* Titled "Jonah and the Large Fish", this illustration from a book by Solis, Virgil, 1514-1562 is now in public domain. The book's title is "Biblische Figuren des Alten vnd Newen Testaments : gantz künstlich gerissen / durch den weitberhümpten Vergilium Solis zu Nürnberg."
The prophet Jonah is thrown overboard, swallowed by a large fish, and vomited onto dry land. The city of Nineveh is depicted in the background. The artist, Virgil Solis (1514-1562), has placed his monogram in the lower left corner of the woodcut.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.
>1. How does Jesus' words about his generation indicate why the crowds around him were increasing? (29)
* Luke 11:29 "As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."
* Jesus brought up the sign of Jonah more than once as Matthew 12:38-45 and Matthew 16:1-4 records.
* "As the crowds increased" -Jesus' popularity was still increasing because of all the miracles he was doing. He had become like a circus to them.
* "This is a wicked generation" -"Wicked" is "poneros" in the original Greek also translated as "evil" meaning its character's effect is harmfully influencing others. Jesus made it clear that his generation was wicked.
* "It asks for a miraculous sign" -"Ask" is "epizeteo" in the original Greek also translated "seek" meaning to search in a demanding way as if they had authority over Jesus.
* "miraculous sign" -Verse 16 says, "Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven." They wanted proof that he was from God. Everything Jesus had done to this point did show he was blessed by God. Yet, they refused to accept.
* "Jonah" -The prophet is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:23-29 as active in ministry in the reign of Jeroboam II (785-745 B.C.) in the northern kingdom called Israel, not Judah. Uzziah was the king of Judah during Jonah's ministry.
A small part of Jonah's ministry is recorded in the book owning his name. Jonah's ministry was from 784 to perhaps as late as 722 B.C.
>Why might it be wicked to ask for a miraculous sign?
* For the crowd it was entertainment. The religious leaders did not believe he could do it.
* The religious leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ. They considered him a threat to their power, prestige, and finances. So, they did everything to destroy Jesus.
>What is the only miracle Jesus promised to give them? (30)
* Luke 11:30 "For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation."
* "Jonah was a sign" -Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, just as Jesus would be buried for three days.
* "the Son of Man" -Jesus very clearly here refers to himself using the name of the Messiah that the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel ascribed to the Messiah. (Ezekiel 11:2, 12:2-3; Daniel 7:13, 8:17)
* Solar eclipses both past and future can be predicted because the elliptical paths of the moon around the earth, and the earth around the sun are regular. When Jonah preached to the Ninevites there was a solar eclipse around 763 B.C. adding another sign to the Ninevites.
More than 30,000 cuneiform clay tiles (pictures to the right) belonging to Ashurbanipal, a Ninevites ruler (668-631 BCE) recording the major events of the Ninevites were discovered by archaeologists. They have been translated. One tile records the solar eclipse during Jonah's witnessing.
* "Ninevites" -The Ninevites in the time of Jonah was very powerful taking over many nations and threatening to conquer Jerusalem. They were very corrupt, contemptuous, cruel, and evil.
Nineveh was the greatest of the capitals of the ancient Assyrian Empire, which flourished from about 800 to 612 B.C. It was located on the left bank of the Tigris River in northeastern Mesopotamia (Iraq today). Its remains are represented by two mounds named Quyundjiq "Many Sheep" and Nebi Yunus "The Prophet Jonah."
* "a sign" -Jonah must have looked awfully bad when he can out of the fish.
* When the religious leaders claimed Jesus was driving out demons by Beelzebub's authority, they also tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. When they said, "...from heaven," they meant something that clearly only God could do. They believed that Satan would command other demons to come out of someone. Jesus taught the silliness of that statement. Then he answered their request for a sign from heaven.
As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." A man coming out of the mouth of a fish after being in its belly for three days, marching into an enemy capital city, and preaching repentance or punishment will come is clearly a sign of heaven. Satan could not and would not do that. That is the sign that Jesus' generation would receive.
