Luke 11:29-36 - A Sight Problem
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
A sermon based on sight and light is rather ironic for me at this present time with my eye condition! But this is where we are as we traverse the pages of Luke’s great Gospel.
Today we will be discussing the light of Jesus Christ and the rejection that came from the crowds. And as we go through these verses, I want you to notice something very important. The people are going to continue to claim that there is a light problem. In essence, the people are asserting that there has not been enough light shown through Christ to prove His Messianic Deity. If only He can give them a little more. If only He can give them a sign. Perhaps if He could move the moon or the sun or the stars. We aren’t sure what they want to see - but we know they want something more than the miracles and exorcisms that they have seen thus far.
Yet, the problem is not a light problem. Jesus is the Light of the World. His Deity shines for all to see.
Instead, there is a sight problem. Their eyes refuse to take in the light. And thus they are left in their sinful and wicked ways.
As we go through our Scripture, I pray that you evaluate how well you are seeing Christ today. Ask yourself honestly…
Do you have a sight problem?
Join me as I read our Scripture for today:
Read Full Scripture:
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Prayer
Our first understanding that we need to glean from our Scripture today is…
I. You Must Respond to the Greatest Light (29-32)
I. You Must Respond to the Greatest Light (29-32)
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
We are told that the crowds continue to increase. More and more people come out to check out this miracle-working, demon-exorcising Teacher.
However, we see that Jesus does ministry a little differently than the average person.
Most of the time when the crowds increase, people start to become very careful about what they say. We commonly see this with the mega-church movement. As the crowds increase, sometimes the truth decreases. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is common. Once the crowd starts to grow, church leaders sometimes start to think about how they can continue growing the crowds, and how they can maintain the crowds. The doctrinal statement starts to get more and more watered down, and any divisive or culturally-sensitive issue gets pushed to the side. This is truly unfortunate and leads churches into false teachings. It also leaves the flock unprotected as the church leaders refuse to combat heresy and sin among the church body.
Our Lord Jesus Christ didn't do ministry this way, though. As the crowds increased, the intensity and directness of the truth continued to increase.
Jesus, says that this generation is an evil generation. This is not exactly the most church-growth friendly statement from Jesus. I’m sure that this quote would not be in one of the leading books on how to multiply your congregation.
He then scolds them for seeking a sign. He tells them that no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. What sign is this? Let’s start by looking at our next verse…
For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh. The Ninevites were Assyrians and were known as barbarians. They were known for their hostile treatment of the Jews and other foreigners. They were violent and merciless. Yet Jonah became a sign to them as he came warning the people of the coming destruction. This sign was a two-fold sign. The first was that he was a preacher to them. He preached of the coming judgment from God. But even moreso, Jonah was a sign that foreshadowed Christ. Listen to Matthew’s parallel passage explain this further:
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jonah was as good as dead in the belly of the great fish. For three days he awaited his demise. But he was miraculously spat upon the shore by the great fish and went to preach the coming judgment upon Nineveh.
And as Jonah was in the belly of a great fish for three days, so Jesus would be in the heart of the earth for three days and rise again.
Friends, this sign came to fruition. The people asked for a sign and a sign was given. Yet they still did not believe. And today, many refuse to believe as well. God physically came down from heaven to earth and dwelt among us. He was brutally tortured and killed. And then He rose from the dead three days later. What other sign could God provide that would be greater than the resurrection!
As we discussed last week, many will not believe no matter what signs are shown.
Moving forward, Jesus continues…
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
After telling the people of the sign to come - the sign of His resurrection - Jesus asserts that the queen of the South will rise up at the judgment and condemn them. This speaks of the Queen of Sheba seen in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles:
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
Most scholars believe that Sheba was an Ethiopian royal city (see the map). This would mean that this foreign queen had traveled some 1500+ miles or so to see Solomon and behold his wisdom. Yet Jesus says something greater than Solomon is here.
Yes, something much greater than Solomon is before them. Although Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived, his wisdom was externally given to him by God. Conversely, Jesus Christ is truly wisdom. In essence He is perfect wisdom - perfect knowledge. No one has given Him wisdom. He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He is all knowing - namely omniscient. He is all powerful, namely omnipotent. There is no one greater, no one higher, no one mightier than Jesus Christ.
The completeness and fullness of wisdom is right there in front of this crowd and they refuse to see it.
The problem is not a light problem, it is a sight problem.
They refuse to acknowledge the glory of God in Christ.
The Queen of Sheba will stand in the final judgment as a witness against this obstinate and disobedient people. Her extended journey and travel in seeking the wisdom of God as given to Solomon will be contrasted with this wicked people’s refusal to acknowledge the wisdom of God that is right in front of their faces.
