The Gospel of Luke

by Pablo T. Gadenz

  a. Cyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer 18, trans. Alistair Stewart-Sykes (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004), 78.

  b. Augustine, The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.7.25–27, in New Testament I and II, trans. Michael G. Campbell, WSA I/15–1/16 (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2014), 80–82.

  c. Origen, On Prayer 27, trans. Alistair Stewart-Sykes (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004), 175–86; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew 1.6.11, trans. Thomas P. Scheck, FC 117 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2008), 88–89.

  [11:3]

  The petition for bread (artos) functions at several levels. First, it is a prayer—made with confidence in God (see 12:22–24)—that life’s basic needs may be met, that those “who are now hungry . . . will be satisfied” (6:21). Indeed, the disciples, sent out on mission with no “food” (artos, 9:3), trusted that God would supply what they needed. Jesus had also multiplied the “loaves” (artos), and all who ate were satisfied (9:16–17).

  In the verses that follow (11:5, 11–12), “loaves of bread” (artos) and other items of food are used to illustrate Jesus’ teaching on prayer. These examples point to gifts from God of a higher order than physical food—for example, the gift of “the holy Spirit” (v. 13). This context suggests that the request for bread is also open to spiritual interpretation. For example, recalling the first temptation, it is a reminder that “one does not live by bread alone” (4:4; see Matt 4:4) since one also needs the “word of God” (Luke 11:28). Again, the multiplication of the loaves not only signified the feeding of the hungry crowds but also recalled the manna in the wilderness and pointed ahead to the Eucharist (see comment on 9:12–16). So too, as the Church Fathers taught, the petition for bread is a prayer for the new manna of the Eucharist. In particular, the words give us each day and daily (an unusual word; see the sidebar, “Daily Bread,” p. 220) allude to the manna, the day’s amount of “bread” that was “given” by God “each day” (Exod 16:4–5, 15 LXX) during the Israelites’ journey to the promised land. Jesus will institute the Eucharist as the bread for the disciples’ journey to the kingdom, which is already present but still awaited in its fullness. The petition for bread thus fittingly follows the petition for the coming of the kingdom.

  [11:4]

  The petition forgive us our sins has a reason attached to it: for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us. Thus the prayer is also a constant reminder to forgive others, indeed “everyone” (a word not found in the parallel, Matt 6:12). Moreover, the verb “forgive” (aphiēmi) and the use of the word “debts” for sins (see Luke 7:41–48) recall Old Testament legislation regarding the jubilee (Lev 25:10) and “remission of debts” (Deut 15:1; noun aphesis in the LXX). In Nazareth, Jesus had announced his jubilee mission of proclaiming “liberty” (noun aphesis, Luke 4:18). He now includes the jubilee in his model prayer, indicating that it is a permanent aspect of his mission.5

  The final petition in Luke’s version is do not subject us to the final test. The NABRE translates the Greek word peirasmos as “final test,” such that the petition asks that one be spared the great tribulation that was expected to accompany the coming of the messiah and the end of the age. The word may also refer to any “trial” (8:13) or “test” (22:40, 46) that is willed or permitted by God, such as when God tested the Israelites after the exodus (verb peirazō, Exod 16:4; 20:20 LXX). Here, the word is generally translated “temptation” (RSV). Indeed, the same word is used for the devil’s temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:13).6 The petition thus beseeches the Father for protection from the evil one (see Matt 6:13) and for strength to bear trials and resist temptations (see 1 Cor 10:13).

  BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

  The Lord’s “New Exodus” Prayer

  What could Jesus have meant in teaching the Lord’s Prayer to the disciples, and how might they as first-century Jews have understood it?a At his transfiguration, Jesus had spoken with Moses and Elijah about his death and resurrection as his “exodus” (Luke 9:31). This idea of the new exodus provides a key for understanding the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer. When Christians pray it, they are in a sense asking that God’s great act of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection be accomplished in their lives, as the Israelites experienced God’s salvation in the original exodus.

  Addressing God as “Father” recalls those verses where God is described as father when referring to Israel’s exodus: “Israel is my son, my firstborn. . . . Let my son go” (Exod 4:22–23); and “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). God’s children yearn for freedom (see Rom 8:19–23)—freedom even from the slavery of sin and death. The first petition, “Hallowed be your name,” echoes a text from Ezekiel, where the hope for Israel’s restoration from exile is described using the exodus theme of entry into the land: “I will sanctify my great name. . . . I will take you from the nations . . . and bring you into your own land” (Ezek 36:23–24 NRSV). The petition “Your kingdom come” may draw on Micah 4:8, another text for the return of the exiles. In these petitions, Christians thus pray that after this exile on earth they may together reach the promised land of God’s heavenly kingdom. The petition about “daily bread” recalls the manna given each day during the journey toward the earthly promised land (Exod 16), thus pointing to the Eucharist, which is similarly food for the journey to heaven. The petition about forgiving debts recalls the jubilee, which itself was based on the liberty won in the exodus (see Lev 25:54–55). The end of the prayer asks for God’s deliverance—despite the times of testing (see Luke 22:40, 46) that recall the testings that occurred in the exodus (Deut 4:34; 7:19; 29:2)—so as safely to enter God’s kingdom.

  a. For the ideas in this sidebar, see Brant Pitre, Jesus and the Last Supper (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 161–93.