Jesus was saying that he would die, be buried for three days, and then come out of the tomb, which is the mouth of the earth. Only God could do that. But even then the religious leaders would not believe that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Miraculous signs from God are not enough for a hard and proud heart to believe.
Jesus continues by telling those who rejected him that the people of Nineveh will stand up, meaning rise from the dead at judgment with this generation and condemn it. They repented at the preaching of Jonah, the name who came forth from the mouth of a fish, and now Jesus who is greater than Jonah is among them and they rejected him.
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:29-32.
>What was Jesus teaching about the difference between miracle seeking and believing in verses 31 and 32?
* Luke 11:31-32 "The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."
* The Queen of the South judging Jesus' generation is also in Matthew 12:42.
* "Queen of the South" -The queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-10)
* "will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation" -a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous is coming.
* "condemn them" -Jesus will judge through those who believed in him.
* "one greater than Solomon... one greater than Jonah" -Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater. If the queen of Sheba responded positively to the wisdom of Solomon, and the men of Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah, how much more should the people of Jesus' day have responded to the ministry of Jesus, who is infinitely greater than Solomon or Jonah! (NIV Study Bible)
* The Queen of the South believed in the God of Solomon by just hearing the teachings of Solomon. Jesus taught and the religious leaders did not believe. Jesus performed miracles and the religious leaders did not believe. Some say, "Believing is seeing." Jesus says, "Believing is listening carefully to the Word of God."
* Titled "Jonah and the Large Fish", this illustration from a book by Luther, Martin, 1483-1546, tr. is now in public domain. The book's title is "Biblia : Das ist die gantze Heilige Schrifft Alten und Neuen Testaments / verteutscht durch D. Martin Luther ; Jetzo abermal nach dem letzten im Jahr 1545 noch bey desselben Lebzeiten ausgegangen ... samt zweyfachen theils zum Gedächtniss, theils zum Verstand der Haupt-Sachen selbst dienenden Summarien ... zumalen mit Matthäi Merians sel. schönen lebhaften Original-Kupffer-Stücken gezieret und durch Zugabe des III. und IV. Buchs Ezrä und III der Maccabäer vermehret."
The prophet Jonah is thrown overboard, swallowed by a large fish, and vomited onto dry land. The city of Nineveh is depicted in the background. Engraved by Matthaeus Merian (1593-1650).
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.
II. The Light (33-36)
>2. What does light have to do with the gospel and us? (33)
* Luke 11:33 "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."
* Luke records a similar saying in Luke 8:16-18. Matthew 5:14-16 is the same as Luke 8. Matthew 6:22-23 in the Sermon on the Mount is the same as this passage.
* "lamp" -Lamps in the middle east burned olive oil to add light to a room. Archaeological excavations have provided numerous examples of these lighting implements used in ancient times, dating from before Abraham to after Christ. Lamps of the Old Testament period were made exclusively of pottery. These lamps were of the open-bowl design with a pinched spout to support the wick.
* "bowl" -Basin and bowl refers the the same vessels used for domestic or more formal purposes. Clay was a common material for such vessels. Richer people used brass, silver, and gold.
* Jesus continues his response to those who ask for a sign from heaven (16).
First, he uses the similitude and proverb in verse 33. Jesus would give no sign to them to show that he was the Messiah at this time because it would do no good. Jesus preached and did works openly, not in secret. The light is already shining brightly and they choose to remain in the dark.
The blessed who hear the word of God and obey it, as stated in verse 28 come to him, see the light, and believe. Blessed are those who see, believe, practice, and share the light with others.
Second, Jesus uses the parable in verses 34 to 36 to say their problem is with their eyes. Though it receives the light it chooses not to see it. What the eyes see, if we choose to accept it will affect our whole being. If when we see Jesus and accept the light of truth the power of the Holy Spirit will enter our soul and we will be whole.
What the eye is to the body, so the soul (the mind, will, and affections) is to the whole person. If those who asked for a sign from heaven will only regard His work and teaching without prejudice, then their own consciences will testify that Jesus has a real mission from God.
Look around and consider carefully what is seen. For soon the light will be no more, the sun will set and your day will be over.
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:33-36.
