返回Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Lk. 11:1. It came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
The disciple of Christ is zealous for the disciples of John and therefore desires to learn how to pray. The Savior did not reject the desire of the disciples, but teaches them.
Lk. 11:2. He said to them: when you pray, say: Our Father, who art in heaven!
"Our Father," He says, "who art in heaven." Note the power of prayer. It immediately lifts you up on high and, since you call God Father, persuades you in every way not to lose the likeness of the Father, but to strive to become like Him. He did not say "my Father," but "our Father," stirring you to brotherly love and urging you to love all people as brothers in general. By saying "in heaven," He does not confine God to them, but lifts the listener up to the heavens and draws him away from earthly things.
Lk. 11:2. Let Thy name be hallowed;
"Hallowed be Thy name," that is, "may it be glorified," meaning: order our life so that it may be to Thy glory. For just as the name of God is blasphemed because of the wicked, so it is glorified by those who lead a virtuous life.
Lk. 11:2. Let Thy Kingdom come;
The sinner does not pray for the Kingdom of God, for he does not desire its coming on account of the punishments awaiting him there. On the contrary, the righteous man prays that it would come sooner, so that he might be freed from the temptations here and find rest.
Lk. 11:2. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;
"Thy will be done... as in heaven" — among the Angels, so also among us men "on earth." For the Angels do all things and in all things according to the will of God.
Lk. 11:3. Give us our daily bread each day;
Teach us to ask for "bread" only "daily," that is, useful for our existence and for the sustenance of life, by no means superfluous, but necessary.
Lk. 11:4. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation,
Not to enter "into temptation" means not to rush toward temptations. For we ought to pray to God not that He send temptation upon us, but that He avert it; and if it befalls us, we must bear it with courage. It should be said that there are two kinds of temptations. Some are voluntary, such as drunkenness, murder, adultery, and other passions; for we fall into these temptations voluntarily. Other temptations are involuntary, to which rulers and the powerful subject us. From voluntary temptations, that is, from the passions, we must flee, pray for deliverance from them, and say "lead us not," that is, do not allow us to fall "into temptation," that is, into voluntary passion.
Lk. 11:4. But deliver us from evil.
For he brings about both involuntary and voluntary temptations. Therefore, when you involuntarily endure a temptation from a person, do not consider that person the cause of your temptation, but the evil one. For he instigates the person to rage against you and act furiously.
Lk. 11:5. And He said to them: Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him: Friend! Lend me three loaves,
Lk. 11:6. for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;
The Lord, teaching us to pray without laziness, tells a parable and an example. What then does the parable mean? By "midnight" He refers to the last days of life, upon reaching which people begin to sympathize with the good and turn toward God. For He is a friend who loves all and desires the salvation of all (1 Tim. 2:4). Thus, many "at midnight," that is, at the end of life, come to God as a friend and say: "give three loaves," that is, faith in the Trinity; for "a friend has come," that is, the Angel who takes the soul. Moreover, every Angel is a friend, as the Lord also says that there is joy in heaven over the salvation of a person (Luke 15:10).
Lk. 11:7. and he from within will answer and say: Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.
"Children" resting "on the bed" are people who have converted and thereby become children of the Lord and have been deemed worthy to rest together with Him.
Lk. 11:8. If, I say to you, he will not rise and give to him out of friendship with him, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he asks.
"Importunity" he calls the intense and prolonged prayer with patience.
Understand it also in another way, namely: by "midnight" understand the force and the middle of temptations. For every temptation is a night, and the middle of temptations is, without doubt, midnight. So when someone is in the middle of temptations, he comes to God Who loves us and says: "lend me three loaves," that is, the salvation of body, soul, and spirit. For temptations threaten danger to these three. And who is the "friend" who has come off the road? Without any doubt, it is the Lord, Who tests us in temptations and desires to taste of our salvation. The one who has fallen into temptations, being unable by himself to withstand them and to receive the Lord, has nothing to set before Him.
"The locked doors" means that we must be prepared before temptations, and when we fall into them, the door to preparation is already locked, and we, finding ourselves unprepared, will be in danger unless God helps. "Children" are (since they turned earlier) those who through virtue have become sons of God, recline and rest in God.
Lk. 11:9. And I say unto you: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,
See what precision there is in the words. The Lord did not say "ask" and it will be given to you, but "keep asking," that is, seek unceasingly.
Lk. 11:10. Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
"Everyone who asks receives." Does the one who asks for useless things receive? No. For, first of all, a request for useless things cannot even be called a request before God. For whoever prays to God must ask for what He gives. And if someone asks for useless things, he makes his request not to God, for He does not give what is not beneficial.
Lk. 11:11. Which of you fathers, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or, when he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent instead of a fish?
Lk. 11:12. Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Lk. 11:13. Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
Then hear how the Lord Himself also teaches us to ask for what we ought to ask. He says: a son asks for "bread" and "fish" and "an egg." Therefore, just as these items constitute food for a person, so too our petitions should be beneficial to us and serve as help. By the one asking for "bread," understand, perhaps, everyone who asks that the faith in the Trinity and the correctness of the dogmas be revealed to him. For these, as that which strengthens the heart, are bread. And the one who asks for "fish" is he who, being in the sea of this life, asks God for help so that he, like a fish, might be preserved alive and unsubmerged amid temptations. And the one who asks for "an egg" is he who desires that the offspring of virtuous souls be given to him — souls which, having taken wings, having soared in spirit, and having flown above the earth, may rightly be likened to birds.
Lk. 11:14. Once He cast out a demon which was mute; and when the demon had gone out, the mute man began to speak; and the people were amazed.
"Mute" is often used to refer to one who does not speak; but it also refers to one who does not hear, or more precisely, one who neither hears nor speaks. Those who have been deaf from birth also do not speak. This happens to them by necessity, for we speak what we learn through hearing. When someone does not hear, in all likelihood he does not speak either. Unless someone's hearing was damaged later, from illness — nothing prevents such a person from speaking. The one brought to Christ was mute in both respects: in tongue and in ear. He is an image of human nature, which, being possessed by demons, was capable neither of hearing the words of God, nor still less of proclaiming them. But the Lord, having come and cast out the demons — that is, passionate and demonic deeds — made it so that we not only speak but also preach the truth. For the words of God must not only be heard but also recounted to others. So let us who have demonic deeds within us hear this — we who think to teach others and allow ourselves to be called teachers by men. For when the demon departs, then there is true eloquence and teaching; but so long as the works of demons (the passions) remain within us, we do not speak, even though we appear to be speaking.
