Luke 11

29-32 See Matthew 12:38-45; Mark 8:11-12 and comments.

(Matthew 5:15; 6:22-23; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16)

33 See Matthew 5:15; Mark 4:21 and comments.

34-36 See Matthew 6:22-23 and comment.

(Matthew 23:4,23-26,29-31,34-38)

37-38 See Mark 7:1-5 and comment.

39 See Matthew 23:25-26 and comment.

40 Men are like cups. God made not only the outside of the cup, but the inside also. He made both the outside of the body and the inside, the heart. What use is it to keep the outside clean if the inside remains dirty? It is as if we offered a cup to God which was clean outside, but inside was full of filth.

41 The inside of the cup is our heart, our love. It can also mean our possessions. Christ tells us to give our love to the poor, to share our possessions with them. Then we shall be truly clean. If the inside of our cup is clean—that is, if our heart is generous, if our possessions are shared with the poor—then our whole life, together with our possessions, will be holy in God’s sight (see Titus 1:15).

42 See Matthew 23:23-24 and comment.

43 See Mark 12:38-39 and comment.

44 The Jews believed that to touch a grave made one unclean (Numbers 19:16). Therefore, the Jews whitewashed graves so that they could be easily seen. Otherwise a Jew might walk over a grave without knowing it and thereby become unclean.

The Pharisees had become like unmarked, or unwhitewashed graves. Men, without knowing it, were becoming impure through the false teaching and bad example of the Pharisees.

45 The experts in the law felt insulted, because they too taught the same things the Pharisees taught. Thus, in verse 46, Jesus begins to rebuke the experts in the law.

46 See Matthew 23:4 and comment.

47-48 The Jews of Jesus’ time built tombs for the prophets whom their ancestors had killed. They pretended to give honor to the prophets but, in fact, in their hearts they were just like their fathers. In a way, by building tombs for the murdered prophets, they showed their approval of what their fathers had done (see Matthew 23:29-32 and comment).

49-51 See Matthew 23:34-36 and comment.

52 The experts of the law had taken away the key of knowledge—that is, the knowledge of Christ, the knowledge of salvation. The key to salvation is faith in Christ. The experts in the law falsely taught that man is saved by works alone. They denied that Christ was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Thus, by their false teaching, they hid the true key to salvation from men. They refused to believe in Christ themselves and, what was worse, they prevented others from believing in Him too (see Matthew 23:13 and comment).

53-54 Naturally, the Pharisees and experts in the law were angry at what Jesus had said. Therefore, they tried to catch him in something he might say, so that they could bring charges against Him. Their desire was to kill Him (see Mark 3;6; 11:18; 12:12-13 and comments).