Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 11:54
Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
54. to catch ] Literally, “ to hunt.” They were members of a body of a sort of ‘commission of enquiry’ which had been sent from Jerusalem for this express purpose, Mar 12:13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Laying wait for him – Or, rather, laying snares for him It means that they endeavored to entangle him in his talk; that they did as men do who catch birds – who lay snares, and deceive them, and take them unawares.
That they might accuse him – Before the Sanhedrin, or great council of the nation, and thus secure his being put to death.
From this we may learn:
1. That faithful reproofs must be expected to excite opposition and hatred. Though the conscience may be roused, and may testify against the man that is reproved, yet that does not prevent his hating the reproof and the reprover.
2. We see here the manner in which wicked people endeavor to escape the reproofs of conscience. Instead of repenting, they seek vengeance, and resolve to put the reprover to shame or to death.
3. We see the exceeding malignity which people have against the Lord Jesus. Well was it said that he was set for the fall of many in Israel, that thereby the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed! Luk 2:34-35. Men, now, are not by nature less opposed to Jesus than they were then.
4. We see the wisdom, purity, and firmness of the Saviour. To their souls he had been faithful. He had boldly reproved them for their sins. They sought his life. Multitudes of the artful and learned gathered around him, to endeavor to draw out something of which they might accuse him, yet in vain. Not a word fell from his lips of which they could accuse him. Everything that he said was calm, mild, peaceful, wise, and lovely. Even his cunning and bitter adversaries were always confounded, and retired in shame and confusion. Here, surely, must have been something more than man. None but God manifest in the flesh could have known all their designs, seen all their wickedness and their wiles, and escaped the cunning stratagems that were laid to confound and entangle him in his conversation.
5. The same infinitely wise Saviour can still meet and confound all his own enemies and those of his people, and deliver all his followers, as he did himself, from all the snares laid by a wicked world to lead them to sin and death.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Laying wait for him,…. To ensnare and entangle him, watching his words, observing what he said, and laying hold thereon:
and seeking to catch something out of his mouth; like beasts of prey, or hunters, that were watching for their prey; or lay ambush, diligently looking out, and greedily catching at every thing they thought for their purpose:
that they might accuse him; either of heresy or sedition, to the Jewish sanhedrim, or the Roman governor.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Laying wait for him ( ). An old verb from and , a seat, so to lie in ambush for one. Here only and Ac 23:21 in the N.T. Vivid picture of the anger of these rabbis who were treating Jesus as if he were a beast of prey.
To catch something out of his mouth ( ). An old Greek verb, though here only in the N.T., from (cf. Ro 11:9), to ensnare, to catch in hunting, to hunt. These graphic words from the chase show the rage of the rabbis toward Jesus. Luke gives more details here than in Luke 20:45-47; Matt 23:1-7, but there is no reason at all why Jesus should not have had this conflict at the Pharisee’s breakfast before that in the temple in the great Tuesday debate.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Lying in wait – to catch [] . Metaphors from hunting.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Laying wait for him,” (enedreuontes autou) “As they were lying in wait for him,” like a leopard waiting for his prey, or like a rattlesnake coiled to strike, as described in the prophetic Psa 56:5-6.
2) “And seeking to catch something out of his mouth,” (kai zelountes ti ek tou stomatos autou) “Trying to catch some word from his mouth,” to wrest, twist, or distort something He had said, to do Him harm, as described, 2Pe 3:16.
3) “That they might accuse him.” (or entrap him) “In order that or for the specific motive, to accuse him,” of some indictable evil or lawless deed, but they could not, Heb 7:26. For He was “holy, harmless, undefiled,” and in a separate class from sinners.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(54) Laying wait for him.The better MSS. give the verse in a somewhat simpler form, laying wait to catch something out of His mouth. The words throw light on the subsequent question about paying tribute to Csar (Mat. 22:15-22; Mar. 12:13-17), and show it to have been the acting out of a pre-concerted policy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
Dearest Lord Jesus! I would say for myself, and all thy redeemed family, teach us to pray, and with what words to come before the Lord, in all our soul exercises, and wants, and conflicts, and trials. Do thou, dear Lord! by the sweet influences of thine Holy Spirit, both spread thy fullness, cause us to feel our need, excite a spiritual appetite, and open a constant source of communion, that, from thy fullness, we may all receive and grace for grace! And oh! for a fervor in prayer, awakened by the Holy Ghost! that, like the friend at midnight, and Jacob at Bethel, never may we go to the mercy-seat, and come away empty; but, like the great father of the praying seed, in the same spirit of faith to tell our God, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And, oh Lord! grant that neither the Queen of the South, nor the Ninevites, may bring reproach upon thy people! No Solomon like our Solomon – no preaching of Jonah like the preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ! Precious Master! let neither the awful state of Pharisee blindness, nor the wretched delusion of Jewish ignorance, be in the lot of thy redeemed, in all generations of thy Church. Oh! for grace to sit at thy feet, to hear thy word! that through the blessed illumination of God the Holy Ghost, our whole body, as thou hast said, being full of light, and having no part dark, the whole may be full of light! Jesus, the sun of righteousness, shining as when the bright shining of a candle doth give the people light.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Ver. 54. Seeking to catch something ] But there was no guile or gall found in his mouth, saith St Peter, intimating that they sought it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
54. . ] The accus. is Hellenistic, instead of the usual dative: so , Jos. Antt. ver 2, 12.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 11:54 really gives the key to the meaning of (here only in N.T.).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Laying wait for = watching. Only here and Act 23:21.
