Luke 11:14-12:34

Amplified Bible

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

¹⁴ And [at another time] Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was [controlling a man so as to make him] mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were awed.^{(A) 15} But some of them said, “He drives out demons by [the power of] ^[a]Beelzebul (Satan), the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, trying to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But He, well aware of their thoughts and purpose, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction; and a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand and continue to survive? For you are saying that I drive out demons by [the power of] Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I drive out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons [the Jewish exorcists] drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then ^[b]the kingdom of God has already come upon you. ²¹ When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his belongings are undisturbed and secure. ²² But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he robs him of all his armor on which he had relied and divides his [goods as] spoil. ²³ He who is not with Me [believing in Me as Lord and Savior] is against Me [there is no impartial position]; and he who does not gather with Me [assisting in My ministry], scatters.

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will go back to my house (person) from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the place swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in [the person] and live there; and the last state of that person becomes worse than the first.”

²⁷ Now while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed (happy, favored by God) is the womb that gave birth to You and the breasts at which You nursed!” ²⁸ But He said, “On the contrary, blessed (happy, favored by God) are those who hear the word of God and continually observe it.”

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ Now as the crowds were increasing [in number], He began to say, “This [present] generation is a wicked generation; it seeks a sign (attesting miracle), but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah [the prophet].^{(B) 30} For just as ^[c]Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man also be [a sign] to this generation.^{(C) 31} The Queen of the South (the kingdom of Sheba) will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something greater than Solomon is here.^{(D) 32} The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and look, something greater than Jonah is here.^(E)

³³ “No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar nor under a basket [hiding the light], but [instead it is put] on the lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.^{(F) 34} The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive, focused on God], your whole body also is full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But when it is bad [spiritually blind], your body also is full of darkness [devoid of God’s word]. ³⁵ Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ So if your whole body is illuminated, with no dark part, it will be entirely bright [with light], as when the lamp gives you light with its bright rays.”

Woes upon the Pharisees

³⁷ Now after Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him. He went in [the Pharisee’s home] and reclined at the table [without ceremonially washing His hands]. ³⁸ The Pharisee noticed this and was surprised that Jesus did not first ceremonially wash before the meal. ³⁹ But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate [as required by tradition]; but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You foolish ones [acting without reflection or intelligence]! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give that which is within as charity [that is, acts of mercy and compassion, not as a public display, but as an expression of your faithfulness to God], and then indeed all things are clean for you.

⁴² “But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] ^[d]tithe mint and ^[e]rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others.^{(G) 43} Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the ^[f]best seats in the synagogues and to be respectfully greeted in the market places. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like graves which are unmarked, and people walk over them without being aware of it [and are ceremonially unclean].”

⁴⁵ One of the lawyers [an expert in the Mosaic Law] answered Him, “Teacher, by saying this, You insult us too!” ⁴⁶ But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well, because you weigh men down with burdens [man-made rules, unreasonable requirements] which are hard to bear, and you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers [to lighten the load]. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! For you repair or build ^[g]tombs for the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers, because they [actually] killed them, and you repair or build their tombs. ⁴⁹ For this reason also the wisdom of God said [in the Scriptures], ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will put to death and some they will persecute, ⁵⁰ so that charges may be brought against this generation [holding them responsible] for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], who was murdered between the altar and the house of God. Yes, I tell you, charges will be brought against this generation.’^{(H) 52} Woe to you lawyers, because you have taken away the key to knowledge (scriptural truth). You yourselves did not enter, and you held back those who were entering [by your flawed interpretation of God’s word and your man-made tradition].”^(I)

⁵³ When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile [toward Him] and to interrogate Him on many subjects, ⁵⁴ plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

God Knows and Cares

12 In the meantime, after so many thousands of the people had gathered that they were stepping on one another, Jesus began speaking first of all to His disciples, “Be continually on your guard against the ^[h]leaven of the Pharisees [that is, their pervasive, corrupting influence and teaching], which is hypocrisy [producing self-righteousness]. ² But there is nothing [so carefully] concealed that it will not be revealed, nor so hidden that it will not be made known.^{(J) 3} For that reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will point out to you whom you should fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl [you] into ^[i]hell; yes, I say to you, [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two ^[j]copper coins? Yet not one of them has [ever] been forgotten in the presence of God. ⁷ Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are far more valuable than many sparrows.

⁸ “I say to you, whoever declares openly and confesses Me before men [speaking freely of Me as his Lord], the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him [as one of His own] before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who ^[k]blasphemes against the Holy Spirit [that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan], it will not be forgiven him [for him there is no forgiveness].^{(K) 11} When they bring you before the synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be worried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Covetousness Denounced

¹³ Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over [the two of] you?” ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”

Parable of the Wealthy Fool

¹⁶ Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things stored up, [enough] for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually).”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’^{(L) 21} So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God.”

²² Jesus said to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; or about your body, as to what you will wear.^{(M) 23} For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the crop]; they have no storehouse or barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life’s span? ²⁶ So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies and wildflowers, how they grow [in the open field]. They neither labor nor spin [wool to make clothing]; yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.^{(N) 28} But if this is how God clothes the grass which is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! ²⁹ So as for you, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink; nor have an anxious and unsettled mind. ³⁰ For all the [pagan] nations of the world greedily seek these things; and your [heavenly] Father [already] knows that you need them. ³¹ But [strive for and actively] seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. ³² Do not be afraid and anxious, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³ “Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.