BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 33

Light Chases Darkness

Luke 11:29-34

There have been at least two times that I have literally been in total darkness.  I do not mean when I did not understand a situation, but a in a physical sense.  The high school I attended had a tunnel under a street that connecting the two buildings.  On the night of our school annual signing several of us decided we would go through that tunnel for the last time.  What we did not realize was how dark it could get.  The old saying that one could actually feel the darkness applied.  The only way we made it from one building to the next was to glide our hands along the wall.

The other instance occurred on a trip to the Luray Caverns. At one point deep into the tour, the guide cut off all of the lights.  You talk about dark.  It was a weird feeling to know that we were at the mercy of the man to turn the lights back on.  Our youngest son who was probably less than five let us all know that he was not happy with the situation.  At that point the light came back on.  We were definitely grateful.

When I think back to that time, I realize that much of the world lives in a darkness much worse than those two experiences.  I knew that the dark in which I found myself was temporary and I would again see the light.  Many live and die never coming to Jesus, who is the light of the world.

All of us belong to different organizations of some type.  It may be church, clubs, work or even recreational teams of one type of another. Of those only the church can provide the security that we can live in the light.  Sadly in our world today we have allowed a shrinking of the impact of the light.  So many have turned their backs on the solid doctrine of the faith and have become no more than social gatherings.  Any group that does not have the gospel at the very core of what it believes and practices is living in darkness.  Today it is difficult to find the truth of God’s word truly taught because we have let religion take its place.  Religion is our attempt to reach God through our own efforts rather than accepting what He has already done for us.

Luke 11:29-30

A sign of darkness in the lives of people is the search for meaning in life. Sadly, many of the ones who came to Jesus were there for two reason.  They had shown up out of curiosity to see what He would do next.  Others came because of physical or mental needs hoping that Jesus could fix what was wrong with them.  There was a third group that will not be found in this particular passage.  They were those who actually were seeking for the truth that would change their lives.  This last group is not the ones Jesus was addressing. 

It is obvious from the words of Jesus the crowd was from the first type.  He saw that they wanted to see the spectacular event that would amaze them.  Only by doing miracles would the people believe that He was indeed something special.  That would not necessarily include understanding why He came to earth in the first place.  

Instead of overtly condemning the crowd Jesus told the story of Jonah’s trip to Nineveh. They wanted to see a physical sign.  Jesus said that what He would do was not what they expected.  The only sign they would see was what was required of the Ninevites when Jonah showed up in their city.  He was there for one purpose only.  The citizens of Nineveh were a wicked people to whom God had decided to extend grace.  After some missteps the prophet arrived calling the people to repent or suffer the judgment of God.   That was the same the thing that Jesus was doing to the lost people of His nation and beyond.

1. What were the three different kinds of people about whom Jesus was speaking? (Curiosity seekers and those wanting something from Him.)
2. Of which group is there no mention in His condemnation of those there? (Seekers of truth.)
3. When Jesus spoke of the sign of Jonah to what was he referring?  (The call to repentance that both He and Jonah required.)
4. How were the generation to whom Jesus was speaking different from the Ninevites? (The Ninevites repented when the heard the words of Jonah.  Many of the Jews refused to accept the words of Jesus.)
5. Why was it difficult for the Jews to listen to a call to repentance?  (They were too caught up in the physical aspects of what Jesus was doing.)

Luke 11:31

Jesus would once again refer back to the Jewish Scriptures with another story that would bring judgment on the generation in which He was living.  He tells of the story of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon found in 1 Kings 10:1-10 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12.  The pagan queen of Ethiopia heard about the wisdom of Solomon and came to him seeking answers to her questions.  She returned home with the full realization and full of awe that God had indeed blessed the king.  The lesson to be learned, that the people had missed, was that as great as Solomon may have been He was greater.  He wanted them to understand that if the queen acknowledged a mere man as great, they should be able to see that His words and miracles surpassed all that Solomon had said and done.

1. Why did Jesus refer back to the Old Testament to make a point? (They held men like Solomon in high regard.)
2. How did all of Solomon’s wisdom compare with what Jesus had taught? (The wisdom of man can in no way compare to the wisdom of God as seen in Jesus.)
3. What was her reaction to Solomon?
4. In what ways was Jesus greater than Solomon? (Spoke and acted under the authority of God.)
5. Why could the people not see that truth? (They did not want to see because the devil had blinded their eyes.)

Luke 11:32

Once again He returned to the Ninevites.  Their reaction to the strong words of prophecy from Jonah was to repent from their sins. (Jonah 3:5-9) Seeing the response of the Ninevites, God “relented concerning the calamity which He had declared.” (Jonah 3:10) Surely if a heathen nation would repent upon hearing the word of God the Jews with the entire word of God at their disposal should have recognized that Jesus was bringing those very words alive in their midst.  Because they were so blinded the example of the Ninevites would bring condemnation down upon them.  Jesus once again said that they should recognize that His presence showed that someone greater than the prophet Jonah was among them.  If the Ninevites responded to Jonah, a mere man, in such dramatic fashion they should see that the words of Jesus were meant for their own age.