>How can light in a person be darkness? (34-35)
* Luke 11:34-35 "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness."
* Jesus speaks literally of a "single" eye versus a "bad" or "evil" one. A "single" eye normally meant a generous one. A "bad" eye in that culture could mean either a diseased one or a stingy one. Many people believed that light was emitted from the eye, enabling one to see, rather than that light was admitted through the eye; here it seems to be admitted through the eye.
* The Bible declares that God Himself is light. Psalm 27:1 says, "the Lord is my light." In Psalm 104:2, the psalmist testified of the Lord who "covered himself" in light. In John 8:12 Jesus, the God-man, said, "I am the light of the world." Such expressions make at least two things abundantly clear. First, the origin of light rests with God. Second, in some sense God Himself is the very essence of light. Such statements do not suppose that God is light and nothing more, but they do stress that God is the ultimate source of all knowing and understanding. To this end Psalm 119:105 informs us that God's Word is a "light" to one's path. Here the emphasis lies upon perception and understanding gained when darkness is dispelled and light revealed. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* This last concept becomes even clearer in John 3:19; people love darkness better than light, because their deeds are evil. Such statements reveal that the character of light is to reveal and to provide understanding and purity, while the opposite of light or darkness is designed to obscure, to deceive, and to harbor impurity. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* A small problem confronts the interpreter who discovers that Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world." Yet in John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." What appears to be a contradiction is not one at all. The moon provides light for the earth just as the sun does. Yet, the actual source of light for both the sun and the moon is the sun. The moon only reflects the light of the sun. By the same token, Jesus, the God-man, is the source of all light. His disciples become reflectors in a darkened world, transmitting through their lives the true light of the eternal Son of God. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* Lamps (lights) were used symbolically in the Old and New Testaments. Light depicted life in abundance, divine presence or life's direction versus death in darkness (compare Psalms 119:105; 1 John 1:5 with Job 18:5; Proverbs 13:9). Jesus is depicted often in John as the light of the world (John 1:4-5,7-9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36,46). (Holman Bible Dictionary)
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:34-35.
>What does Jesus conclude with his teaching about light? (36)
* Luke 11:36 "Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."
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>What does this have to do with verses 29-32?
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III. Six Woes (37-54)
>3. Why would a Pharisee host be concerned about Jesus' hygiene? (37-38; Ex. 19:10-11)
* Luke 11:37-38 "When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised."
* Exodus 19:10-11 "And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people."
* Matthew 23:1-39 records seven woes as the last teaching in the temple before he left for the Mount of Olives where he was arrested. Luke's record of six woes and Matthew's record of seven woes are not the same event, though they have some similarity.
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>What did Jesus try teach him about cleanliness? (39-40)
* Luke 11:39-40 "Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?"
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* The Pharisees and all the Jews held onto traditions that many began believing were as important as the Law of Moses. They considered these traditions a form of worship. (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:3) For example, "When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles." (Mark 7:4)
One day, a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. He noticed that Jesus did not engage in their ceremonial washings. Jesus's response deserves considerable self-examination.
Jesus replied, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." God considers what is inside more important than religious ceremonies, traditions, and practices. Love and charity are more important than ceremony.
"What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23)
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:37-41.
>What did Jesus tell him to do and why? (41)
* Luke 11:41 "But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."
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* Titled "Jesus Answers the Slander of the Pharisees", this illustration from a book by Leclerc, Jean, fl. 1573-1627 is now in public domain. The book's title is "Figures des histoires de la Saincte Bible, accompagnees de briefs discours : contenans la plus grande partie des histoires sacrées du Vieil & Nouueau Testament, & des oeuures admirables du Dieu viuant, createur de ciel & de la terre, & de Iesu-Christ son fils vnique nostre sauueur & redemteur. : Pour l'exercice ordinaire des ames deuotes & contemplatives. : Le tout dedié au Roy tres-chrestien."
After refuting the Pharisee's claim that he works miracles by the power of Beelzebub, a woman speaks a blessing over Jesus.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.
>4. What was the first woe that Jesus spoke against the Pharisees?
* Luke 11:42 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."
