him."
LGT "And as He went out from them, the Scribes and the Pharisees began to urgently press upon Him, and make Him speak about many things, lying in wait to catch something out of His mouth."
As Jesus left the Pharisees house, the Rabbis were inflamed with anger at Christ's words; they were laying in wait to catch Christ saying something against their law, in order that they might convict Him. It was evident that there could be no peace between them. This chapter ends with these hounds biting at the heels of Christ with their hateful rage.
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