  [11:5–8]

  After the prayer itself, Jesus continues teaching about prayer, so that the disciples can learn not only what to say but also how to say it. The parable about the friend to whom a person goes at midnight instructs disciples to pray with persistence, expecting God to hear and answer their prayers. The request for three loaves of bread connects the parable to the Lord’s Prayer with its petition for bread (Luke 11:3). The form of the reply—do not bother me—is a command prohibiting an action that is already ongoing. The person outside is being told to stop because he keeps bothering the friend, like the widow in the parable who “keeps bothering” the judge (18:5). Jesus then explains—I tell you—that even if friendship does not motivate the person inside to get up to give him the loaves, he will do so on account of the persistence (anaideia) of the one asking. The meaning of anaideia is closer to “shamelessness”7 or “shameless audacity” (NIV). The lesson is that the person in need can boldly keep asking God without embarrassment, confident that God will respond and provide help.

  BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

  The Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts

  As the author of both his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, Luke highlights the Holy Spirit and his work more than any other evangelist. At the Gospel’s beginning, the Spirit raises up a prophet, John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and inspires prophetic words from Elizabeth (1:41–42), Zechariah (1:67), and Simeon (2:25–28). The Spirit also comes upon Mary (1:35) in a unique way so that she conceives Jesus. The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry is also marked by the action of the Holy Spirit. At Jesus’ baptism (3:22), his temptation (4:1–2), and in his preaching ministry (4:14, 18), Luke relates how Jesus is filled with the Spirit and acts in the power of the Spirit. Moreover, Jesus’ prayer to the Father is a prayer in the Spirit (10:21). Since Jesus is also the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (3:16), the Spirit is active in the lives of his disciples (11:13; 12:12).

  Indeed, the Gospel ends and Acts begins with references to the Spirit’s coming in power to enable the disciples to witness to Jesus (Luke 24:48–49; Acts 1:8). At Pentecost, the Spirit dramatically empowers them to proclaim the gospel (Acts 2:1–4) and then continues to guide the expanding mission of the Church
(Acts 8:15; 13:2), even in unexpected ways (Acts 10:44). The same Spirit also inspired the authors of Scripture (Acts 1:16; 4:25). The Spirit fills Peter and the other disciples so that they give courageous witness to Jesus in the face of persecution (Acts 4:8; 5:32) and even martyrdom (Acts 7:55). The apostles impart the Spirit to others through baptism and the laying on of hands (Acts 2:38; 8:17; 19:6). The Spirit also guides Church leaders in their deliberations (Acts 15:28) and makes them overseers over the flock (Acts 20:28). Moreover, the Spirit pours out his various gifts for the building up of the Church (Acts 11:28; 19:6). From the evangelist’s teaching on the Spirit, Christians can thus learn the manifold ways that the Holy Spirit continues to work in their lives and in the life of the Church.

  [11:9–10]

  Jesus repeats the phrase I tell you—often used to introduce the meaning of a parable8—in order to emphasize his point. Disciples, filled with confidence in God (see 1 John 5:14), can pray with daring, not hesitating to ask, seek, and knock. The threefold progression and the form of the verbs, indicating continuous action—asking, seeking, knocking—highlight perseverance in prayer. Everyone who prays in this way receives, finds, and has the door (Luke 11:7) opened.

  [11:11–13]

  What makes such bold and unrelenting prayer possible is an attitude of filial trust in the Father. Jesus illustrates the point with a comparison: a father, whose son needs food (see v. 3) and asks for a fish or an egg, will not give him something harmful. Both the parable (vv. 5–8) and the sayings (vv. 11–13) teach about prayer using a how much more argument that moves from lesser to greater. If someone will get up in the middle of the night to give a friend who is shamelessly bothering him whatever he needs, how much more will God answer prayer. If parents despite their faults give good gifts to their children, how much more will the Father in heaven give better gifts, even the “gift” of the holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), to those who ask him! Jesus himself prays in the Spirit to the Father (Luke 10:21), so his disciples who imitate him in prayer (11:1) can similarly share in the life of God.

  Reflection and Application (11:1–13)

  Praying the Lord’s Prayer. Since Christians pray the Our Father frequently, there is a risk of reciting it routinely and without sufficient recollection. It is thus helpful every so often to ponder it slowly during an extended time of quiet prayer (e.g., thirty minutes). In this way, one can contemplate each of its phrases and petitions, applying them to one’s life and accompanying them with one’s own prayer. “We can be aware that we are with him, of what we are asking him, of his willingness to give to us, and how eagerly he remains with us.”9

  God’s Kingdom Overcomes Satan’s Kingdom (11:14–26)

  14He was driving out a demon [that was] mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed. 15Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” 16Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. 17But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. 18And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. 19If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. 23Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

  24“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ 25But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. 26Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.”

