11:1 One time, Jesus was praying someplace. After he finished, one of his students asked him, “Master, please teach us to pray, just as John taught his students.”
11:2 Then he said, “When you pray, say, ‘LORD, Holy is Your Name – show us Your sanctuary.
11:3 Give us each day the food that sustains life.
11:4 Please forgive our offenses, for we also forgive everyone who has offended us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
11:5 Then he told them, “Suppose one of you goes to a friend at midnight and you say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves –
11:6 because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey and I have nothing to offer him.’
11:7 From within he says, ‘Don’t bother me, the door is locked and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’
11:8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give you anything: Because he’s your friend, if you persist, he will get up and give you as much as you need.
11:9 So I tell you, ask and it will be given to you – seek and you will find – knock and it will be opened to you.
11:10 Because anyone who asks will receive, and one who seeks will find; and to one who knocks, it will be opened.
11:11 Now suppose a son of any of you asks for bread. Will you give him a stone instead? Or if a fish – will you give him a snake instead?
11:12 Or if he asks for an egg – will you give him a scorpion?
11:13 Even if you – being wicked – know how to give the appropriate gifts to your children, how much more will your spiritual LORD give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
11:14 Later he was casting out a mute demon. When the demon left, the mute man spoke and the crowd was astonished.
11:15 Yet some said, “He exorcises demons by beelzebub, the leader of the demons.”
11:16 Others sought to test him by wanting him to send a sign from heaven.
11:17 Yet he knew their thoughts and told them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a house divided against itself falls.
11:18 If the opposer of God is divided against himself how will his authority remain? For you say I exorcise demons by beelzebub.
11:19 And if I did exorcise demons by beelzebub, by whom do your followers exorcise them? Thus, they will be your judges.
11:20 But if I exorcise demons by the finger of God, then the authority of God has come before you.
11:21 When a fully armed strong man guards his house, his possessions may seem safe.
11:22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, they will take all the armor he relied upon from him and distribute the spoils.
11:23 One who isn’t with me is against me. And one who doesn’t join with me will scatter.
11:24 When the unclean spirit leaves the body, it passes through arid places seeking rest but doesn’t find any. It will say, ‘I will return to my abode from which I left.’
11:25 Then when it returns, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
11:26 Then it goes out and brings along seven more spirits more wicked than itself; and they enter and live there; and the resulting condition of that person becomes worst than the first.”
11:27 While Jesus was speaking these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and shouted, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you nursed!”
11:28 Yet he replied, “To the contrary, blessed are those who hear the teachings of God and observe them.”
11:29 The crowds kept growing. He told them, “This is a wicked society. It seeks signs and yet none will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
11:30 Because just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Servant of Humanity be to this society.
11:31 The Queen of the South will rise up against the people of this society at the judgment and condemn them because she came from the outermost regions of the land to hear the wisdom of Solomon and there they realized the presence of One greater than Solomon.1
11:32 The men of Nineveh will rise up against this society at the judgment and condemn it because the preaching of Jonah gave them a change of heart, and there they beheld the presence of One greater than Jonah.1
11:33 No one lights a lamp and hides it in a basement or under a basket – rather, on a lamp stand so those who come in may see the light.
11:34 Vision is the lamp of the body. When your vision is clear, your entire body is also full of light. But when it is poor, your body is also full of darkness.
11:35 So watch out that the light within you is not darkness.
11:36 Thus if your whole body is full of light, with no dark areas, it will be as full of light as when a lamp illuminates you with its rays.”
11:37 After Jesus finished speaking, a pharisee asked him to eat with him, so he went in and sat down at his table.
11:38 As the pharisee watched, he was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.
11:39 So the Master said to him, “Look, you pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but you are filled with thievery and wickedness.
11:40 Foolish people – did He who made the outside not also make the inside too?
11:41 But give that which is within with mercy – and then everything will become clean for you.
11:42 But woe to you pharisees – for you pay tithings of mint and rue and every garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God. You should be doing these things without neglecting the others.
11:43 Woe to you pharisees – for you like the important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the markets.
11:44 Woe to you – for you like to conceal tombs so the people who walk over them are unaware.”
11:45 One of the scribes therefore asked him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you also offend us.”
11:46 But he replied, “Woe to you scribes as well, because you burden people with heavy loads while you won’t even lift a finger to help with those loads.
11:47 Woe to you – for you build up the tombs of the prophets, yet it was your fathers who murdered them.
11:48 So you witness and approve the actions of your fathers because it was they who murdered them – and you build up their tombs.
11:49 Due to this, God in His wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and messengers and they will kill some of them and persecute some of them.’
11:50 So the blood of every prophet shed since the beginning of the world will be demanded back from this society –
11:51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the Altar and the House of God. Yes, I tell you, it will be demanded back from this society.
11:52 Woe to you scribes – for you have stolen the key to the knowledge that you yourselves did not enter, and you hinder those that enter.”
11:53 As he was leaving that place, the scribes and the pharisees started being hostile, and fired many questions at him –
11:54 as they schemed to trip him up on anything he might say.
Footnote:
1.Verses 11:31 and 11:32. The Greek phrases, πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε and πλεῖον Ἰωνᾶ ὧδε– translated to “One greater than Solomon” and “One greater than Jonah” indicates deference to the authority of the “One” Supreme Being, for whom both Solomon and Jonah dedicated their lives and teachings.