Lk. 11:15. But some of them said: He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
Lk. 11:16. And others, testing Him, demanded from Him a sign from heaven.
The Pharisees slander the miracle and revile the Lord as a deceiver. They say: He is in league with the prince of demons and with his assistance "casts out demons."
Lk. 11:17. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against itself falls;
Lk. 11:18. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? But you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub;
The Lord says to them: how is it possible for a demon to cast out another demon? This would already be the destruction of his kingdom. For if they place their kingdom and rest in dwelling within people, and their own prince casts them out, then it is clear that he is destroying himself. For "every kingdom divided" against itself and thrown into turmoil is brought to ruin, and "a house divided... shall fall." By "house," will you understand a building? Very well. For a building stands only so long as it maintains its unity, but when the walls separate from one another, it falls. Will you understand by "house" those living in the house? They too, as long as they keep peace, stand, but if they rise up against one another, they fall.
Lk. 11:19. If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
Let it be so, that "I cast out demons... by the power of Beelzebul"; but "your sons," that is, the apostles, "by whose power do they cast them out?" Is it not obvious that it is by My name? How then do you say about Me that I cast out demons through Beelzebul, being in need of his power, when your sons, namely the apostles, cast them out by My name? Truly, they will judge you. For if they cast out demons by My name, then I Myself obviously have no need of the power of another.
Lk. 11:20. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then surely the Kingdom of God has reached you.
I cast out demons "by the finger of God," that is, by the Holy Spirit, and not by an evil spirit. He calls the Spirit "finger" so that you may know that just as a finger is of one essence with the whole body, so also the Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son. And perhaps He calls Him so for this reason as well: the Son is called the right hand of God, and on Him rested the seven powers of the Spirit, not as on an instrument of the Spirit, but as on One consubstantial with Him; and one of the gifts and operations of the Spirit is the power to heal. He says that I cast out demons "by the finger of God," that is, by a gift of the Spirit. For just as a finger is a part of the hand, so also the spirit of healings was a part of those spirits, that is, powers of the Spirit, which Jesus possessed.
If, He says, "I... cast out demons" by the power of God, then truly "the Kingdom of God has come upon you." And this has the following meaning: the kingdom of the devil is finally being destroyed, and God, who casts out demons, reigns. For listen to what He says next.
Lk. 11:21. When the strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace;
Lk. 11:22. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Before My coming, He says, Satan was strong and "guarded his house," that is, he ruled over human nature firmly and securely. But when I came, "the one stronger than he," then I conquered the world and all "his armor in which he trusted," that is, every kind of sin. For sin is the weapon of the devil, and with it he boldly overcame people. All this armor of his I destroyed, because no sin was found in Me (1 Pet. 2:22); from that time he grew weak. And "his spoils," that is, the people who were, as it were, his prey, I wrested from him and entrust each one to a special Angel, a faithful guardian, so that instead of the demon in whose power he was held, an Angel would govern him.
Lk. 11:23. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Lk. 11:24. When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and not finding it, says: I will return to my house from which I came out;
Lk. 11:25. and, having come, he finds it swept and put in order;
Lk. 11:26. then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having entered, they dwell there, – and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
And in another way. What fellowship is there between Me and Beelzebub? My work is to gather the scattered children of God, while his work consists in scattering those who have been gathered. How then do you conclude about Me that I have fellowship with Satan? Truly, such a thought arose in you because you are now in greater fellowship with demons. The unclean spirit dwelt in you even before, when you served idols and killed the prophets. Then, apparently, he went out from you. But now he has returned again "to his house," that is, to your souls, with "seven spirits," that is, many (for the number "seven" in Scripture is often used in the sense of "many"), and made "the last state worse than the first" for you. For then, when you served idols, you killed the prophets, but you had not yet offered open insult to the Son of God, who for your sake appeared in the flesh. But now what hope of salvation is there, when you remain in the same ingratitude and audacity even after the Son became incarnate and works miracles for your sake?
"Waterless places" are the souls of those who have no softness whatsoever — souls that are hardened and preoccupied with themselves. Since the evil one has no place to dwell in such souls, he returns to the Jews, and the last state becomes worse for them than the first. Thus, they now no longer have prophets, for they killed the Word, nor anointing, for they crucified Christ (the Anointed One). Before, although they served idols, prophets and anointing were seen among them; but now they have lost everything, because they sinned against the Son of God.
Lk. 11:27. And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked!
While the Pharisees and scribes disparage the miracles of the Lord, a woman, a guileless and simple person, glorifies Him. Where are those who say that the Lord appeared in mere semblance? For behold the testimony that He was even nursed at the breast!
Lk. 11:28. But He said: blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
But He blesses those who keep the word of God, not, however, in order to deprive His Mother of blessedness, but in order to show that even She would have received no benefit from having given birth to Him and nursed Him at Her breast, if She had not possessed all the other virtues. He says this also because it is timely. Since those who envied Him and did not listen to His words reviled those who did listen, He, contrary to them, especially blesses those who listen. Perhaps He also says this on account of the healed deaf man, so that he too, having heard the word, might keep it, lest the ability to hear that was granted him should serve to his condemnation.
Lk. 11:29. When the people were gathered thick together, He began to say: this generation is wicked; it seeketh a sign, and no sign shall be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
"When... the people began to gather in great numbers," the Lord began to rebuke the foolish. Among them were some who desired that Jesus perform a sign from heaven; for they said: the signs He performs are from the earth, and He performs them by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of the world, who has authority over the earth; but He cannot perform signs from heaven, because He is not the Son of the Heavenly Father. Since some spoke thus, the Lord rebukes them and says: a sign shall be given to you that will prove that I am the true Son of the Heavenly Father. What sign? "The sign of Jonah," that is, the sign of the Resurrection (Jonah 2:1).
