Luke 11:37-54
11:37 a one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal: See study note on 7:36.11:38 b the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom: The Pharisees had developed elaborate washing rituals to ensure ceremonial purity (see Mark 7:1-5 c).
11:39 d The Pharisees had meticulous rules for ceremonially cleaning cups and utensils for religious purity. Jesus accused them of cleaning only the outside of the cup (following external rules) but leaving the inside ... filthy (keeping unrighteousness in their hearts).
11:41 e by giving gifts to the poor: Acts of love reveal internal righteousness.
Summary for Luke 11:42-52: 11:42-52 f What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! Woes are the opposite of blessings (see study note on 6:24-26). Jesus pronounced six woes, three against the Pharisees (11:42 g, 43 h, 44 i) and three against the teachers of religious law (11:46 j, 47 k, 52 l). 11:42 m tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens: Tithing was required by the law (Lev 27:30-33 n; Num 18:21-32 o; Deut 14:22-29 p; 2 Chr 31:5-12 q). The Pharisees were meticulous in making sure that everything was properly tithed, but they ignored the more important issues—justice and the love of God.
11:43 r The elders of the synagogues had special seats of honor.
• The respectful greetings were honorable ways of addressing social and religious superiors (like addressing a judge as “your honor”).
11:44 s hidden graves in a field: Touching a grave or a dead body rendered a Jew ceremonially unclean. Jesus accused the religious leaders of being a defiling influence rather than a purifying one. This was a strongly offensive accusation (11:45 t).
11:45 u an expert in religious law: The experts in religious law were closely aligned with the Pharisees and shared the same zeal for keeping the law of Moses.
11:46 v unbearable religious demands: This refers to the oral tradition with all its intricate details on living according to torah (God’s instruction in the books of Moses). The oral tradition placed a great burden upon the Jewish people.
11:48 w They killed the prophets: See 1 Kgs 19:10 x, 14 y; Neh 9:26 z; Jer 2:30 aa; 26:20-24 ab. Luke portrays Jesus as “The Suffering Prophet” Luke 4:22-24 ac.
11:49 ad The quotation is not explicitly from the Old Testament.
11:51 ae from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah: Abel’s murder by his brother Cain was the first murder recorded in the Old Testament (Gen 4:8 af). The stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada (2 Chr 24:20-22 ag) was the last, since Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew Bible.
11:52 ah the key to knowledge: See Matt 16:19 ai; 23:13 aj.
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