1. Why did Jesus return to the story of Jonah?  (He wanted to show how the Ninevites responded to the message from God.)
2. What example did the Ninevites provide for the Jews? (A people open to hear God’s word will do as He commands)
3. What were the people missing in both the case of the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites?
4. What blocked their ability to hear Jesus that had not been a stumbling block for the people of Nineveh? (The Jews were so caught up in their own laws and traditions that they were blinded to the truth.)
5. Who are we most like the Jews or the queen and the Ninevites?
6. What reasons can you give for your answers?

Luke 11:33

This is a clear picture of what Jesus had been doing for about three years.  He was constantly making sure that the light of the word of God was not hidden from the people but in every way brought out into every venue in which He found Himself.  He had come to expose the darkness, the very thing that kept them as slaves. The Jews, sadly, during their entire history had tried to keep the light to themselves.  By doing so they had disobeyed God by not sharing it with the world.  Jesus comes along carrying out the very ministry given to them and they try to discredit and stop Him in every way at their disposal.  The light must shine and not be hidden or God’s glory will not be displayed throughout the world.

1. How were the Jews attempting to hide the light of God’s world? (By keeping it to themselves.)
2. What happens to the light that is kept hidden away? (It will eventually go out or never be affective because no one knows about it.)
3. What did God do overcome the reluctance of the Jews to share the good news with the world?
4. In what ways does the church hide the light?
5. What happens to churches and believers that do not share the light with the world?
6. How do we make sure that the light is always on the lampstand?

Luke 11:34

The eye is not the light.  It is the means by which the light is received. If the person is open and ready to receive what Christ has to offer then His light will shine brightly within that person. Conversely, if a person has chosen to blind himself to the light, even if it is right before him the light will do him no good.  The light can only come to dwell in those ready to receive it. The old saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is certainly appropriate for what Jesus is talking about here.

The Jews had chosen to blind themselves to all that Jesus had to say.  In their effort to maintain the status quo, the following of the law, they had literally shut themselves off from the freedom that Jesus came to provide for them. (See John 8:31-32)

At the end of the episode in which Jesus had healed the blind man John wrote these words of Jesus, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” John 9:39 The Pharisees responded by saying” We are not blind too, are we?” (John 9:40) The answer that Jesus gave fits in very well with this verse in Luke.  He said, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, “We see, your sin remains.” John 9:41

The Pharisees and those like them were blinded because they refused to hear what Jesus had to say.  They were so tied to the laws and traditions that they did not recognize their need for salvation.  The law had blinded them to the truth.

1. What did Jesus mean by using the eye as being like the lamp?  (The eye and lamp are the means by which the light is seen.)
2. What are the factors that make the eye good or bad?
3. What does the physical eye do for you?
4. What does the spiritual allow to have happen in your life?
5. Why could the Jews and Pharisees not see what Jesus was saying to them?
6. What do you think of the statement in John 9:41?
7. What had the Pharisees missed out on because of their blindness? (See John 8:31-32)

Luke 11:35-36

The people around Jesus were admonished to make sure that their lives were full of light and not darkness. He goes on to explain that a life filled with light leaves no room for darkness to operate.  As Matthew says that a person who has Christ, from him that light will shine. (Matthew 5:16) The man in Luke 11:24-26 fits the one who has refused to have his life filled with the Holy Spirit.

1. Why did Jesus so emphasize the role of the light in a person’s life?
2. Who represent those who you know that are void of the light of the Holy Spirit?
3. What happens when a person is full of the light? (Matthew 5:16)
4. What happens when a person neglects or refuses to have the light indwell him?
5. Why were the Pharisees examples of those who rejected the light?

 

• Do not look at the time spent in the place where you are supposed to learn and worship as a place to be entertained.
• Meditate on, Study and read God’s word every day for it points to life God has to offer each one of us.
• Focus your mind on those things that will fill your life with light such as good books and movies and music with a solid uplifting moral themes.
• Avoid those things that will bring about darkness in your life such much of what is offered in magazines, TV, movies and other forms of so called entertainment.
• Spend time in meaningful conversation with those who can give guidance for life from God’s word.

 

During the period called the dark or middle ages learning was not given top priority in life.  Thankfully the one place that took it seriously was in the church.  If it had not been for the dedicated men and women who continually poured over the Scriptures and preserved it by meticulously copying it we may have any copies available to us today.  Others followed in their footsteps translating it into the language of the people. 

Today we have more translations than at any time in history.  Sadly, even though there are more actual Bibles available, many of us have multiple copies, it is probably the most unread book in the world.  In Amos 8:11-12 God told the prophet that there would come a time when there would be a famine for the hearing the word. When that day comes we will once again enter another dark age. We need to do all in our power to make sure that the light of God’s word continually shines forth.  Let it not be on our watch that the light dims and goes out.  The church has a tremendous responsibility to make sure that the gospel is shared with all people.

 

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