Lk. 11:30. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of Man be to this generation.
For just as he spent three days in the belly of the whale, so too shall I spend three days in the belly of the whale, the great beast, that is, Hades, and rise again. When Jonah, cast out by the whale and as if brought back to life, began to preach, the Ninevites listened (Jonah 3:3–6); but even after My Resurrection, this generation will not believe in Me. Therefore they will be condemned for not imitating the Ninevites, even though here is one greater than Jonah. For My dignity and manner of preaching represent a great difference. I am the Master, he is a servant. I preach the Kingdom of Heaven, he preached salvation from threatening destruction. I perform miracles, he performed no miracle.
Lk. 11:31. The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Lk. 11:32. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
The Queen of the South shall likewise condemn this generation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
By the "queen of the south," understand also every soul that is strong and steadfast in goodness. Let me explain. The north, when it serves as a symbol of the dwelling place of the adversary, is not approved by Scripture, because it chills and brings deadness and numbness; but the south (as the opposite of the north) is approved, because the south wind brings warmth, enlivening, and warms even the numbed parts. Therefore in the Song of Songs the bride, driving away the north, says: "Arise... from the north and come from the south" (Song 4:16), and the prophet again says: "And the one coming from the north I will remove from you," that is, Satan (Joel 2:20). Thus the soul that reigns in the south, that is, in the gracious land of the spiritual life, and that has grown strong through the exercise of active virtue, comes to hear wisdom, that is, ascends to contemplation. For the wisdom of Solomon, the peaceful king, is the contemplation of our Lord and God, which no one will attain unless through the exercise of active virtue he becomes a king and master in the virtuous life.
Lk. 11:33. No one, having lit a lamp, puts it in a hidden place, nor under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Since the envious Jews, looking at the miracles, perversely interpreted them out of malice of mind, the Lord says the following: people who received a "lamp" from God, that is, the gift of the mind, by which we see, as if by a light given to us, hid their discernment and, darkening themselves with envy, do not see the miracles and benefactions, even though we received the mind for the purpose of placing it on a lampstand, so that others too might "see the light." In my opinion, He says this: Pharisee! You have knowledge — this is the lamp. You ought to have used this knowledge to recognize the miracles yourself and to declare and explain to others that they are the works of the Son of God, and not of Beelzebul. In this way, "those entering," that is, those newly introduced and just beginning, would have seen the light. For whoever is wise has already entered; but whoever is still learning is only entering.
Lk. 11:34. The lamp of the body is the eye; therefore, if your eye is clear, then your whole body will be full of light; but if it is bad, then your body will be dark.
Lk. 11:35. Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness.
Lk. 11:36. If then your whole body is wholly light, having no dark part, then it will be entirely light, as when a lamp illuminates you with its radiance.
But you, Pharisees, did not wish to do this, and the eye of the soul, that is, the mind, which was until now straight, you have twisted and darkened. For just as the eye of the body, whatever it is like, makes the body the same — for example, if it is clear, then the body is also light, and if it is dark, then the body is also gloomy — so too the soul is disposed according to the state of the mind. If the eye and the light received by it from God begin to be darkened by envy or covetousness, or to speak generally, by love for material things, then the soul too is darkened.
Lk. 11:37. When He was saying this, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. He came in and reclined at table.
Though the Lord knows the ill-will of the Pharisees, He nevertheless dines with them because they were crafty and in need of correction. For He dines with them in order to have an occasion for the improvement of their morals.
Lk. 11:38. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
For example, even now, looking at their senseless custom of washing before eating food, He teaches that the soul must be cleansed by good deeds, since rinsing with water cleanses not the soul but the body. They, foolish ones, thought that through immersion in water and washing of the body, their soul was also cleansed along with the body. Therefore the Lord made use of the excellent example of the cup.
Lk. 11:39. But the Lord said to him: Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but your inside is full of greed and wickedness.
And since it was mealtime, He mentions the cup and the dish and, drawing His testimony from what lay before their eyes, persuades the Pharisee that just as there is no benefit if a cup is clean on the outside but filled with all manner of filth on the inside, so too there is no benefit if, while the body is washed, the soul is filled with all manner of impurity, such as "greed and wickedness." The Lord alluded to two dominant passions of the Jews: by the word "greed" — to covetousness, and by the word "wickedness" — to envy and the consequences of envy. Thus, there is no benefit whatsoever if the soul remains in such a condition.
Lk. 11:40. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside also make the inside?
Foolish ones! Is it not the same One who created the soul, who also created the body, upon which you dwell so much? Therefore you ought to cleanse the soul as well.
Lk. 11:41. Rather give alms of such things as you have, and then all things will be clean for you.
Then He teaches them how the inner man is cleansed, namely: He points to "almsgiving." See, if you will, how by pointing to almsgiving He heals both of their passions, I mean envy and plundering. For he who is truly merciful will neither plunder the one to whom he gives alms, nor envy him. Therefore, since He was reproaching two passions in them, He drives them out with a single remedy, namely almsgiving, which is the first door of deifying love. And where there is love, what covetousness and envy can there be? "From what you have," that is, from your possessions. He said well: "from what you have," and not simply: "from what there is," because possessions reside in the heart of the covetous man and rule over him. This is why David also commands not "to set one's heart" on riches (Ps. 61:11), that is, not to nail it fast and not to bind it to them.
Lk. 11:42. But woe to you, Pharisees, for you tithe mint and rue and every kind of herb, and neglect justice and the love of God: these things you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
The Pharisees, precisely in order not to transgress the Law, tithed even from the most insignificant items, and if anyone reproached them for pettiness, they would appeal to the Law, which commanded that a tithe of everything be brought to the priests (Deut. 14:22–23). Therefore the Lord says: just as you do not neglect these things, so you ought to practice justice and the love of God. Since the Pharisees were unjust, oppressing widows and orphans, the Lord says: you ought to have "justice," that is, righteousness. And since they were contemptuous even toward God, laying their hand on sacred matters without due reverence, the Lord commands them to have "the love of God." For whoever loves God does not approach His works with negligence. And it seems to me, since there are two kinds of love — love of God and love of neighbor — that perhaps the Lord is alluding to these two kinds: by the word "justice" He denotes love of neighbor, since righteousness and not oppressing one's neighbor arise from love for him; and by the phrase "love of God" He undoubtedly denotes wholehearted devotion to God. And when someone loves his neighbor not out of any worldly or shameful inclination, but for God's sake, then this love too may be called the love of God, since it is commanded by God and is well-pleasing to Him.