  OT: Exod 8:15; Isa 49:24–25; 53:12

  NT: Matt 9:32–34; 16:1; Mark 8:11; Luke 9:50. // Matt 12:22–30, 38, 43–45; Mark 3:22–27

  Catechism: the finger of God, the Holy Spirit, 700; God’s kingdom conquers Satan’s, 385, 539, 550; Jesus’ absolute claims, 590

  Lectionary: Luke 11:14–23: Thursday Third Week of Lent

  [11:14]

  Jesus expels a demon, healing a mute person. The word Luke uses, kōphos, can also refer to a deaf person (7:22) or to one who is both deaf and mute (like Zechariah, 1:22, 62; also Mark 7:32). This miracle is the first of only five in the central section (see Luke 13:10–17; 14:1–6; 17:11–19; 18:35–43), much fewer than the seventeen during the Galilean ministry (including three summary accounts of multiple healings). Many of those earlier miracles led people to wonder about Jesus’ identity (e.g., 4:36; 7:16; 8:25). Here, the miracle is instead recounted with more attention to the ensuing dispute, thus highlighting the increasing rejection that Jesus faces as he journeys toward Jerusalem.10 In response, the crowds are amazed—similar to earlier reactions to Jesus’ miracles (4:36; 8:25; 9:43).

  [11:15–16]

  However, two related objections are raised. First, some say that by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons. Second, to test him (verb peirazō, as when the devil “tempted” Jesus, 4:2), others ask for a sign from heaven. Jesus will answer the objections one at a time (11:17–26 and 29–32). The name “Beelzebul” means something like “master of the exalted house” (see Matt 10:25), apparently deriving from the pagan god Baal (“master” or “lord”) and the word zebul (an exalted dwelling; see 1 Kings 8:13 RSV; Isa 63:15). The name is mocked as “Baalzebub” (“lord of the flies”) in the passage where Elijah called down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:2–16; see Luke 9:54). Pagan gods were considered to be demons (Deut 32:17; Ps 96:5 LXX), so “Beelzebul” refers either to a chief demon or to Satan himself (see Luke 11:18).

  [11:17–19]

  To accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power shows the level of resistance against him; it also reveals the lack of “sound” judgment of his opponents (see v. 34). Their faulty reasoning is pointed out by Jesus with a saying about a kingdom divided: if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Moreover, knowing that others are also casting out demons (9:49; see Acts 19:13), he asks a rhetorical question: by whom do your own people drive them out?

  [11:20]

  Rather, Jesus casts out evil spirits by the finger of God.11 This phrase recalls the words of Pharaoh’s magicians after the plague of gnats, shortly before the exodus. Up to this third plague, they had imitated by their sorcery the signs and wonders of Moses and Aaron. Unable to do so any longer, they recognize that the power at work is “the finger of God” (Exod 8:15).12 Similarly, Jesus indicates that God’s power is at work in his miracles before his own exodus takes place in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Hence, the kingdom of God has come upon them, and the kingdom of Satan is in retreat.

  [11:21–22]

  A short parable provides an explanation. Though Satan is like a strong man, Jesus is one stronger (see 4:2–13). Using the same word, John the Baptist had similarly described him as “one mightier,” because he comes with the power of “the holy Spirit” (3:16). Jesus thus overcomes Satan and divides the spoils, in fulfillment of Isaiah (Isa 49:24–25; 53:12).

  [11:23]

  A choice is therefore set before his listeners. Jesus warns that a person cannot remain neutral but must either stand with or against him (see Luke 9:50). Jesus has come to re-gather the people, but the one who rejects him scatters.

  [11:24–26]

  Jesus gives a further warning with a saying about an unclean spirit. Though it was driven out of someone, it may eventually try to return, even bringing along seven other spirits, so that the person ends up in a worse condition. This story recalls the “unclean spirit”—or rather, the “Legion” of demons—who pleaded with Jesus not
to be sent into the watery abyss and instead enter the swine (8:29–33). The meaning is again that one cannot remain neutral, as a home cannot remain unoccupied for long. One should pray to “the Father” to “give the holy Spirit” (11:13) so that, “filled with the holy Spirit” like Jesus (4:1), one can resist the devil. If “the Spirit of God dwells in” a person (1 Cor 3:16), there will be no room for evil spirits to dwell there.

  Hearing God’s Word through Jesus’ Preaching and Wisdom (11:27–36)

  27While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” 28He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

  29While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. 30Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. 32At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

  33“No one who lights a lamp hides it away or places it [under a bushel basket], but on a lampstand so that those who enter might see the light. 34The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is sound, then your whole body is filled with light, but when it is bad, then your body is in darkness. 35Take care, then, that the light in you not become darkness. 36If your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is in darkness, then it will be as full of light as a lamp illuminating you with its brightness.”