A Lit Sign

Scripture Reading

Luke 11:29–36 NKJV

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in 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 indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Jesus has been responding to the criticisms of the crowd. He had healed a man who was mute due to demon possession. That wasn’t odd. Miraculous things happened way more often in Jesus’ time then they do normally. What was strange was that this time there was no response of faith. Instead, the best response was neutral - vague amazement. But the hostile responses came this time, not from the religious leaders, but from the crowds.

Jesus has already answered those who directly opposed him with the charge that he cast out demons by Satan’s power. They are so desperate to attribute evil to every action that when he does something good that is obviously from God - casting out a demon, they come up with a ridiculous explanation rather than face the obvious truth. They’ve got “Jesus of Nazareth derangement syndrome.”

The point is that Satan’s kingdom is clearly still here, yet if Satan was fighting his own demons, his dominion over the nations would have to be over. Jesus can only cast out demons because he is stronger than the demon - only one with God’s power would be able to do that. The danger that the crowd is in is that when Jesus departs, the evil that was being pushed aside because Jesus was around would return with a vengance. Instead, people ought to believe Jesus to receive the blessing of hearing the Word of God.

Jesus declares that he wouldn’t give them a sign, except a sign that wasn’t a sign - the sign of the prophet Jonah. He also gives people a warning based on sayings about lamps and light - thus the title of my sermon is rather a play on words. It is a “sign” but not that kind; and it is about being lit, but not literal light.

I. The Sign of Jonah

Jesus describes his generation as “evil”. By this he means a persistent failure to believe and obey God. Deut 1:34-35

Deuteronomy 1:34–35 NKJV

“And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,

The Wilderness Generation failed ultimately at Kadesh Barneah. They refused to believe that God could bring them to the land that he had promised, choosing to believe the scary report instead of remembering how God had already overcome the most powerful nation on earth - Egypt.

But this ultimate failure was just the culmination of a pattern. If you’ve read the account of Israel in the wilderness, you’ve probably noticed all the times the people complained because they lacked food/water/meat. Each time they had a basic need, they failed to remember how God had already proven himself capable of meeting those needs, and chose to believe instead that God hated them and wanted to kill them.

Jesus’ generation is the same way. They had seen so many of Jesus’ miracles, so much evidence that Jesus was the Messiah he claimed to be, yet would not believe God. It’s not that they didn’t want a Messiah, it’s that they didn’t want to listen to Jesus’ ethical demands, ethical demands that went with the Kingdom he was offering. Thus, rather than repent so they could be ready for the kingdom he offered, they resisted and blamed Jesus defensively. That’s why they were getting so hostile; Jesus made them uncomfortable about their own sins.

Is it any less true for our generation? America has a tradition of Christian heritage; there are churches that preach the gospel within reasonable driving distance of most places, yet most people do not believe. It’s not that they don’t believe in God; only about 10% or so of people are atheist/agnostic. It’s that they don’t take God seriously, unless they get scared.

The Sign of Jonah the Prophet. So, just what is the sign of Jonah?

It could be Jonah’s deliverance from the whale/whatever Matt 12:39-40

Matthew 12:39–40 NKJV

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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.

It could simply be Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh. Luke doesn’t mention Jonah’s deliverance; only Jonah’s preaching (v.32). Jonah only mentions that he preached in Nineveh, it doesn’t say anything about how his deliverance fit into the picture. Jonah 3:3-5

Jonah 3:3–5 NKJV

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

Whatever the case, the clear point is that the “sign” is really not what they are looking for.

The point is that God’s offer of repentance and salvation is limited. You have no guarantee that he’ll continue to appeal to you to repent. None of us even know that we’ll be alive tomorrow; but even if you are, you may be too hardened tomorrow to be capable of listening to God’s voice. Today might be the only day you have.

That’s most important for those who do not know the Lord. Christians cannot lose their salvation, but they can also become hardened, and come under the chastening hand of God. In extreme cases God may even take you out of this world complete, to prevent you from further damaging his name.

The Queen of the South would also have something to say. She lived in what is now Yemen, about 1500 miles across the desert. This was an enormously difficult journey, even for a head of state. 1 Kings 10:1-5

1 Kings 10:1–5 NKJV

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. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

She had heard about Solomon’s wisdom regarding the “Name of the Lord.” That is, she had heard that Yahweh, the god of Israel, had favored Solomon with wisdom and riches; and she wanted to see for herself how much of it was true.

In other words, the basis of her ability to criticize Israel of Jesus’ generation isn’t her great faith in Yahweh - she wasn’t a worshipper of the God of Israel, and didn’t become one. She was in fact quite skeptical about the report she heard; however, what made her stand out is that she was honest enough to check it out. Jesus’ generation didn’t have to travel for months across the baking, waterless desert to find out. They just had to listen to Jesus when he came to them. So the difficulty of discovering the truth was effectively nothing, yet when confronted with the incontrovertible evidence, they didn’t want to be confused by the facts. 1 Kings 10:5-9

1 Kings 10:5–9 NKJV

the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”

Believing God doesn’t require you checking your brains at the door. Instead, God demands that you take an honest look at the evidence, and take the action that such evidence demands.

If indeed eternal life is available to anyone who repents, then what would such action require? all possible effort. So have you taken a long, honest, thorough look at the claims of Christ? Or is it too uncomfortable, so you’d rather just think about something less upsetting to the belief in your own moral uprightness? I’m convinced that a truly honest look will show you the truth.

II. The Light of the Body

Jesus has several sayings about light, none of which are clearly explained.

Jesus has already used the metaphor of a lamp on a lampstand before Luke 8:16-18

Luke 8:16–18 NKJV

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Jesus had said this just after the parable of sower. the point is clearly that you ought to believe the Word of God because eventually what you think in your head will be obvious to the whole world.

You may remember that Matthew recorded a similar saying in the Sermon on the MOunt Matt 5:15-16

Matthew 5:15–16 NKJV

Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Notice that Matthew emphasizes good works, while Luke emphasizes hearing the Word. But the difference is less than you might think. Luke’s point is that believing God’s Word, while something that happens inside your head where only you and God know, will eventually be evident to the whole world. But how will it be evident? God can see your heart, but we can’t. The only way that what you have believed becomes obvious to the world is if it comes out in your words and actions.

God doesn’t call you to believe his Word just so you can believe something in the privacy of your own mind. He calls you to faith so it will shine forth to the world. And it will, sooner or later.

The second “lamp” saying is that the lamp of the Body is the eye, so take care that the light of your soul is good, not bad. What does that mean? If the “lamp” is your faith made concrete in actions and words, then your eye is your perception of the truth. If you believe God’s Word, you’ve got an inside perspective on reality, and it will change how you see the world. When you are in a room in daylight, you can see anything in your way and avoid it easily; in the dark, you might trip over that chair someone left in the middle of the room for some reason.

This is how believing God’s Word translates to actions. You see the world differently when you believe what God said; and since you are believing what the creator of the universe said his universe was like, that different perspective allows you to avoid hurting yourself in stupid ways that the rest of the world tragically stumbles over.

most importantly, you’ll take care of your own soul, not only by accepting salvation, but by working on yourself with the spiritual disciplines - prayer both individual and corporate; family and personal Bible reading and meditation; confession of sin; faithful church attendance; service to the Lord; etc. That will strengthen you to stand for God in a godless and evil generation.

You’ll live better with your fellow man

faithful in business, with your family.

Reconciling with people and forgiving them.