Lk. 11:43. Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the public assemblies.
They (the Pharisees) loved for every person to pay them honor and for people "in public assemblies" to call them by the title "teacher" (Matt. 23:7); this is what the words "greeting" and "chief seat" mean.
Lk. 11:44. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like hidden tombs, over which people walk and do not know it.
The Lord says: you are like tombs that are full of every kind of rottenness, but on the outside gleam with marble; people by their outward appearance do not know what principles they are guided by in life (by what they walk), but if they knew, they would turn away because of the inner foulness.
Lk. 11:45. At this, one of the lawyers said to Him: Teacher! by saying this, You insult us as well.
The lawyer recklessly subjects himself to exposure. The lawyers were different from the Pharisees. The Pharisees were considered ascetics and separated from the rest, while the lawyers were scribes and teachers who resolved questions from the Law for those who wished.
Lk. 11:46. But He said: Woe to you lawyers as well, for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
They (the lawyers) laid upon people "burdens heavy and hard to bear"; but they themselves did not touch these burdens "even with their finger," that is, they themselves observed nothing of what they commanded others. For when a teacher himself does what he teaches, then he lightens the burdens, providing in himself an example and encouraging the disciples. But when he does nothing of what he teaches, then the burdens seem to the disciples truly heavy, since even the teacher cannot fulfill them.
Lk. 11:47. Woe unto you, for you build the tombs of the prophets, whom your fathers killed.
Lk. 11:48. By this you bear witness to the deeds of your fathers and consent to them, for they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
Lk. 11:49. Therefore also the wisdom of God said: I will send to them prophets and Apostles, and some of them they will kill, and others they will persecute,
Lk. 11:50. That the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
Lk. 11:51. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Yea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
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.
Lk. 11:52. Woe to you, lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves did not enter, and those who were entering you hindered.
By the "key of knowledge" the Lord meant the teaching and guidance through the Law, which is able to lead to Christ. For the Law undoubtedly serves as a tutor leading to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Thus, the lawyers appeared to be explaining the Law, yet they maliciously withheld the "key of knowledge" and did not open the doors of the Law, through which they themselves and the people could have come to Christ. The Law serves as a door to Christ. But this door remains shut if someone does not explain the obscure aspects of the Law and thus open the door. For the Lord Himself said: "If you believed Moses, you would believe Me" (John 5:46). And again: "Search the Scriptures... they testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me" (John 5:39–40). I will point to one example.
Among the Jews, as is known, a lamb was slain, the doorposts were anointed, they ate these meats, and this was for them a victory over the destroyer (Ex. 12:1–13). By all of this, the Mystery of Christ was prefigured.
When Christ was slain as the Spotless and Most Pure Lamb, then our doorposts were also anointed, that is, the heart and the will, and their lintel, that is, the mind, and we tasted the flesh of the Son of Man and conquered the destroyer of our spiritual powers. And a great many ordinances of the Law pointed to Christ.
Although the Law was, as it were, covered and locked by the darkness of the letter, as if by a door of sorts, yet if the teaching was entrusted to someone, that person had the key of knowledge; and if such a person had wished, he could have opened it, and would have entered himself, and would have led others in. But the lawyers did not do this; rather, they "took away the key of knowledge," that is, they concealed it, hid it from sight; and when this key was taken out of the way (hidden), that is, the interpretation of the Law, then its door also remained locked.
By "the key of knowledge" you can also understand faith. For the knowledge of truth comes through faith, as the prophet Isaiah also says: "If you do not believe, you will not understand" (Is. 6:10). So the lawyers took "the key of knowledge," that is, faith, from the midst and hid it. For they did not allow certain people to believe in Christ, the Savior of all. He worked miracles, and the people, believing on account of these miracles, would have acknowledged Him as God, but they (the lawyers) said that He performed these miracles by the power of Beelzebub. Do you see how they took away the key of knowledge, not allowing people to believe in that which would have led them to knowledge? He (Christ) taught the will of God in the synagogues, but they (the lawyers) said: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to Him?"
So they (that is, the Pharisees and scribes) truly took the key of knowledge, but they themselves did not enter and did not allow others to enter, and moreover those who were "entering," that is, those already capable of the knowledge of God.
Lk. 11:53. When He said these things to them, the scribes and Pharisees began to press Him vehemently, provoking Him to speak on many things,
Lk. 11:54. Lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.
"While He was still saying" these things, they, instead of acknowledging their own powerlessness, as if to refute His words, declared themselves to be wiser than Him and began to shut His mouth, that is, to question Him incessantly and to perplex Him. For difficulty in speech usually arises when very many people suddenly question one person, and moreover about different subjects. Then that person, being unable to answer everyone, gives the foolish reason to consider him defeated. The same thing these accursed ones plotted against Christ. Being many, questioning one, they thought to confound Him in speech and bring Him into difficulty, as one unable to answer them — which was even plausible. For how can one person suddenly answer many on different questions? This can also be understood in the following sense: "to catch Him... from His mouth" and to convict Him. For when someone is caught by his own words, he seems to shut his own mouth, that is, he is convicted by his own mouth and condemned. This meaning is also evident from what follows. For it says: "seeking to catch something from His mouth." What was named a little earlier is now replaced by the words — "to catch from His mouth."
They posed questions to Him sometimes concerning the (Mosaic) Law, in order to expose Him as a blasphemer who reviles Moses (for they suspected Him of this), and sometimes concerning Caesar, in order to declare Him a seditious man seeking power, and about all such things that cunning souls filled with every malice could devise.