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>What did he teach about rituals even if they were based on the word of God? (Mal. 3:6-12; Hos. 6:6)
* Malachi 3:6-12 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty."
* Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."
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>What does seeking important seats indicate? (43; 1 Peter 5:5-7)
* Luke 11:43 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces."
* 1 Peter 5:5-7 "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
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>Why would walking over a grave be unwanted to the Jews? (44; Numbers 19:11)
* Luke 11:44 "Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it."
* Numbers 5:1-4 "The LORD said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses."
* Numbers 19:11 "Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days."
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>What was Jesus saying?
* Jesus continues his confrontation with the religious leaders by citing six woes. A woe is deep distress and misery, as from grief.
The first woe is for being exact and zealous for the observation of religious traditions and rituals while neglecting justice and the love of God. Jesus cited that their love for others and God should be as exact as their tithing of spices and all kinds of garden herbs.
The second woe is the love of exaltation. So they exalted themselves and loved when people honored them. Pride and self-ambition are detestable sins, especially when Jesus expects me to teach humility.
The third is they were like unmarked graves. Walking over a grave would defile a person for some time until they would perform a ceremonial wash. It did not matter if the grave was marked or not. The people that the Pharisees taught did not know it, but they were being taught that which made them unclean.
When studying the Bible it can sometimes be hard to understand the point of a passage, chapter, or the entire book. I should not give up. Rather, I should ask the Lord of the Word to reveal to me so I may do that which is important.
at comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23)
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:42-46.
>5. Who were experts in the law that were be offended by Jesus? (45)
* Luke 11:45 "One of the experts in the law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."
* "Experts in the law" -Experts in the law were an authoritative interpreter of the Mosaic law. Characterization of the lawyers is especially harsh in Luke's Gospel: they rejected God's purpose for themselves by refusing John's baptism (7:30); they burdened others without offering any relief (11:45-46); they not only refused God's offer of salvation but hindered others from accepting it (11:52); they refused to answer Jesus' question concerning the legality of sabbath healing (14:3). Lawyer is used in the general sense of a jurist at Titus 3:13. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
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>What two things did Jesus speak out against them in verse 46?
* Luke 11:46 "Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them."
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* "Expert(s) in the law" is a term used mostly by Luke (7:25, 30, 37, 45-46, 52, 13:3). However, Matthew once referred to a man as "an expert in the law" (Matthew 22:35). They were "scribes", most of which were a sect of the Pharisees trained in writing skills and used to record events and decisions (Jeremiah 36:26; 1 Chronicle 24:6; Esther 3:12; Matthew 23:2). During the exile in Babylon educated scribes apparently became the experts in God's written word, copying, preserving, and teaching it. Ezra was a scribe (Ezra 7:6). By Jesus' time a scribe was a profession (Mark 2:16).
When an expert in the law heard Jesus' first three woes he protested, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also." He did not receive Jesus' words properly as he would have if he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. God's word is received based on the beliefs and prejudices of the hearer. A believer would be conscious stricken and humbly ask for forgiveness. A hypocrite would be insulted.
Jesus replied with the fourth woe, "You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." They did so by adding rules and regulations to the authentic law of Moses (Matthew 15:2). They did not help the people and they found ways to circumvent the regulations they made. They did not shepherd people. They were wolves who kill and destroy.
Am I insulted by God's word? Do I burden people and do not help?
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:45-46.
>How can we be guilty of the same thing? (Col. 2:16-17)
* Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
* 1 Corinthians 10:23-26 "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
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>6. Why might they build tombs for the prophets? (47-48)
* Luke 11:47-48 "Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs."
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>What is the result of such actions? (49-51)
* Luke 11:49-51 "Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all."
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* Who is helped when an elaborate tomb or memorial is built? Surely, it is not for the person who died. Does the family benefit from a pile of stones with a shiny plaque? Does the society that pays for it profit? After a few years, no one even notices it. Perhaps a few who visit a city will take five minutes to look at it and be reminded of the long-dead and soon-forgotten. An intricate tomb is usually built to make the statement, "They were somebody great, but not as great as me who built this monument."