But Jesus isn’t done yet…
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Jesus goes back to Nineveh and states that they will rise up in the final judgment of this generation and condemn it as well. These evil Assyrians repented at the preaching of Jonah. Yet something greater than Jonah is present in front of them. If you recall, we went through the book of Jonah right around a year and a half ago.
Jonah refused to go and preach to the people of Assyria. He did not want to see them repent and turn from their wicked ways. He had hated those people for what they had done to the Jews.
He knew that God was a merciful God, and so he ran from God - well better stated he tried to run from God!
Yet the sovereign plan of God will always come to fruition. As we already mentioned, after being in the belly of a great fish for three days he was eventually spit back out on the shore and went to Nineveh and preached the coming judgment. This greatly imperfect preacher was still used by God and the people of Nineveh repented.
Yet, the preacher that they are hearing is none other than God himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. As we discussed a couple of weeks ago for our Christmas sermon, “The Saving God Is with Us,” God came down in the person of Jesus Christ and took on human flesh. And now they have God Himself preaching the good news of the Gospel to them. Yet they refuse to repent.
How amazingly contrasted are the Jews of Jesus’ day and the Ninevites.
The Ninevites respond to a very imperfect preacher who hates them, but the Jews will not respond to the Messiah who loves them enough to die for them.
A great judgment looms for those who refuse to repent and belief.
How interesting is it that these two Gentile examples stand in contrast to this Jewish crowd?
May we learn from this example and may we respond to the Greatest Light - namely Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. By God’s grace may we be granted the sight needed to see the Greatest Light - the Savior.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Matthew 12:40, 1 Kings 10:1, 2 Chronicles 9:1, Colossians 1:15
II. You Must Reflect the Greatest Light (33,36)
II. You Must Reflect the Greatest Light (33,36)
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Moving forward Jesus illustrates this sight problem by comparing Himself and His message to a lamp giving off light.
He starts with a very practical statement about light. If you light a lamp, you put it on the stand so that all may see the light. You do not hide the light.
The metaphor for the lamp is the light of Jesus in the life of a believer. Those who are saved have the Light of Life that indwells them. Our lives should reflect the glory of the Lord.
Matthew tells us that we, ourselves, are to be lights in the world (Matthew 5:13). However, this light is not of our own doing. This light does not emanate from our own glory or holiness. Instead, it is the light of Jesus Christ reflecting off of us - shining through us.
There is a great teaching here, my friends. We live in a world that hates the light. They do not want to see the light because the light exposes their deeds done in darkness. Listen to John explain this in John 3:20:
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Yet we must resist the temptation to shrink back and hide the light. We must resist the temptation to hide the light of Christ. Instead, we should shine brightly by reflecting the light of Christ for the world to see. We should not be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
I am afraid that many believers in our world are MIA - missing in action. They are in hiding. They are like turtles that only come out when they think it is safe. They live their lives in oppression and fear.
Brothers and sisters - this is not the abundant life that God has called us to live.
We are to be bold for our Lord and Savior.
We are not to live in fear but to live boldly for Christ.
We must live like Paul states in Philippians 1:21:
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
And we must not be ashamed of the Gospel -
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The Gospel is the power of God for salvation! May we not shrink back and be ashamed of Jesus!
For Jesus gives us a stark warning of being ashamed of Him in front of this world…
If you recall, we went through Luke 9:26 weeks ago...
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
We must shine brightly for Christ. If we are true believers in Jesus and the light of Christ dwells within us, we cannot help but shine His light and reflect His glory. May we not fear this world and the principalities that rule it. But may we reverently fear and follow God and live for Him.
Listen to verse 36 as Jesus encourages us to shine brightly…
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Skipping ahead to verse 36 Jesus ends this section with a statement that echoes the Old Testament. Be holy for God is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, 1 Peter 1:16). We are to be set apart. We are not to take part in darkness. We are to shine like a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14).
In understanding this need and requirement for holiness in the lives of believers, I am really excited about our book study coming up in February on Respectable Sins, Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. I pray that each of you will join us for this 9 week study every Thursday for February and March for this convicting and spiritual-growth-inducing study.
The Bible is clear - we should not tolerate any sin. All sins stains us. All sin is darkness. Praise be to God that for us who have repented and believed in Christ, He has forgiven us our sins. Because of what Christ has done on the cross, our sins are forgiven. Yet we should continue to strive, with the Holy Spirit's power, to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy.
We should strive to reflect the light of Christ.