Lk. 11:1. It came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
The disciple of Christ is zealous for the disciples of John and therefore desires to learn how to pray. The Savior did not reject the desire of the disciples, but teaches them.
Lk. 11:2. He said to them: when you pray, say: Our Father, who art in heaven!
"Our Father," He says, "who art in heaven." Note the power of prayer. It immediately lifts you up on high and, since you call God Father, persuades you in every way not to lose the likeness of the Father, but to strive to become like Him. He did not say "my Father," but "our Father," stirring you to brotherly love and urging you to love all people as brothers in general. By saying "in heaven," He does not confine God to them, but lifts the listener up to the heavens and draws him away from earthly things.
Lk. 11:2. Let Thy name be hallowed;
"Hallowed be Thy name," that is, "may it be glorified," meaning: order our life so that it may be to Thy glory. For just as the name of God is blasphemed because of the wicked, so it is glorified by those who lead a virtuous life.
Lk. 11:2. Let Thy Kingdom come;
The sinner does not pray for the Kingdom of God, for he does not desire its coming on account of the punishments awaiting him there. On the contrary, the righteous man prays that it would come sooner, so that he might be freed from the temptations here and find rest.
Lk. 11:2. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;
"Thy will be done... as in heaven" — among the Angels, so also among us men "on earth." For the Angels do all things and in all things according to the will of God.
Lk. 11:3. Give us our daily bread each day;
Teach us to ask for "bread" only "daily," that is, useful for our existence and for the sustenance of life, by no means superfluous, but necessary.
Lk. 11:4. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation,
Not to enter "into temptation" means not to rush toward temptations. For we ought to pray to God not that He send temptation upon us, but that He avert it; and if it befalls us, we must bear it with courage. It should be said that there are two kinds of temptations. Some are voluntary, such as drunkenness, murder, adultery, and other passions; for we fall into these temptations voluntarily. Other temptations are involuntary, to which rulers and the powerful subject us. From voluntary temptations, that is, from the passions, we must flee, pray for deliverance from them, and say "lead us not," that is, do not allow us to fall "into temptation," that is, into voluntary passion.
Lk. 11:4. But deliver us from evil.
For he brings about both involuntary and voluntary temptations. Therefore, when you involuntarily endure a temptation from a person, do not consider that person the cause of your temptation, but the evil one. For he instigates the person to rage against you and act furiously.
Lk. 11:5. And He said to them: Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him: Friend! Lend me three loaves,
Lk. 11:6. for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;
The Lord, teaching us to pray without laziness, tells a parable and an example. What then does the parable mean? By "midnight" He refers to the last days of life, upon reaching which people begin to sympathize with the good and turn toward God. For He is a friend who loves all and desires the salvation of all (1 Tim. 2:4). Thus, many "at midnight," that is, at the end of life, come to God as a friend and say: "give three loaves," that is, faith in the Trinity; for "a friend has come," that is, the Angel who takes the soul. Moreover, every Angel is a friend, as the Lord also says that there is joy in heaven over the salvation of a person (Luke 15:10).
Lk. 11:7. and he from within will answer and say: Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.
"Children" resting "on the bed" are people who have converted and thereby become children of the Lord and have been deemed worthy to rest together with Him.
Lk. 11:8. If, I say to you, he will not rise and give to him out of friendship with him, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he asks.
"Importunity" he calls the intense and prolonged prayer with patience.
Understand it also in another way, namely: by "midnight" understand the force and the middle of temptations. For every temptation is a night, and the middle of temptations is, without doubt, midnight. So when someone is in the middle of temptations, he comes to God Who loves us and says: "lend me three loaves," that is, the salvation of body, soul, and spirit. For temptations threaten danger to these three. And who is the "friend" who has come off the road? Without any doubt, it is the Lord, Who tests us in temptations and desires to taste of our salvation. The one who has fallen into temptations, being unable by himself to withstand them and to receive the Lord, has nothing to set before Him.
"The locked doors" means that we must be prepared before temptations, and when we fall into them, the door to preparation is already locked, and we, finding ourselves unprepared, will be in danger unless God helps. "Children" are (since they turned earlier) those who through virtue have become sons of God, recline and rest in God.
Lk. 11:9. And I say unto you: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,
See what precision there is in the words. The Lord did not say "ask" and it will be given to you, but "keep asking," that is, seek unceasingly.
Lk. 11:10. Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
"Everyone who asks receives." Does the one who asks for useless things receive? No. For, first of all, a request for useless things cannot even be called a request before God. For whoever prays to God must ask for what He gives. And if someone asks for useless things, he makes his request not to God, for He does not give what is not beneficial.
Lk. 11:11. Which of you fathers, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or, when he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent instead of a fish?
Lk. 11:12. Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Lk. 11:13. Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
Then hear how the Lord Himself also teaches us to ask for what we ought to ask. He says: a son asks for "bread" and "fish" and "an egg." Therefore, just as these items constitute food for a person, so too our petitions should be beneficial to us and serve as help. By the one asking for "bread," understand, perhaps, everyone who asks that the faith in the Trinity and the correctness of the dogmas be revealed to him. For these, as that which strengthens the heart, are bread. And the one who asks for "fish" is he who, being in the sea of this life, asks God for help so that he, like a fish, might be preserved alive and unsubmerged amid temptations. And the one who asks for "an egg" is he who desires that the offspring of virtuous souls be given to him — souls which, having taken wings, having soared in spirit, and having flown above the earth, may rightly be likened to birds.
Lk. 11:14. Once He cast out a demon which was mute; and when the demon had gone out, the mute man began to speak; and the people were amazed.
"Mute" is often used to refer to one who does not speak; but it also refers to one who does not hear, or more precisely, one who neither hears nor speaks. Those who have been deaf from birth also do not speak. This happens to them by necessity, for we speak what we learn through hearing. When someone does not hear, in all likelihood he does not speak either. Unless someone's hearing was damaged later, from illness — nothing prevents such a person from speaking. The one brought to Christ was mute in both respects: in tongue and in ear. He is an image of human nature, which, being possessed by demons, was capable neither of hearing the words of God, nor still less of proclaiming them. But the Lord, having come and cast out the demons — that is, passionate and demonic deeds — made it so that we not only speak but also preach the truth. For the words of God must not only be heard but also recounted to others. So let us who have demonic deeds within us hear this — we who think to teach others and allow ourselves to be called teachers by men. For when the demon departs, then there is true eloquence and teaching; but so long as the works of demons (the passions) remain within us, we do not speak, even though we appear to be speaking.