11:2 Then he said, “When you pray, say, ‘LORD, Holy is Your Name – show us Your sanctuary.
11:3 Give us each day the food that sustains life.
11:4 Please forgive our offenses, for we also forgive everyone who has offended us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
11:5 Then he told them, “Suppose one of you goes to a friend at midnight and you say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves –
11:6 because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey and I have nothing to offer him.’
11:7 From within he says, ‘Don’t bother me, the door is locked and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’
11:8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give you anything: Because he’s your friend, if you persist, he will get up and give you as much as you need.
11:9 So I tell you, ask and it will be given to you – seek and you will find – knock and it will be opened to you.
11:10 Because anyone who asks will receive, and one who seeks will find; and to one who knocks, it will be opened.
11:11 Now suppose a son of any of you asks for bread. Will you give him a stone instead? Or if a fish – will you give him a snake instead?
11:12 Or if he asks for an egg – will you give him a scorpion?
11:13 Even if you – being wicked – know how to give the appropriate gifts to your children, how much more will your spiritual LORD give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
11:14 Later he was casting out a mute demon. When the demon left, the mute man spoke and the crowd was astonished.
11:15 Yet some said, “He exorcises demons by beelzebub, the leader of the demons.”
11:16 Others sought to test him by wanting him to send a sign from heaven.
11:17 Yet he knew their thoughts and told them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a house divided against itself falls.
11:18 If the opposer of God is divided against himself how will his authority remain? For you say I exorcise demons by beelzebub.
11:19 And if I did exorcise demons by beelzebub, by whom do your followers exorcise them? Thus, they will be your judges.
11:20 But if I exorcise demons by the finger of God, then the authority of God has come before you.
11:21 When a fully armed strong man guards his house, his possessions may seem safe.
11:22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, they will take all the armor he relied upon from him and distribute the spoils.
11:23 One who isn’t with me is against me. And one who doesn’t join with me will scatter.
11:24 When the unclean spirit leaves the body, it passes through arid places seeking rest but doesn’t find any. It will say, ‘I will return to my abode from which I left.’
11:25 Then when it returns, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
11:26 Then it goes out and brings along seven more spirits more wicked than itself; and they enter and live there; and the resulting condition of that person becomes worst than the first.”
11:27 While Jesus was speaking these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and shouted, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you nursed!”
11:28 Yet he replied, “To the contrary, blessed are those who hear the teachings of God and observe them.”
11:29 The crowds kept growing. He told them, “This is a wicked society. It seeks signs and yet none will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
11:30 Because just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Servant of Humanity be to this society.
11:31 The Queen of the South will rise up against the people of this society at the judgment and condemn them because she came from the outermost regions of the land to hear the wisdom of Solomon and there they realized the presence of One greater than Solomon.1
11:32 The men of Nineveh will rise up against this society at the judgment and condemn it because the preaching of Jonah gave them a change of heart, and there they beheld the presence of One greater than Jonah.1
11:33 No one lights a lamp and hides it in a basement or under a basket – rather, on a lamp stand so those who come in may see the light.
11:34 Vision is the lamp of the body. When your vision is clear, your entire body is also full of light. But when it is poor, your body is also full of darkness.
11:35 So watch out that the light within you is not darkness.
11:36 Thus if your whole body is full of light, with no dark areas, it will be as full of light as when a lamp illuminates you with its rays.”
11:37 After Jesus finished speaking, a pharisee asked him to eat with him, so he went in and sat down at his table.
11:38 As the pharisee watched, he was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.
11:39 So the Master said to him, “Look, you pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but you are filled with thievery and wickedness.
11:40 Foolish people – did He who made the outside not also make the inside too?
11:41 But give that which is within with mercy – and then everything will become clean for you.
11:42 But woe to you pharisees – for you pay tithings of mint and rue and every garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God. You should be doing these things without neglecting the others.
11:43 Woe to you pharisees – for you like the important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the markets.
11:44 Woe to you – for you like to conceal tombs so the people who walk over them are unaware.”
11:45 One of the scribes therefore asked him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you also offend us.”
11:46 But he replied, “Woe to you scribes as well, because you burden people with heavy loads while you won’t even lift a finger to help with those loads.
11:47 Woe to you – for you build up the tombs of the prophets, yet it was your fathers who murdered them.
11:48 So you witness and approve the actions of your fathers because it was they who murdered them – and you build up their tombs.
11:49 Due to this, God in His wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and messengers and they will kill some of them and persecute some of them.’
11:50 So the blood of every prophet shed since the beginning of the world will be demanded back from this society –
11:51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the Altar and the House of God. Yes, I tell you, it will be demanded back from this society.
11:52 Woe to you scribes – for you have stolen the key to the knowledge that you yourselves did not enter, and you hinder those that enter.”
11:53 As he was leaving that place, the scribes and the pharisees started being hostile, and fired many questions at him –
11:54 as they schemed to trip him up on anything he might say.
Footnote:
1.Verses 11:31 and 11:32. The Greek phrases, πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε and πλεῖον Ἰωνᾶ ὧδε– translated to “One greater than Solomon” and “One greater than Jonah” indicates deference to the authority of the “One” Supreme Being, for whom both Solomon and Jonah dedicated their lives and teachings.
