Luke 11:50 - Printer Friendly

What does Luke 11:50 mean?

ESV: so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

NIV: Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,

NASB: so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

CSB: so that this generation may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world --

NLT: As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world —

KJV: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

NKJV: that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,

Verse Commentary:

This is a difficult verse to unpack. Jesus is talking to lawyers in the sect of the Pharisees. They follow the Mosaic law, but also insist on extra-biblical rules. This Oral Law was set in place as an attempt to prevent people from breaking the Mosaic law. These regulations were put into place after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. Religious leaders thought strictly controlling the people's behavior was the only way to prevent another exile.

Jesus is pointing out the hypocrisy of the lawyers who decorate the tombs of the prophets while being complicit in their murders. The context can be complicated to explain.

There is a tomb outside of Jerusalem for the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Over the centuries, the tomb has been expanded into an elaborate mausoleum. Zechariah was murdered (2 Chronicles 24:20–22) but tradition says Haggai and Malachi died peacefully.

Other prophets were also murdered, such as Jeremiah. He had the unenviable task of trying to convince the Jews to submit to their Babylonian conquerors because their defeat and exile were God's judgment. While the Bible does not record Jeremiah's death, it is believed that the Jewish leaders tortured Jeremiah, kidnapped him, dragged him to Egypt, and murdered him there.

The lawyers Jesus is speaking to were born hundreds of years later. Yet Jesus still says they are complicit in the murders of Zechariah and other prophets. Metaphorically, they are. The prophets foretold details of the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled them, including being born of a virgin and healing the blind (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 35:5; John 9:7). The lawyers know this, and yet claim that Jesus' power comes from Satan (Luke 11:14–15). In contrast, the evil city of Nineveh fell to its knees in repentance at the word of Jonah, and the Queen of Sheba heard Solomon's wisdom and recognized the voice of God (Jonah 3:6–10; 2 Chronicles 9:8; Luke 11:30–32).

God will prove the lawyers' guilt by sending more prophets and apostles whom the lawyers will have a hand in killing. Of course, God didn't send prophets and apostles for the sole—or even primary—purpose of being murdered by Pharisees. But the truth is the lawyers will have a hand in the deaths of God's messengers, proving that had they been alive at the time of Zechariah and the other Old Testament prophets, they would have killed them, too (Matthew 23:29–36; Acts 7:54–60; 9:1–2).

Besides Jesus, the Bible records the murders of Stephen by a mob (Acts 7:54–60) and the apostle James by Herod Agrippa I, which pleased the Jewish leaders (Acts 12:1–3). Paul admits, "I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them" (Acts 26:10). We also know that before he was a believer, Paul persecuted the church greatly (Acts 8:3; 9:1–2) and that after he became a Christian, several men, with the Sanhedrin's approval, tried to murder him (Acts 23:12–15).

Jesus says the prophets were murdered "from the foundation of the world." In the next verse, He mentions Abel who was murdered by his brother (Genesis 4:1–8). Abel was not a traditional prophet, but he did live out and presumably speak the truth of God. In Matthew 23:35, Jesus covers the same warning as in Luke 11:50–51 but at a different time and place.

Luke 11:45–52 comes after descriptions of the cruelty and pride of the Pharisees (Luke 11:39–44). Now, Jesus turns to the lawyers—the experts in the Mosaic law. Greed and wickedness revealed the Pharisees to be like tombs: clean on the outside and filled with death on the inside. The lawyers are said to fill tombs by rejecting God's prophets. In response, the scribes and Pharisees conspire to destroy Jesus (Luke 11:53–54). In the next section, Jesus gives His disciples instructions on how to reject the world and persevere for the sake of the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—13:9). Jesus will cover this judgment again in Matthew 23.

Chapter Summary:

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray and explains God's intent to give "good" to those who ask. He then exorcizes a demon and refutes the claim that His power is satanic. Jesus explains that unreasonable skeptics will only see the "sign of Jonah." He then criticizes the superficial legalism of the Pharisees. In response, they plot against Him.

Chapter Context:

In what some scholars refer to as "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27), Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and resurrection and the establishment of the church. The description begins with Christ teaching the disciples how to spread the news of the kingdom of God and reaffirming how they will be blessed, culminating in the Lord's Prayer (Luke 9:51—11:13). Luke 11 finishes with accounts of leaders who reject Jesus. The remainder of the travelogue gives a pattern of teaching on the kingdom of God, miracles, and explanations of salvation. Then Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

Accessed 4/29/2024 6:46:04 AM