Lukas 11:49 Kommentar

In this chapter, I. Christ teaches his disciples to pray, and quickens and encourages them to be frequent, instant, and importunate in prayer (Luk 11:1-13). II. He fully answers the blasphemous imputation of the Pharisees, who charged him with casting out devils by virtue of a compact and confederacy with Beelzebub, the prince of the devils, and shows the absurdity and wickedness of it (Luk 11:14-26). III. He shows the honour of obedient disciples to be greater than that of his own mother (Luk 11:27, Luk 11:28). IV. He upbraids the men of that generation for their infidelity and obstinacy, notwithstanding all the means of conviction offered to them (Luk 11:29-36). V. He severely reproves the Pharisees and consciences of those that submitted to them, and their hating and persecuting those that witnessed against their wickedness (v. 37-54).

And it came to pass that as he was praying,.... The following directions concerning prayer, though they agree with those in Mat 6:9 &c. yet were delivered at another time, and in another place, and upon another occasion: Christ was then in Galilee, now in Judea: he gave the former directions unasked for, these at the request of one of his disciples; the other were given as he was preaching, these immediately after he had been praying; as soon as he had done a work he was often employed in, as man and mediator, on account of himself, his disciples, cause, and interest: and this was done in a certain place; perhaps in the Mount of Olives, which was not far from Bethany, where we hear of him last, since this was a place where he used to abide in the night, and pray, Luk 21:37. The Arabic version reads, "in a desert place"; and after he had been at Bethany, he did go to a country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, Joh 11:54 when he ceased; from praying; when he had concluded his prayer, and finished all his petitions, and was off of his knees: one of his disciples; perhaps one of the seventy disciples who had not heard the summary of prayer, and the directions about it before given on the mount, Mat 6:9 The Persic version reads, "his disciples": as if they all united in the request: and said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples, who, as Tertullian says (g), brought in a new order and method of praying, and gave his disciples some instructions and directions concerning it, much better than what the Jews in common had: and this disciple looking upon his Lord and master as much better qualified to give directions in this important affair than even John himself was, requests of him that he would; and what might put him upon it at this time seems to be, his observing that Christ had now been at prayer. (g) Contr. Marcion. l. 4. c. 26.

From the blood of Abel,.... "Righteous Abel", as in Mat 23:35 and so read the Arabic version here, and two manuscripts in the Bodleian library, and three of Stephens's copies; the Persic version renders it, "innocent Abel": he is mentioned because he was the first man that was slain, and he was slain because of his righteousness. Unto the blood of Zacharias; in the Cambridge copy of Beza's, it is added, "the son of Barachias", as in Mat 23:35 and so the Arabic version, "the son of Barasciah"; who he was; see Gill on Mat 23:35. which perished between the altar and the temple; or "the house", that is, the holy place: and the Ethiopic version renders it, "the holy house"; here he died, being slain by the Jews; see the note, as before. Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation; as it was at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.

The wisdom of God is Christ. The words indeed in Matthew are, Behold I send unto you prophets and wise men.

Therefore Wisdom sends apostles and prophets to them. Who is Wisdom if not Christ? Finally, in Matthew you have: Behold, I send you prophets and wise men.

Therefore also said the wisdom of God: I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute. He calls himself the wisdom of God, for he is indeed the power of God and the wisdom of God, as the Apostle teaches (1 Cor. 1). Accordingly, in Matthew, you have it thus: Therefore behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. If, however, the same wisdom of God sent prophets as well as apostles, let the heretics cease to ascribe Christ's beginning to the Virgin, and let them not proclaim a different God of the law and the prophets, different from the God of the New Testament, although often even the apostolic Scripture calls prophets not only those who foretold Christ's incarnation but also those who proclaimed the joys of the heavenly kingdom to come. The two or three prophets (it says) should speak, and the others should judge. But I would by no means believe these should be preferred to the apostles in the order of the catalog.

But if the same Wisdom of God sent prophets and Apostles, let heretics cease to assign to Christ a beginning from the Virgin; let them no longer declare one God of the Law and Prophets, another of the New Testament. For although the Apostolic Scripture often calls by the name of prophets not only those who foretell the coming Incarnation of Christ, but those also who foretell the future joys of the kingdom of heaven, yet I should never suppose that these were to be placed before the Apostles in the order of enumeration.

The Lord also reveals that the Jews are descendants of Cain and heirs of his malice, when He says that all "blood shed from Abel to Zechariah shall be required of this generation." You, He says, killed the prophets, your brothers, just as he killed Abel. Therefore, not without reason some have taken Cain as a type of the people who slew the prophets, for which vengeance was taken on them sevenfold, that is, with a lighter punishment, and Lamech as a type of the people who killed Christ, for which vengeance was taken on them seventy times sevenfold (Gen. 4:24), namely: by dispersion into an irreversible captivity. Who then was the Zacharias who was killed between the temple and the altar? Some say it was the ancient Zacharias, son of Jehoiada, who was stoned to death, as is known from the book of Kings (2 Chron. 24:20-21). Others say it was the father of the Forerunner. He did not exclude the Theotokos from the rank of virgins after she gave birth to Christ, and placed her in the same spot where they stood; and this place was between the temple and the outer bronze altar. For this they killed him. Since some expected Christ to be their future king, while others did not wish to be under the authority of a king, they killed this saint also because he affirmed that a Virgin had given birth and that Christ was born, their future King — which was hateful to them, for they wished to be without a king.

Christ teaches his disciples to pray, Luk 11:1-4. Shows the necessity of importunity in prayer, Luk 11:5-13. Casts out a dumb demon, Luk 11:14. The Jews ascribe this to the power of Beelzebub; our Lord vindicates his conduct, Luk 11:15-23. Miserable state of the Jews, Luk 11:24-26. Who they are that are truly blessed, Luk 11:27, Luk 11:28. He preaches to the people, Luk 11:29-36. A Pharisee invites him to dine with him, who takes offense because he washed not his hands, Luk 11:37, Luk 11:38. Our Lord exposes their hypocrisy, Luk 11:39-44. He denounces woes against the lawyers, Luk 11:45-52. The scribes and Pharisees are greatly offended, and strive to entangle him in his words, Luk 11:53, Luk 11:54.

The wisdom of God - These seem to be Luke's words, and to mean that Jesus, the wisdom of God, (as he is called, Co1 1:24), added the words which follow here, on that occasion: and this interpretation of the words is agreeable to that of Matthew, who makes Jesus speak in his own person: Wherefore behold, I send you prophets, etc., Mat 23:34. See the note there, and see Bishop Pearce.

THE DISCIPLES TAUGHT TO PRAY. (Luk 11:1-13) one, &c.--struck with either the matter or the manner of our Lord's prayers. as John, &c.--From this reference to John, it is possible that disciple had not heard the Sermon on the Mount. Nothing of John's inner teaching (to his own disciples) has been preserved to us, but we may be sure he never taught his disciples to say, "Our Father."

said the wisdom, &c.--a remarkable variation of the words in Mat 23:34, "Behold I SEND." As there seems plainly an allusion to ancient warnings of what God would do with so incorrigible a people, so here Christ, stepping majestically into the place of God, so to speak, says, "Now I am going to carry all that out." Could this be other than the Lord of Israel in the flesh?