Today’s lesson is very much a continuation of our previous lesson on Jesus and Beelzebub. If you have not yet reviewed that lesson, I strongly recommend that you do so now, before reviewing this lesson.
Read Luke 11:24-26. Jesus has just dealt with the Pharisees who accused Him of casting out a demon by Satan’s power. Having dismissed that ridiculous issue, He goes on here to speak more about demon possession. When a demon has possessed a man and it leaves his body, it goes around looking for somewhere to rest (someone else to inhabit). Demons are much more comfortable and effective when they are embodied within a person or animal than when they are not. A demon that has been cast out is now homeless. In Jesus’ example here, the demon does not find another place to take up residence, so it decides to return to where it was previously. It may even decide to bring more of its friends with it so the person, in the end, is worse off than he had been before with only one demon possessing him.
Why is Jesus talking about this? The evil generation which Jesus is addressing has seen the power of His ministry… particularly through the occasions of casting out demons. Yet Israel has not chosen to repent of their sins in response. Refusing to respond to God’s grace is not a matter of staying neutral. It is more of a decision to keep yourself in the hands of the deceptive and destructive influences of Satan and this world. Each time you do not respond to God’s call, you become more susceptible to Satan’s influence (2 Pet 2:20). Jesus wants people, instead, to respond to His grace and power by inviting Him into their lives. Satan and his minions would then not be able to take up residence and they will flee.
As Jesus is teaching these things (verse 27), a woman in the crowd yelled out a Beatitude: “Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.” It was not unusual in that culture to honor a mother by citing the accomplishments of her son. The woman who called out this Beatitude was actually giving respect and credence to Jesus and His teaching by saying that He was a credit to the mother who bore Him and nursed Him. But, in verse 28, Jesus turns it around by taking the focus off Himself, who is doing the teaching, and putting it onto those who are obeying the teaching. He says that the ones who are truly blessed are the people who hear God’s Word and obey it (John 14:21).
Read verses 29-32. We know from Matthew’s telling of this event (Matt 12:38), that this next dialogue is the result of a direct request from the Pharisees for a sign. Jesus was, due to the notoriety of His miracles, very often asked to show signs (Mark 8:11-12, John 2:18, John 6:30). In Matt 16:1-4, we see an account of another instance when Jesus was asked to give a sign. Read these verses and see His response. We can get some understanding, here, of Jesus’ feelings about people who were more interested in signs and miracles than the importance of His teachings. And, when these requests for signs came from Pharisees, typically they were more about finding something to accuse Jesus of than anything else. Jesus’ signs and miracles were always performed with the intention of meeting people’s needs and drawing them to a place where they were ready and able to hear His teaching. They were not meant to dazzle and entertain.
Jesus responded to this request for a sign by declaring the wickedness of the people requesting it. He told them they would receive no other sign than the “Sign of Jonah”. The events in the book of Jonah represent Jesus’ death and resurrection. God had sent Jonah to take His message to the city of Ninevah, an extremely wicked place (Jonah 1:2) full of pagans. Jonah did not want to go… he was afraid. He ran in the other direction and tried to sail away. We all know the story. He ended up going overboard, got swallowed by a great fish, and then spent three days and nights inside the fish’s belly before God brought him out. He then obeyed God and went to preach in Ninevah. Much to his astonishment, the wicked, pagan people of Ninevah accepted God’s message, repented of their sins, and turned to God.
Jesus then cited another Old Testament example of the Queen of Sheba, also a pagan, when she came to visit King Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-13). She had heard just how rich and powerful this king was, and Solomon was known throughout the world at that time for his great wisdom. She was simply coming to see the great man for herself as she was skeptical of the reports. The Bible tells us that, as a result of her visit with Solomon, the Queen of Sheba also allowed God’s teachings to penetrate her heart and make a difference. In verse 32 of today’s text, Jesus made it clear that these Old Testament folks will someday judge this wicked generation at the judgment because they, even pagans, responded to God’s Word while the Pharisees and other Israelites did not. Gentiles and pagans were able to see and accept what God’s people would not.
Read verses 33-36. Jesus then said to the crowd that no one would light a lamp and then hide its light under something, causing darkness. No, they would set the lamp up on a stand so that the light would be distributed. It is never enough for a lamp just to be lit. In order for that light to be of any benefit to us, our eyes must be functioning and allow that light to enter into the body. Jesus told the crowd that they should be like healthy eyes, which allow light to enter into the body, rather than unhealthy eyes which make it impossible for that light to enter. You should have a spirit within you that is receptive to hearing God’s Word and allows His light to enter into your life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His listeners to be the light of the world (Matt 5:15-16). Read Mark 4:21-23 for another of Jesus’ teachings on light. The light of God’s Word (teachings) exposes the dark sins and secrets of life (Heb 4:12).
What was Jesus’ greatest tool He used in His fight against Satan, sin, and the powers of this world (John 12:31-33, Acts 3:15, Acts 5:30-32)?
Responding to God: Praise God that He breaks through the power of Satan. Ask for His wisdom and for help to always heed and obey God’s teachings when you hear them. Pray for His mercy on unrepentant souls and generations which are rejecting the Gospel message, for their ability to begin to see the truth, and for your willingness and ability to witness to them. Ask God to reveal to you any areas of your life where you have left yourself vulnerable to the power of evil forces and to help you to find and internalize those Biblical teachings which will help you in these areas.
Add comment
Comments