Luke 11:45 kjv
Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
Luke 11:45 nkjv
Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."
Luke 11:45 niv
One of the experts in the law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."
Luke 11:45 esv
One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also."
Luke 11:45 nlt
"Teacher," said an expert in religious law, "you have insulted us, too, in what you just said."
Luke 11 45 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 23:13 | "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!..." | General condemnation of scribes/Pharisees' hypocrisy. |
| Mt 23:4 | "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them." | Foreshadows Luke 11:46, showing the burdens imposed by legalists. |
| Lk 11:42 | "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue... but neglect justice and the love of God." | The immediate context of Jesus' criticisms that the lawyer found insulting. |
| Lk 11:44 | "Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them unknowingly." | The specific insult (likening them to sources of impurity) that provoked the lawyer. |
| Lk 11:46 | "Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear..." | Jesus immediately follows with woes directly aimed at lawyers. |
| Mt 15:14 | "Let them alone; they are blind guides. If a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” | Refers to religious leaders' lack of true spiritual sight. |
| Mt 23:16 | "Woe to you, blind guides..." | Jesus calls them blind guides, indicating their deceptive leadership. |
| Jn 7:48-49 | "Has any of the authorities or any of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed.” | Illustrates the Pharisees/lawyers' elitism and contempt for common people. |
| Jn 8:43-45 | "Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word." | Truth often offends those who prefer darkness. |
| Gal 4:16 | "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" | When truth challenges deeply held but false beliefs, it can lead to hostility. |
| Acts 7:51-53 | Stephen accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit and persecuting prophets. | Reveals a pattern of rejecting God's messengers and truth. |
| Neh 9:26 | "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you... and killed your prophets..." | Old Testament pattern of rejecting and harming God's messengers. |
| 2 Chr 36:15-16 | God sends prophets, but people mocked and scoffed them. | Rejection of divine messengers leads to wrath. |
| Isa 5:20 | "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..." | The reversal of moral values, characteristic of those critiqued by Jesus. |
| Rom 2:28-29 | "For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly... but a Jew is one inwardly..." | Contrasts external religiosity with true inner transformation. |
| Isa 29:13 | "This people draw near with their mouth... while their hearts are far from me..." | A classic prophetic denouncement of hypocritical worship. |
| Jer 7:4 | "Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord...’” | Warns against relying on outward rituals or institutions for salvation. |
| Mal 3:7 | "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them." | General indictment of Israel's disobedience to God's law. |
| Mt 10:24 | "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." | The lawyer addresses Jesus as "Teacher," yet places himself above. |
| Prov 27:2 | "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth..." | Highlights the lawyer's self-commendation vs. humility. |
Luke 11 verses
Luke 11 45 Meaning
Luke 11:45 captures the indignant reaction of a lawyer to Jesus' pointed critiques of the Pharisees. The lawyer perceives Jesus' previous words, particularly the "woes" against hypocrisy, as a direct and insulting accusation leveled at their own esteemed class as interpreters and custodians of the Law. Their outrage highlights their self-righteousness and blindness to their spiritual condition.
Luke 11 45 Context
This verse immediately follows a series of "woes" pronounced by Jesus during a meal at a Pharisee's house. Earlier, the Pharisee had expressed surprise that Jesus did not perform a ceremonial washing before eating. Jesus used this occasion to expose the deep-seated hypocrisy of the religious elite. In Luke 11:39-41, he condemned their meticulous external cleanliness while their inner lives were full of greed and wickedness. In Luke 11:42-44, Jesus specifically rebuked them for tithing miniscule items while neglecting justice and the love of God, for seeking prominent positions, and for being like "unmarked graves" that unknowingly defile others. It is the cumulative weight of these scathing criticisms, particularly the highly offensive comparison to unclean graves, that provokes the lawyer's reaction in verse 45. The historical and cultural context underscores the importance placed on ceremonial purity, especially among the legal experts, making Jesus' words a direct assault on their perceived status and righteousness.
Luke 11 45 Word analysis
- One of the lawyers: (Greek: nomikos, νομικός) A highly trained expert in the Mosaic Law, whose profession was to interpret, teach, and apply the Torah. In practice, lawyers (or scribes, often synonymous) were the primary religious authorities in Judaism, meticulously focused on legalistic observance. They saw themselves as the ultimate guardians of God's revelation. Their knowledge gave them immense prestige and influence.
- answered him: This indicates a direct, immediate, and reactive response to Jesus’ prior pronouncements. It signifies a confrontation, not an inquiry.
- “Teacher,”: (Greek: Didaskale, διδάσκαλε) A term of respect typically given to a respected teacher or master. In this context, it carries an underlying tone of sarcasm, veiled offense, or a challenge, rather than genuine humility or admiration, given the subsequent accusation. The lawyer uses the polite address while simultaneously leveling a strong accusation against Jesus.
- “in saying these things”: Refers collectively to all of Jesus’ "woes" from Luke 11:39-44. These included the indictment of inner defilement, the neglect of justice and the love of God despite outward religious zeal (tithing), their pursuit of honor, and especially being like "unmarked graves."
- “you insult us also.”: (Greek: hybrizō, ὑβρίζεις, meaning to treat with insolence, to insult, outrage, shame, or assault). This strong verb highlights the lawyer's perception of Jesus’ words as not just criticism but a grave offense and dishonor to their entire class. They felt directly implicated by Jesus' denunciations of the Pharisees, believing themselves to share the same virtues and authority as the Pharisees and thus the same righteous indignation when "insulted." The accusation shows their deep sensitivity to their reputation and how profoundly Jesus' truth cut into their self-righteousness.
- "you insult us also": This phrase emphasizes the lawyer's shared identity with the Pharisees. They viewed themselves as integral to the same spiritual authority and interpretive tradition. They believed that an attack on the Pharisees, especially regarding the Law, was an attack on them and their understanding of God's will. Their feeling of insult stemmed from Jesus undermining their legal authority and their public standing as righteous interpreters of God's Law.
Luke 11 45 Bonus section
The immediate follow-up in Luke 11:46, where Jesus then pronounces a woe directly upon the lawyers ("Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear..."), confirms that the lawyer's complaint in verse 45 was not misplaced from their perspective. Jesus was indeed intentionally targeting both groups for their hypocrisy and oppressive interpretations of the Law. This highlights Jesus' unwavering commitment to truth, regardless of the discomfort or offense it caused the powerful religious elite. The "unmarked graves" analogy (Lk 11:44) was particularly potent for the nomikoi because it touched upon ceremonial defilement and public perception. By comparing them to such graves, Jesus implied that their teaching and lives were unwittingly leading people to spiritual defilement, a profound reversal of their supposed role as guides to purity and holiness. This confrontation emphasizes Jesus' identity not just as a teacher but as a prophetic figure who challenged established authority to its core, ultimately demonstrating that the greatest insult to God is hypocrisy, not a prophetic word.
Luke 11 45 Commentary
Luke 11:45 reveals the predictable response of self-righteous religious leaders when confronted with divine truth. Jesus' "woes" were not mere criticisms but pronouncements exposing their spiritual bankruptcy despite their outward piety. The lawyer, representing a class of experts in God's Law, reacted with wounded pride. He perceived Jesus' words as a personal "insult" rather than a righteous judgment or a call to repentance. This moment underscores a key theme in the Gospels: the clash between Jesus' kingdom values, emphasizing inner righteousness, justice, and love, and the established religious system's focus on external performance, status, and legalistic tradition. The lawyer's offense shows how deeply entrenched they were in their perceived purity and authority, unable to discern their true spiritual state. They were more concerned with their human honor and reputation than with the honor of God or genuine righteousness.