Lk. 11:15. But some of them said: He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
Lk. 11:16. And others, testing Him, demanded from Him a sign from heaven.
The Pharisees slander the miracle and revile the Lord as a deceiver. They say: He is in league with the prince of demons and with his assistance "casts out demons."
Lk. 11:17. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against itself falls;
Lk. 11:18. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? But you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub;
The Lord says to them: how is it possible for a demon to cast out another demon? This would already be the destruction of his kingdom. For if they place their kingdom and rest in dwelling within people, and their own prince casts them out, then it is clear that he is destroying himself. For "every kingdom divided" against itself and thrown into turmoil is brought to ruin, and "a house divided... shall fall." By "house," will you understand a building? Very well. For a building stands only so long as it maintains its unity, but when the walls separate from one another, it falls. Will you understand by "house" those living in the house? They too, as long as they keep peace, stand, but if they rise up against one another, they fall.
Lk. 11:19. If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
Let it be so, that "I cast out demons... by the power of Beelzebul"; but "your sons," that is, the apostles, "by whose power do they cast them out?" Is it not obvious that it is by My name? How then do you say about Me that I cast out demons through Beelzebul, being in need of his power, when your sons, namely the apostles, cast them out by My name? Truly, they will judge you. For if they cast out demons by My name, then I Myself obviously have no need of the power of another.
Lk. 11:20. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then surely the Kingdom of God has reached you.
I cast out demons "by the finger of God," that is, by the Holy Spirit, and not by an evil spirit. He calls the Spirit "finger" so that you may know that just as a finger is of one essence with the whole body, so also the Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son. And perhaps He calls Him so for this reason as well: the Son is called the right hand of God, and on Him rested the seven powers of the Spirit, not as on an instrument of the Spirit, but as on One consubstantial with Him; and one of the gifts and operations of the Spirit is the power to heal. He says that I cast out demons "by the finger of God," that is, by a gift of the Spirit. For just as a finger is a part of the hand, so also the spirit of healings was a part of those spirits, that is, powers of the Spirit, which Jesus possessed.
If, He says, "I... cast out demons" by the power of God, then truly "the Kingdom of God has come upon you." And this has the following meaning: the kingdom of the devil is finally being destroyed, and God, who casts out demons, reigns. For listen to what He says next.
Lk. 11:21. When the strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace;
Lk. 11:22. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Before My coming, He says, Satan was strong and "guarded his house," that is, he ruled over human nature firmly and securely. But when I came, "the one stronger than he," then I conquered the world and all "his armor in which he trusted," that is, every kind of sin. For sin is the weapon of the devil, and with it he boldly overcame people. All this armor of his I destroyed, because no sin was found in Me (1 Pet. 2:22); from that time he grew weak. And "his spoils," that is, the people who were, as it were, his prey, I wrested from him and entrust each one to a special Angel, a faithful guardian, so that instead of the demon in whose power he was held, an Angel would govern him.
Lk. 11:23. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Lk. 11:24. When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and not finding it, says: I will return to my house from which I came out;
Lk. 11:25. and, having come, he finds it swept and put in order;
Lk. 11:26. then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having entered, they dwell there, – and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
And in another way. What fellowship is there between Me and Beelzebub? My work is to gather the scattered children of God, while his work consists in scattering those who have been gathered. How then do you conclude about Me that I have fellowship with Satan? Truly, such a thought arose in you because you are now in greater fellowship with demons. The unclean spirit dwelt in you even before, when you served idols and killed the prophets. Then, apparently, he went out from you. But now he has returned again "to his house," that is, to your souls, with "seven spirits," that is, many (for the number "seven" in Scripture is often used in the sense of "many"), and made "the last state worse than the first" for you. For then, when you served idols, you killed the prophets, but you had not yet offered open insult to the Son of God, who for your sake appeared in the flesh. But now what hope of salvation is there, when you remain in the same ingratitude and audacity even after the Son became incarnate and works miracles for your sake?
"Waterless places" are the souls of those who have no softness whatsoever — souls that are hardened and preoccupied with themselves. Since the evil one has no place to dwell in such souls, he returns to the Jews, and the last state becomes worse for them than the first. Thus, they now no longer have prophets, for they killed the Word, nor anointing, for they crucified Christ (the Anointed One). Before, although they served idols, prophets and anointing were seen among them; but now they have lost everything, because they sinned against the Son of God.
Lk. 11:27. And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked!
While the Pharisees and scribes disparage the miracles of the Lord, a woman, a guileless and simple person, glorifies Him. Where are those who say that the Lord appeared in mere semblance? For behold the testimony that He was even nursed at the breast!
Lk. 11:28. But He said: blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
But He blesses those who keep the word of God, not, however, in order to deprive His Mother of blessedness, but in order to show that even She would have received no benefit from having given birth to Him and nursed Him at Her breast, if She had not possessed all the other virtues. He says this also because it is timely. Since those who envied Him and did not listen to His words reviled those who did listen, He, contrary to them, especially blesses those who listen. Perhaps He also says this on account of the healed deaf man, so that he too, having heard the word, might keep it, lest the ability to hear that was granted him should serve to his condemnation.
Lk. 11:29. When the people were gathered thick together, He began to say: this generation is wicked; it seeketh a sign, and no sign shall be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
"When... the people began to gather in great numbers," the Lord began to rebuke the foolish. Among them were some who desired that Jesus perform a sign from heaven; for they said: the signs He performs are from the earth, and He performs them by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of the world, who has authority over the earth; but He cannot perform signs from heaven, because He is not the Son of the Heavenly Father. Since some spoke thus, the Lord rebukes them and says: a sign shall be given to you that will prove that I am the true Son of the Heavenly Father. What sign? "The sign of Jonah," that is, the sign of the Resurrection (Jonah 2:1).