And finally…
Scripture References: Matthew 5:13, John 3:20, Philippians 1:21, Romans 1:16, Luke 9:26, Leviticus 11:44-45, 1 Peter 1:16, Matthew 5:14
III. You Must Not Reject the Greatest Light (34-35)
III. You Must Not Reject the Greatest Light (34-35)
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
Looking back at verses 34 and 35, Jesus changes gears to discuss the eye. The Bible contains the word eye some 627 times! I think that may mean there is something to understanding the Biblical teaching of the eyes and the importance of these two small organs of our bodies.
He shows the comparison of the health of the eyes and the health of the body. No, He is not referring to blindness or physical eye conditions. What He is referring to here is what goes into the eyes - specifically the images that go through the eyes and that are impressed upon the mind. The Bible is clear that what enters the eyes changes the mind and heart. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body is full of light. Yet, when your eyes are bad, your whole body is full of darkness.
Listen to 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
The desires of the eyes is paralleled with the pride of life, and it is said to come from the world. Just before this verse in John’s first epistle, we see that darkness blinds the eyes:
1 John 2:11b (ESV)
... the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Those who reject the light of Christ walk in darkness. They seek and desire the lusts of the flesh. It is obvious that our world is lost. The sinful images of social media, television, movies, and advertisements flood our society. It is clear that the pride of life and desires of the flesh are the focus of our culture.
But what about Christians? What about the Church? How are we faring in our fight in this battle for the our eyes? Are we holy and set apart?
Brothers and sisters, what images are entering your eyes?
We live in a world where images flood our eyes. Advertisements are everywhere. Scantily clad men and women fill our malls with images plastered on billboards and posters. Immodestly dressed persons fill just about every facet of our society sadly even including many churches. Evil drawings and cartoons, wicked movies, and godless shows penetrate the minds of even those who try to fight against it.
How are we faring, my friends?
Sadly, according to a study by Barna group from 2014 found the following to be true in their survey:
They found that Christians actually watch 30 more minutes of television per day than atheists and agnostics!
Barna Research - 2014
But of course Christians aren’t watching the bad stuff though, right?
Unfortunately, this same study showed that there was not much difference in the content watched by both groups. They watched the same types of shows.
(What Americans are Watching - Barna Group 2014)
We have an eye crisis in our churches. Many Christians are watching the same things as the world. They are viewing the same things as the world. And these images are harming us. Nowhere greater is this harm being seen than in our children. Parents - guard your children - protect them.
According to a 2019 British study - 3/4 of parents did not believe their young children (8-11) had seen pornography - yet over half had (1). Practically-speaking - be sure your children do not have unbridled access to television, the internet, or any other media. This would be an entire message in itself, but we must be actively fighting to protect our children’s purity.
Although explicit images flood our society, it is more than just that. Images of violence, perversion, drugs, and alcohol also have their effects in desensitizing our eyes and normalizing sinful behaviors.
As believers, we will absolutely have to fight to maintain our purity in this wicked world in which we live. However, if we catch ourselves looking just like the world, be sure to test yourself. Be sure that you are of the light. As Christ states in verse 35:
Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
Read that again - Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. Jesus wants to warn us of a false light. We actually discussed this last week when I briefly mentioned 2 Corinthians 11:14.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Be careful, lest you think that you are in the light but instead are in the darkness.
Brothers and sisters - there are countless people in our churches who think they are in the light but are instead in the darkness. Their light is a false light. Be sure you are truly in the light my friends.
There is only one true light and that is Jesus Christ. May we not reject Him. May we truly be in the Light. He is the only Way to God and He is the only Way that we can truly see.
Paul when describing his conversion and call to preach the Gospel gives the following quote from Christ to himself:
Acts 26:17b–18 (ESV)
… to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
The Gospel is the only thing that gives the power for the lost to go from darkness to light. There is no other way that the one may see other than through the Gospel.
May we faithfully shine the light of Christ by preaching the Gospel to those around us and by living holy and set apart from this world.
May we always remember that the world does not have a light problem - instead it has a sight problem. People need the Gospel to remove the blinders of darkness like scales from their eyes so they can see the great Light of the World who takes away our sins and grants eternal life.
Scripture References: 1 John 2:16, 1 John 2:11
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, I pray that today’s message has helped you see more clearly the beauty of Christ and His Gospel.
I pray that you see more clearly the need to be sure that you are following Him completely and that you are living for Him fully - that you have truly responded in faith and repentance to Jesus who is the Greatest Light.
I also pray that you reflect His light by living your life holy and set apart, and that your witness for Him and your preaching of His Gospel changes the world around you by opening up the eyes of one blind sinner at a time. May you see soul after soul who has rejected His light repent and become reflectors of it! May Christ shine through those who are His!
Closing