Jesus has had a rough day. It started off well, because his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, which he was glad to do. But then, while healing someone, he got accused of doing it by the power of Satan. Well, c’mon guys. That Jesus had power was indisputable; the question was: Who IS this guy, and how does he do the stuff he does? So Jesus spends some time using logic to disarm his attackers and to let them know how spiritual powers really work.
But the people keep pushing him in the wrong direction. “Do some tricks for us! Let’s see some miracles, you know, the good stuff. Do something cool.” After all he’s done, people still don’t get it and they think he’s some kind of circus act or prophet. He’s harsh with the people. “I’m not P.T. Barnum, and I’m not here to entertain you. You’ve had every chance to see and believe the truth. If you don’t get it, there’s no hope for you and nothing further I can do.”
Now to our text of the day—a more obscure one than we’ve been seeing in Luke, but it follows right along the path of the previous stories (hence the long introduction). The point of the three verses is that it’s a person’s own fault if they don’t let the light of the gospel affect them, since it’s shining right in their own eyes. It’s like John 3.19-20: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
The lamp (light) is doing only what he can do: shine, and people see the light. Jesus came into the world, and he is there as a person, and he is teaching. Like John 1.9: He was giving light to everybody. Lk. 11.34: And you could see it. You could see him. You had every chance. If you had your eyes open, you couldn’t miss Him. The only way to miss him is if your heart was so hard (“unhealthy”) that you refused to see.
Luke 11.35: It’s up to you. This condition wasn’t foisted on you. You can open your eyes, or you can choose to stay blind. The light comes face to face with you, and you close your eyes to it.
Here are the lyrics to a Sara Groves song called “Add to the Beauty.”
We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold
Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That’s burning up inside
It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work
It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find its worth
Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That’s burning up inside
This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation
Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That’s burning up inside