In Jesus' day, Jerusalem was littered with monuments built at locations they believed were prophets' tombs. Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy. Their forefathers harassed, persecuted, and killed most of the prophets. Now centuries later their descendants build their tombs.
Outwardly the Jews appeared to honor the prophets in building and rebuilding memorials, but inwardly they rejected the Christ the prophets announced was coming. They lived in opposition to the teachings of the prophets, just as their forefathers had done. Some Christians build memorials in their home to honor God while in their hearts they still despise others. How can we believe we love God when we cannot even love others?
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:47-51.
>How were the teachers taking away the key to knowledge? (52)
* Luke 11:52 "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."
* Job 42:3 "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
* Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
* Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
* Ecclesiastes 2:26 "To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
* John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
* "you have taken away the key to knowledge" -The very persons who should have opened the people's minds concerning the law obscured their understanding by faulty interpretation and an erroneous system of theology. They kept themselves and the people in ignorance of the way of salvation, or as Matthew's account puts it, they "shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces" (Matthew 23:13) (NIV Study Bible)
* Jesus pronounces one final woe upon the Pharisees, who barrage him with questions to trap and discredit him (5:21, 5:30, 6:2, 11, 19:47-48, 20:19-20, 22:2). Jesus claims that they have taken away the key to knowledge and hindered those who are entering (52).
In 7:30, Luke comments, "The Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves because they had not been baptized by John." God's purpose for them was to lead people to the Messiah. Now the Messiah arrived and they did all they could to lock people out.
The very persons who should have opened the people's minds and hearts concerning the law obscured their understanding by faulty interpretation and an erroneous system of theology. They kept themselves and the people in ignorance of the way of salvation, or, as Matthew puts it, they "shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces." (Matthew23:13)
Do I share the good news? Or am I like the Pharisees and shut the door on others?
Listen to the above comments on Luke 11:52-54.
>How is their response to Jesus to be expected? (53-54)
* Luke 11:53-54 "When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say."
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III. Warnings and Encouragements (12:1-12)
>7. Who did Jesus speak the next lesson to? (1) See what Jesus calls them in verse 4.
* Luke 12:1 "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
* Matthew 16:6 and Mark 8:15 records Jesus' warning about the yeast of the Pharisees.
* "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another" -During the miraculous feedings of the five thousand (Matthew 13:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17) and four thousand (Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-13; perhaps Luke 12:1) plus women and children such trampling must have taken place too.
* "my friends" -Jesus considered his disciples friends. Jesus reveals to his friends so much more than everyone else.
>What is the yeast of the Pharisees?
* "yeast" -Yeast is any of various small, single-celled fungi of the phylum Ascomycota that reproduce by fission or budding, the daughter cells often remaining attached, and that are capable of fermenting carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. More simply yeast is something that causes ferment or agitation.
* "yeast of the Pharisees" -hypocrisy.
>What truth about themselves were the Pharisees trying to hide? (2-3)
* Luke 12:2-3 "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
* The Pharisees were hiding what was in the thoughts and hearts.
* They taught one thing, but did not believe nor live what the Bible said.
* Religion has often been used for the benefit of leaders and teachers.
* Jesus had become very popular. Films about the gospels often show Jesus, the twelve apostles, and perhaps a few others walking down lonely dirt roads. However, the gospels make it clear, such as verse one that many thousands of people would gather at their stops and also walk with them (10:1). Jesus was very popular with the average person though the leaders constantly opposed him.
Jesus uses yeast as the similitude's focus making this similar to Matthew 16:5-12 and Mark 8:14-21 which also uses yeast to illustrate a truth. However, those two gospel accounts record different times.
Hypocrisy is like yeast. Practiced even a few times in secret will affect the whole person and even those around them. Hypocrisy changes a person in ways that are not visible at first. It is slow, corrupting, and unstoppable. Hypocrisy is a pretense to being what one really is not, especially the pretense of being a better person than one really is.
