Luke 11:48 meaning
In this passage, Jesus critiques the legal scholars and Pharisees for their hypocritical reverence towards the prophets of the past, while showing a complete disregard for those sent by God in their own time. The act of building sepulchers for the prophets was meant to honor them, yet it ironically testified against those who construct them, as they end up aligning themselves with the very ancestors who persecuted these prophets. This reveals a deeper spiritual condition: the tendency of people to glorify past saints while ignoring God’s current messengers.
Within Luke 11:48, the accusation of bearing witness to their ancestors' deeds serves as a powerful reminder of humanity's consistent failure to learn from history. The wisdom of God, as outlined by Jesus, suggests a prophetic future filled with rejection and violence against the messengers that would come—mirroring the patterns of the past. Thus, this verse poignantly underscores the principle that authentic faith requires not just outward symbols of devotion but a genuine adherence to God's ongoing revelation in the present, lest we repeat the errors of those who came before us.
“Truly you bear witness that you allow the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their sepulchers.” (Luke 11:48, NASB95)
Other Relevant Commentaries:
- Luke 6:36 meaning. Jesus summarizes and commands the character standard of those who are in His kingdom.
- Luke 15:3-7 meaning. Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling at how He mingles with sinners. This first parable is called “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” It is about a shepherd that leaves ninety-nine of his sheep in the pasture in search of the one that is lost, and the joy he feels upon finding it. Jesus then tells His adversaries that there is more joy in heaven when one sinner repents over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need to repent.
- Matthew 23:11-12 meaning. Jesus teaches that the remedies for Bad Religion is humility before God and others, as well as contentment in serving regardless of earthly recognition. These are the practices that will make one great in His kingdom.