Luke 11:37-54

Woes upon the Pharisees

37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first 1ceremonially washed before the meal.
39 But 2the Lord said to him, "Now 3you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.
40 "4You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 "But 5give that which is within as charity, and then all things are 6clean for you.
42 "7But woe to you Pharisees! For you 8pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 "Woe to you Pharisees! For you 9love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.
44 "10Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."
45 One of the 11lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."
46 But He said, "Woe to you 12lawyers as well! For 13you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 "14Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 "So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 "For this reason also 15the wisdom of God said, '16I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed 17since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
51 from 18the blood of Abel to 19the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.'
52 "Woe to you 20lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; 21you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering."
53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
54 22plotting against Him 23to catch Him in something He might say *.

Cross References 23

  • 1. Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:3
  • 2. Luke 7:13
  • 3. Matthew 23:25
  • 4. Luke 12:20; 1 Corinthians 15:36
  • 5. Luke 12:33; Luke 16:9
  • 6. Mark 7:19; Titus 1:15
  • 7. Matthew 23:23
  • 8. Leviticus 27:30; Luke 18:12
  • 9. Matthew 23:6; Mark 12:38; Luke 14:7; Luke 20:46
  • 10. Matthew 23:27
  • 11. Matthew 22:35; Luke 11:46, 52
  • 12. Matthew 22:35; Luke 11:45, 52
  • 13. Matthew 23:4
  • 14. Matthew 23:29f
  • 15. 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; Colossians 2:3
  • 16. Matthew 23:34-36
  • 17. Matthew 25:34
  • 18. Genesis 4:8
  • 19. 2 Chronicles 24:20, 21
  • 20. Matthew 22:35; Luke 11:45, 46
  • 21. Matthew 23:13
  • 22. Mark 3:2; Luke 20:20; Acts 23:21
  • 23. Mark 12:13

Footnotes 13

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