Lk. 11:30. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of Man be to this generation.
For just as he spent three days in the belly of the whale, so too shall I spend three days in the belly of the whale, the great beast, that is, Hades, and rise again. When Jonah, cast out by the whale and as if brought back to life, began to preach, the Ninevites listened (Jonah 3:3–6); but even after My Resurrection, this generation will not believe in Me. Therefore they will be condemned for not imitating the Ninevites, even though here is one greater than Jonah. For My dignity and manner of preaching represent a great difference. I am the Master, he is a servant. I preach the Kingdom of Heaven, he preached salvation from threatening destruction. I perform miracles, he performed no miracle.
Lk. 11:31. The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Lk. 11:32. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
The Queen of the South shall likewise condemn this generation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
By the "queen of the south," understand also every soul that is strong and steadfast in goodness. Let me explain. The north, when it serves as a symbol of the dwelling place of the adversary, is not approved by Scripture, because it chills and brings deadness and numbness; but the south (as the opposite of the north) is approved, because the south wind brings warmth, enlivening, and warms even the numbed parts. Therefore in the Song of Songs the bride, driving away the north, says: "Arise... from the north and come from the south" (Song 4:16), and the prophet again says: "And the one coming from the north I will remove from you," that is, Satan (Joel 2:20). Thus the soul that reigns in the south, that is, in the gracious land of the spiritual life, and that has grown strong through the exercise of active virtue, comes to hear wisdom, that is, ascends to contemplation. For the wisdom of Solomon, the peaceful king, is the contemplation of our Lord and God, which no one will attain unless through the exercise of active virtue he becomes a king and master in the virtuous life.
Lk. 11:33. No one, having lit a lamp, puts it in a hidden place, nor under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Since the envious Jews, looking at the miracles, perversely interpreted them out of malice of mind, the Lord says the following: people who received a "lamp" from God, that is, the gift of the mind, by which we see, as if by a light given to us, hid their discernment and, darkening themselves with envy, do not see the miracles and benefactions, even though we received the mind for the purpose of placing it on a lampstand, so that others too might "see the light." In my opinion, He says this: Pharisee! You have knowledge — this is the lamp. You ought to have used this knowledge to recognize the miracles yourself and to declare and explain to others that they are the works of the Son of God, and not of Beelzebul. In this way, "those entering," that is, those newly introduced and just beginning, would have seen the light. For whoever is wise has already entered; but whoever is still learning is only entering.
Lk. 11:34. The lamp of the body is the eye; therefore, if your eye is clear, then your whole body will be full of light; but if it is bad, then your body will be dark.
Lk. 11:35. Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness.
Lk. 11:36. If then your whole body is wholly light, having no dark part, then it will be entirely light, as when a lamp illuminates you with its radiance.
But you, Pharisees, did not wish to do this, and the eye of the soul, that is, the mind, which was until now straight, you have twisted and darkened. For just as the eye of the body, whatever it is like, makes the body the same — for example, if it is clear, then the body is also light, and if it is dark, then the body is also gloomy — so too the soul is disposed according to the state of the mind. If the eye and the light received by it from God begin to be darkened by envy or covetousness, or to speak generally, by love for material things, then the soul too is darkened.
Lk. 11:37. When He was saying this, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. He came in and reclined at table.
Though the Lord knows the ill-will of the Pharisees, He nevertheless dines with them because they were crafty and in need of correction. For He dines with them in order to have an occasion for the improvement of their morals.
Lk. 11:38. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
For example, even now, looking at their senseless custom of washing before eating food, He teaches that the soul must be cleansed by good deeds, since rinsing with water cleanses not the soul but the body. They, foolish ones, thought that through immersion in water and washing of the body, their soul was also cleansed along with the body. Therefore the Lord made use of the excellent example of the cup.
Lk. 11:39. But the Lord said to him: Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but your inside is full of greed and wickedness.
And since it was mealtime, He mentions the cup and the dish and, drawing His testimony from what lay before their eyes, persuades the Pharisee that just as there is no benefit if a cup is clean on the outside but filled with all manner of filth on the inside, so too there is no benefit if, while the body is washed, the soul is filled with all manner of impurity, such as "greed and wickedness." The Lord alluded to two dominant passions of the Jews: by the word "greed" — to covetousness, and by the word "wickedness" — to envy and the consequences of envy. Thus, there is no benefit whatsoever if the soul remains in such a condition.
Lk. 11:40. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside also make the inside?
Foolish ones! Is it not the same One who created the soul, who also created the body, upon which you dwell so much? Therefore you ought to cleanse the soul as well.
Lk. 11:41. Rather give alms of such things as you have, and then all things will be clean for you.
Then He teaches them how the inner man is cleansed, namely: He points to "almsgiving." See, if you will, how by pointing to almsgiving He heals both of their passions, I mean envy and plundering. For he who is truly merciful will neither plunder the one to whom he gives alms, nor envy him. Therefore, since He was reproaching two passions in them, He drives them out with a single remedy, namely almsgiving, which is the first door of deifying love. And where there is love, what covetousness and envy can there be? "From what you have," that is, from your possessions. He said well: "from what you have," and not simply: "from what there is," because possessions reside in the heart of the covetous man and rule over him. This is why David also commands not "to set one's heart" on riches (Ps. 61:11), that is, not to nail it fast and not to bind it to them.
Lk. 11:42. But woe to you, Pharisees, for you tithe mint and rue and every kind of herb, and neglect justice and the love of God: these things you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
The Pharisees, precisely in order not to transgress the Law, tithed even from the most insignificant items, and if anyone reproached them for pettiness, they would appeal to the Law, which commanded that a tithe of everything be brought to the priests (Deut. 14:22–23). Therefore the Lord says: just as you do not neglect these things, so you ought to practice justice and the love of God. Since the Pharisees were unjust, oppressing widows and orphans, the Lord says: you ought to have "justice," that is, righteousness. And since they were contemptuous even toward God, laying their hand on sacred matters without due reverence, the Lord commands them to have "the love of God." For whoever loves God does not approach His works with negligence. And it seems to me, since there are two kinds of love — love of God and love of neighbor — that perhaps the Lord is alluding to these two kinds: by the word "justice" He denotes love of neighbor, since righteousness and not oppressing one's neighbor arise from love for him; and by the phrase "love of God" He undoubtedly denotes wholehearted devotion to God. And when someone loves his neighbor not out of any worldly or shameful inclination, but for God's sake, then this love too may be called the love of God, since it is commanded by God and is well-pleasing to Him.
