Author: Bill Hall

When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things;

Luke 11:53

Why did Jesus provoke the scribes and Pharisees so much? What was His goal? Repentance. Many of these Jewish elites did eventually turn to Christ. So, His accusations were not meant to simply shame them in the eyes of the people. His intention was that they would be pushed to take an honest look at their own hearts.

Unfortunately, most of the Jewish religious leaders did not respond in repentance. Most responded in anger. They hated Christ and His followers. And they wanted to tear down His ministry. Of course, they unwittingly served His purposes in this.

Heavenly Father, You are The Awesome One! You are the Holy One, you are the Creator, You are the Ruler Over All! Thank You for Jesus! Your love is so wonderful, and I am so unworthy. You have done well in all things. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.

Luke 11:52

By their interpretations, the lawyers had perverted the law just enough to render it impotent. This is always the way with the devil, he perverts the good to make the bad.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the way of truth! I do not want to live my life being lied to. You are the only One Who always tells the truth. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.

Luke 11:51

The timeline that Jesus mentions here is revealing. Abel is the earliest godly person to be slain. The identity of Zechariah is disputed. However, Christ’s intention is clearly to also mention one of the most recent of godly martyrs.

Having the opportunity to speak directly with the Holy Son, Jesus’s generation by and large would reject Him. As in other places, we see Jesus presuming to pass judgement upon them. And why? Because He is The Judge. These were His prophets, and He has the authority to avenge their murder.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your steadfast love! You are faithful, true, and just. Your righteous judgements are perfect. I will praise You for Your ways with us. You are altogether wonderful! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

so that this generation may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world—

Luke 11:50

Although the ministry of the prophets began in earnest with men like Samuel and Elijah, God had His servants among men long before that. As far back as Abel there had been those who spoke to their fellow man the truth concerning Almighty God.

This generation here refers to those alive and active during the ministry of Christ. They had before them Emmanuel, God in the flesh. But just as the prophets had been rejected, they were rejecting Jesus.

Heavenly Father, You are full of truth and power. Your mercy and holiness are such a comfort. Hope in Christ is the apex of all good gifts from You. I will lift holy hands to You in worship every day. You are worthy of every crown, and You are wise beyond my understanding. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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

Luke 11:49

In His Divine prescience, God knew what would happen when He sent messengers to His people. His wisdom determined the best course of action.

Heavenly Father, You are at work in our lives. We will give You the glory for all that You have done. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

Luke 11:47

These experts of the law tried to appear holy by recognizing the validity of the prophets posthumously. But it was their ancestors who had killed these men. And their tomb building for them was just an empty show.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us Your truth in Your Word. It is so valuable! You are merciful to give it to us. May we always heed it! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then he said, ‘Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.’

Luke 11:46

The lawyers had come up with laws to support their profession. Without burdening themselves unduly, they put plenty of strings on others for the sake of the richest persons.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your justice, which is always fair and equitable. You are worthy of honor and glory! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.

Luke 11:45

I’ve often wondered about this lawyer. What was he thinking? Perhaps he was just disturbed by Christ’s accusations and wanted to make a statement. Maybe the truth was hitting too close to home. Or, better yet, could he have recognized the evil among the ranks of the Jewish elites and was upset about it himself?

We don’t know for sure now, but most likely this lawyer recognized that Jesus was attacking their interpretation of the law. Thus, His harangue on the Pharisees was also directed at the lawyers.

In any case, Jesus confirmed this man’s statement by launching into a commentary on the lawyers.

Heavenly Father, thank You for consistently presenting us with Your truth. We like to think we understand so much, but we know so little. God bless our forays into Your Word. We want to know Your will and way. You are the Mighty Creator! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.

Luke 11:44

Here Jesus is comparing the Pharisees to unmarked graves. A field of graves would not be a place where people would want to work, or a parcel that someone would buy. But if the graves are unmarked, nobody is the wiser.

The Pharisees looked okay on the surface, but underneath they were full of greed and covetousness. Their form of religiosity had led to great evil.

Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us see ourselves. That is perhaps one of the greatest blessings You supply. By seeing our sinfulness we can know hope in Christ. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

Luke 11:43

The Pharisees thought they were the best people around. So, they felt others needed to see their piety. Though it is good for people to see true piety, the Pharisees had corrupt motivations.

The greetings in the marketplaces we’re also intended to make them appear holy. But it had the opposite effect. They were self-assured and self-righteous.

Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing our self-righteous tendencies to light. The temptation to think much of ourselves melts away when we truly understand our position before You. You are the Only One Worthy. All glory be to You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.