A hypocrite is like an actor in a play, except a hypocrite often falsely believes they are the hero of the drama. They expect and want people to celebrate their delusion. their deception. Everyone is a hypocrite at one time, and then another, and another. The character of a follower of Jesus is to contain sincerity. Christian love (Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6; 1 Peter 1:22), faith (1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:5), and wisdom (James 3:17) should be sincere.
Listen to the above comments on Luke 12:1-3.
>8. Why would the Pharisees produce fear in others that is unwarranted? (4-5)
* Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."
* "do not be afraid" -"Afraid" in the original Greek is "phobeo" which is also translated as "fear", "be afraid", and "reverence".
* "whom you should fear: "Fear" -"Fear" in the original Greek is "phobeo".
* "fear him" -"Fear" in the original Greek is "phobeo".
* The Pharisees had great power in Jewish society, though somewhat limited by Roman authority in Jesus' day. The Mosaic law included capital punishment for certain sins including blaspheme. They Pharisees were willing to exercise execution. However, they were more willing to excommunicate other Jews. This would result in becoming a social outcast.
>Why is fear of the Lord warranted?
* If I were told that there is a hungry lion in the next room and I am going to be sent into it I would be afraid. If I am told there is an evil man in the next room and he is angry with me and I am going to be sent into it I would be afraid. If I die an unrepentant and unforgiving sinner and stand before the judgment seat of God I would be frightened.
Someone would say, "I would never be afraid of God." Jesus says there is a reason to be afraid of God. "Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." Solomon wrote, "...if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding... then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:3, 5)
Jesus is talking to his disciples. He concludes by reassuring them of his unfailing love for them with a comparative illustration. God cares for sparrows which man considered nearly worthless. How much more is a person who believes in and follows the teachings of Jesus.
Listen to the above comments on Luke 12:4-7.
>What does verses 4 and 5 have to do with God's love mentioned in verses 6 and 7?
* Luke 12:6-7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
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>9. What does Jesus promise in verses 8 and 9?
* Luke 12:8-9 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.""
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>What does this have to do with fear and love?
* Jesus makes it clear that my decisions now will lead to actions that will set my future for the rest of eternity. If, when pressed before others to admit that I have faith in Jesus, I must not deny him, doing so will bring shame before the heavenly hosts in my future. Note though that Peter denied Jesus three times when Jesus was arrested as Jesus foretold, and repentant Peter was forgiven by Jesus, as Jesus says in verse 10.
However, Jesus promises that if anyone blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, they will not be forgiven in verse 10. Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28-29 are similar claims Jesus makes about this subject. The context of all three passages clarifies that the unforgivable sin is claiming the work of the Holy Spirit is evil and the work of Satan. This is what the Pharisees and the teacher of the law were stating about the work of Jesus (Mark 3:30).
Listen to the above comments on Luke 12:8-10.
>What does it mean to "blasphemes against the Holy Spirit"?
* Luke 12:10 "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."
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>10. What promise does Jesus give in verses 11-12?
* Luke 12:11-12 "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
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>What can be applied to our lives from the teaching of fear and love found in this study?
* Many noble children of God have praised God for wonderful works in others, helped the poor, and forgiven those who sinned against them. They did not deny Jesus in the face of suffering, famine, poverty, and humiliation. They have stayed in Jesus' light and drink from the heavenly fount.
These often dissolute humble pilgrims have not been perfect by anyone's standards. However, when they sinned they returned humbly to their master and asked for forgiveness wanting all the more to be given another chance to walk the path of salvation. Their destination is the celestial city.
When insulted they have turned the other cheek through the wisdom of Jesus and the strength of the Spirit. They return pain with prayer and supplications. They put vengeance in the hands of their master as King David did when Saul was trying to kill him.
The healed warrior did not insult God nor slandered those who hated them. They prayed in closets and whispered their pleas in the middle of the night. They have been alone and been treated as outcasts. Their fate is eternal wholeness though in this age they have at times been broken.
The witnessing child of the Holy One has been brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities on account of the life they have given to the honor of Jesus. Their concern was not their defense for they trusted their master. The Holy Spirit filled them. He had taught and will continue to teach them. The words they speak are not their own. Their lips produce melodies of peace and love. They humbly have learned the Spirit's message of reconciliation.