catch. Both are hunting expressions.
out of. Greek ek. App-104. Not the same word as in Luk 11:24.
that, &c. T [Tr. ] WH R omit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
54. . ] The accus. is Hellenistic, instead of the usual dative: so , Jos. Antt. ver 2, 12.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
seeking: Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33, Psa 56:5, Psa 56:6, Mat 22:15, Mat 22:18, Mat 22:35, Mar 12:13
Reciprocal: 2Ki 5:7 – see how 2Ki 5:23 – Be content Psa 22:16 – compassed Psa 35:21 – Yea Psa 41:6 – speaketh Psa 140:5 – The proud Ecc 10:13 – beginning Isa 29:21 – make Jer 20:10 – All my familiars Mat 12:10 – that Mat 16:1 – tempting Mat 19:3 – tempting Mar 3:2 – General Mar 7:1 – The Pharisees Mar 8:11 – Pharisees Mar 9:14 – the scribes Mar 10:2 – the Pharisees Luk 4:28 – were Luk 6:7 – that Luk 12:49 – and Luk 14:1 – they Luk 20:23 – Why Joh 8:6 – tempting Joh 18:19 – asked Heb 12:3 – contradiction
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE NEW LIBERTY
Seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.
Luk 11:54
No intelligent observer could fail to notice the opposition towards Jesus Christ in certain quarters. While the common people heard Him gladly, those who were in authority at Jerusalem set themselves against Him, and soon began to plot together for His destruction. Our Lord was sitting at meat with a certain Pharisee, who marvelled that He had not ceremonially washed before dinner, and this led the Saviour to speak plainly about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who afterwards with the scribes sought to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.
I. The new liberty.The Pharisees were first of all surprised to see our Lord eating with publicans and sinners. There were two things which struck every observer. To begin with, our Lord allowed a greater freedom, a new freedom, in the practice of godliness; and, secondly, our Lord introduced a new factor into the pursuit of truth, that new factor His own personal authority. They could not get away from it; they could not go near Him without fearing. But while this new factor which Christ introduced into the pursuit of truth, His own personal authority, was the chief ground of the opposition, they found it necessary to avoid a frontal attack. So they attacked the new freedom which Christ allowed in the practice of godliness.
(a) It was, first of all, conspicuous in His own conduct in mixing freely with publicans and sinners.
(b) Then, again, this liberty showed itself in our Lords attitude towards the Sabbath.
(c) Again, you see the same liberty in the disciples attitude towards fasting.
II. The new authority.Our Lord, in claiming the larger liberty, bases that claim upon a new authority. It is the new factor of His own personal authority which He has introduced into the pursuit of truth which justifies His larger liberty. But this authority, while exercised on behalf of the larger liberty, never gave the reins to license, for while He pushed aside with one word the whole mass of Pharisaical formalism, He insisted on the deeper purity. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. That one parable, that one epigram, took the foundation away from nine-tenths of the religion of the Pharisees. They looked upon the material world outside as the source of defilement; Christ declared the chief source of defilement was the unclean heart, the spiritual pride and covetousness and self-seeking. And so He taught that their religion should consist not of multiplied ablutions, but in the unceasing cleansing of the heart by that inflow of the river of the Holy Ghost, that shedding abroad of the love of God in the heart by the Holy Ghost, by which even fallen men can be kept pure in heart towards God. And so Christs authority was introduced to bring about a deeper purity, a religion of love.
III. Criticism silenced.And when the Pharisees asked for this authority, when at last they summoned up courage to send their deputation to Him in the Temple court, their elders and chief priests and scribes, and asked, By what authority doest thou these things? what does Christ answer? He silenced them indeed. He silenced them by making their conscience work. Had they any right to ask for His authority? If a man can do good in this way, can there be any question where the power comes from? They were convicted. They were silenced. They said, We cannot tell, not because they were in ignorance. They knew that Johns baptism was from heaven, that the authority with which Jesus spoke was Divine; they knew it, but they were not prepared to speak the truth, and so they took refuge in convenient agnosticism.
That is so to-day. There is not a man with a conscience who does not know that Jesus Christ is right, who can go into the presence of Jesus Christ and see what Jesus Christ is working to-day in setting men free from the power of every form of sin, without knowing that the power which works these freedom-miracles is of God. Submit yourselves to the power and you will find what it will do for you; criticise, stand aloof from it, and you shall perish like the Pharisees perished.
Rev. F. S. Webster.
Illustration
In Marks Gospel we see, still more clearly than in Luke, set side by side, the relentless opposition of the scribes and Pharisees and the enthusiasm of the populace. In the first twelve chapters of Marks Gospel there are only three which do not contain one or more references to these hostile and vigilant critics. The opposition might be divided into three parts. First of all, there are general objections, generally and naturally raised, because of the new spirit and message of the Gospel. We find these in chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 and 7 and 11 The opposition began that way. Then, in the second stage, was the accusation made by the scribes which came down from Jerusalem, the diabolical suggestion that our Blessed Lord was indeed Satan. And then the third opposition was that of prepared traps and pitfalls. You find these in chapters 8, 10, and 11. We can now only deal with those natural objections which sprang from the new spirit and message of the Gospel.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
4
Their motive was to lead Jesus into saying something that would be subject to criticism. Had he done this, they would have gone to the authorities with it.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 11:54. Laying wait for him to catch something out of his month. This is the form of the verse. The figure is borrowed from hunting. It was not only that they waited for something to suit their purpose, but they hunted for it, since the expressions represent both the beating up of game and the lying in wait to capture it.