Lk. 11:43. Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the public assemblies.
They (the Pharisees) loved for every person to pay them honor and for people "in public assemblies" to call them by the title "teacher" (Matt. 23:7); this is what the words "greeting" and "chief seat" mean.
Lk. 11:44. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like hidden tombs, over which people walk and do not know it.
The Lord says: you are like tombs that are full of every kind of rottenness, but on the outside gleam with marble; people by their outward appearance do not know what principles they are guided by in life (by what they walk), but if they knew, they would turn away because of the inner foulness.
Lk. 11:45. At this, one of the lawyers said to Him: Teacher! by saying this, You insult us as well.
The lawyer recklessly subjects himself to exposure. The lawyers were different from the Pharisees. The Pharisees were considered ascetics and separated from the rest, while the lawyers were scribes and teachers who resolved questions from the Law for those who wished.
Lk. 11:46. But He said: Woe to you lawyers as well, for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
They (the lawyers) laid upon people "burdens heavy and hard to bear"; but they themselves did not touch these burdens "even with their finger," that is, they themselves observed nothing of what they commanded others. For when a teacher himself does what he teaches, then he lightens the burdens, providing in himself an example and encouraging the disciples. But when he does nothing of what he teaches, then the burdens seem to the disciples truly heavy, since even the teacher cannot fulfill them.
Lk. 11:47. Woe unto you, for you build the tombs of the prophets, whom your fathers killed.
Lk. 11:48. By this you bear witness to the deeds of your fathers and consent to them, for they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
Lk. 11:49. Therefore also the wisdom of God said: I will send to them prophets and Apostles, and some of them they will kill, and others they will persecute,
Lk. 11:50. That the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
Lk. 11:51. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Yea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
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.
Lk. 11:52. Woe to you, lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves did not enter, and those who were entering you hindered.
By the "key of knowledge" the Lord meant the teaching and guidance through the Law, which is able to lead to Christ. For the Law undoubtedly serves as a tutor leading to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Thus, the lawyers appeared to be explaining the Law, yet they maliciously withheld the "key of knowledge" and did not open the doors of the Law, through which they themselves and the people could have come to Christ. The Law serves as a door to Christ. But this door remains shut if someone does not explain the obscure aspects of the Law and thus open the door. For the Lord Himself said: "If you believed Moses, you would believe Me" (John 5:46). And again: "Search the Scriptures... they testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me" (John 5:39–40). I will point to one example.
Among the Jews, as is known, a lamb was slain, the doorposts were anointed, they ate these meats, and this was for them a victory over the destroyer (Ex. 12:1–13). By all of this, the Mystery of Christ was prefigured.
When Christ was slain as the Spotless and Most Pure Lamb, then our doorposts were also anointed, that is, the heart and the will, and their lintel, that is, the mind, and we tasted the flesh of the Son of Man and conquered the destroyer of our spiritual powers. And a great many ordinances of the Law pointed to Christ.
Although the Law was, as it were, covered and locked by the darkness of the letter, as if by a door of sorts, yet if the teaching was entrusted to someone, that person had the key of knowledge; and if such a person had wished, he could have opened it, and would have entered himself, and would have led others in. But the lawyers did not do this; rather, they "took away the key of knowledge," that is, they concealed it, hid it from sight; and when this key was taken out of the way (hidden), that is, the interpretation of the Law, then its door also remained locked.
By "the key of knowledge" you can also understand faith. For the knowledge of truth comes through faith, as the prophet Isaiah also says: "If you do not believe, you will not understand" (Is. 6:10). So the lawyers took "the key of knowledge," that is, faith, from the midst and hid it. For they did not allow certain people to believe in Christ, the Savior of all. He worked miracles, and the people, believing on account of these miracles, would have acknowledged Him as God, but they (the lawyers) said that He performed these miracles by the power of Beelzebub. Do you see how they took away the key of knowledge, not allowing people to believe in that which would have led them to knowledge? He (Christ) taught the will of God in the synagogues, but they (the lawyers) said: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to Him?"
So they (that is, the Pharisees and scribes) truly took the key of knowledge, but they themselves did not enter and did not allow others to enter, and moreover those who were "entering," that is, those already capable of the knowledge of God.
Lk. 11:53. When He said these things to them, the scribes and Pharisees began to press Him vehemently, provoking Him to speak on many things,
Lk. 11:54. Lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.
"While He was still saying" these things, they, instead of acknowledging their own powerlessness, as if to refute His words, declared themselves to be wiser than Him and began to shut His mouth, that is, to question Him incessantly and to perplex Him. For difficulty in speech usually arises when very many people suddenly question one person, and moreover about different subjects. Then that person, being unable to answer everyone, gives the foolish reason to consider him defeated. The same thing these accursed ones plotted against Christ. Being many, questioning one, they thought to confound Him in speech and bring Him into difficulty, as one unable to answer them — which was even plausible. For how can one person suddenly answer many on different questions? This can also be understood in the following sense: "to catch Him... from His mouth" and to convict Him. For when someone is caught by his own words, he seems to shut his own mouth, that is, he is convicted by his own mouth and condemned. This meaning is also evident from what follows. For it says: "seeking to catch something from His mouth." What was named a little earlier is now replaced by the words — "to catch from His mouth."
They posed questions to Him sometimes concerning the (Mosaic) Law, in order to expose Him as a blasphemer who reviles Moses (for they suspected Him of this), and sometimes concerning Caesar, in order to declare Him a seditious man seeking power, and about all such things that cunning souls filled with every malice could devise.