Lawyers and the Keys of Knowledge

Lawyers and the Keys of Knowledge

Written on 9 September 2026.

Jesus said that the lawyers had taken away the key of knowledge. They had not entered in themselves, and they hindered those who were entering.

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

— Luke 11:52, KJV

These were men learned in the law of Moses. And that law dealt with actual judgments, witnesses, disputes, and punishments, as well as worship. Their knowledge of the law gave them a position from which they could instruct other people. But knowing the law did not mean that they knew the way of salvation.

Matthew records the same problem in terms of shutting up the kingdom of heaven:

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

— Matthew 23:13, KJV

So the people who were supposed to explain the Scriptures were becoming an obstacle to what the Scriptures taught. They had not entered themselves, but they were still directing others.

The Keys and the Gospel

Jesus also speaks of keys when addressing Peter:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

— Matthew 16:19, KJV

I think these passages can be connected through the gospel. The key of knowledge concerns knowing the way in, and the keys of the kingdom can be understood in connection with making that way known. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

— Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV

A man who teaches people to establish their own righteousness through works is pointing them away from receiving salvation as a gift. He may know many commandments. He may be able to explain what another person has done wrong. But how does that give anyone the way into heaven?

Abraham Was Justified by Faith

The fact that Jesus addressed these lawyers before the cross does not mean that people were then justified by keeping the law. Abraham was justified by faith.

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

— Romans 4:2–5, KJV

Paul also says that the gospel was preached unto Abraham:

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

— Galatians 3:8, KJV

Abraham did not have to know every detail later revealed about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for this to be true. The point is that righteousness was counted to him through faith. Works were not the way of salvation before the cross either.

So these lawyers had the Scriptures that testified of righteousness by faith. Their learning did not prevent them from missing it.

Deceiving, and Being Deceived

This also fits what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

— 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV

A person can be deceived himself and deceive others at the same time. He does not have to understand the truth privately for his public teaching to lead people away from it. He may believe the error he teaches.

Jesus describes blind leadership in similar terms:

Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

— Matthew 15:14, KJV

This is how I understand the connection with the lawyers who took away the key of knowledge. They had not entered themselves, and their own blindness became a problem for the people who followed their teaching.

But 2 Timothy 3 also describes what the Scriptures are able to do:

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

— 2 Timothy 3:15, KJV

The Scriptures Timothy had known from childhood were the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul connects them directly with salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So a man can spend his life studying the law and still miss the very thing that would make him wise unto salvation.

The way in does not depend on mastering the legal system or obtaining the approval of its experts. Jesus states it plainly:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

— John 6:47, KJV

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