On Line Bible Study - For the Week December 13-19, 2010

Lesson 470

Luke 11: ²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³² 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 something greater than Jonah is here.

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶

Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

The request for a sign happened in verse 16. Give me a sign! Aren't we saying that all the time, in many different contexts? We look for signs of love, or respect. A parole board looks for signs that suggest the guilty accepts responsibility for their actions and is on the road to transformation.

In Luke, the "sign" is Jonah's preaching to the people of Nineveh. Contrast this with the parallel passage in Matthew; there, the sign is Jonah in the belly of the fish. The difference is significant. For Luke it is not resurrection that tips the scales; it is repentance. How many more signs can be given? People with far fewer indicators than the religious leaders of Jesus' day had, have shed their doubt and believed.

What do we need from God? Or from anyone else, for that matter? Are we aware of the power of forgiveness? Are we liberated from the notion that we have to earn God's grace? What more do we need than that?

If there isn't sufficient power in the message of Jesus, then nothing else will work for us either.

We encounter here an interesting situation - do we believe out of fear, or out of love? If judgment (the fear of hell) is what is motivating us, we might want to reconsider. Isn't the truth of grace enough? Even the ancient Queen of Sheba recognized the presence of God - shouldn't those who were supposed to be looking for it have recognized it as well?

Light can be slippery! It can be pervasive and still we can close our eyes. Like children who think they disappear when they cover their eyes, we act as if our ignoring God will make God go away.

What's needed is not more light. What's needed is for us to open our eyes.