STUDY
NOTES on previous study
The Kingdom Perspective (Luke
Can you imagine
being Theophilus and reading this magnificent story for the first time? How could you not be amazed at all that Jesus
has done? And now, not only have the
twelve been sent out to proclaim the kingdom and manifest the power of the
kingdom, the seventy (or seventy two) have done the same. Jesus has proclaimed that He has seen the
fall of Satan! Jesus has healed the
paralyzed, cured the leper, calmed the seas, cast out demons by the thousands,
and even raised the dead! What further
proof should anyone need to be able to proclaim that indeed Jesus is
messiah? Yet, as we read the story with
Theophilus, amazingly, there is increasing conflict between Jesus and those who
refuse to believe. This latest episode
is ludicrous! After Jesus cast out a
demon which caused a man to be mute, and the man began to speak, someone said,
“Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub.” Beelzebub was originally a name for a pagan
god (prince of Baal) to identify the prince of demons - Satan himself. Now, how much sense does this make? Jesus is using the power of Satan to cast out
Satan’s demons. This is a clear stretch,
isn’t it? Unbelief, or an intentional
refusal to believe in the obvious can lead people to reach absurd
conclusions. What does this tell us
about humankind? Clearly, there are
those who will do anything to protect their own understanding of the
world. Jesus clearly did not fit the
mold they had created for messiah or even God’s prophet, so they had to start
attempting to dismiss the obvious.
It is interesting
to note how Jesus quickly dismissed the absurd comment. If Satan were allowing people to use his
power to cast his demons out of others, it would be a kingdom divided against
itself and it would not stand. And,
Jesus added, clearly there were others among them who had the power to cast out
demons. This was apparently an accepted
fact. Did they also cast them out by
Satan’s power? Clearly, the people did
not believe this, for the exorcists were valued in the community. Why the inconsistency then in their treatment
of Jesus? It is this inconsistency that
Jesus brings to the forefront.
Jesus’ next
statement is powerful, profound, and irrefutable. He states that since it cannot be by the
power of Satan that He works, He is functioning with the power of God. Using the phrase, “finger of God” reminds us
of Exodus and the great plagues. As
Moses led the people out of slavery, so Jesus is now acting by the finger of
God to bring true and everlasting freedom from the slavery of sin! If He is acting by the power of the finger of
God, then the
And because this is
such a decisive moment, and Jesus is showing His magnificent power (the strong
man binding the weaker), there is no compromise left - one is either for Jesus
or against Him. Whoever is not working
in the army of the
One of the things
we must realize is that our call to authentic discipleship is a call to fully
participate in salvation life – now!
Jesus came to embody and proclaim a unique message, one unlike any
other. Only through death of self and
following Jesus can we truly find life.
One either believes this, or denies this. There is no middle ground. One word of caution (actually, several words
of caution!). While Jesus is the only
way to God, our understanding of Him and His teaching is not without
flaws. We must never equate our limited
understanding of truth (we are human and fallible) to Jesus’ perfect embodiment
of truth. This is why we should invite
people to follow Jesus, and join us on the path of authentic discipleship,
rather than embrace our particular understanding of church. We may be wrong about certain things and
ideas, but Jesus is never wrong. We may
have been culturally influenced by an over optimistic view of our ability to
understand and to do, but Jesus knows exactly what our abilities and
limitations are. Therefore, while our
understanding of Jesus may be flawed because of our imperfect natures, Jesus is
indeed the perfect manifestation of life in God’s kingdom. So, let us humbly admit our ability to
misrepresent the kingdom and stay open to learning from Jesus and His perfect
truth, but let us never waver on Jesus as the only true way to God the
Father. To Him be the glory and praise
forever!
In the next section
of Scripture (verses 24-26) Jesus provides us with a great observation about
the nature of the kingdom. It is not
just a matter of sweeping out the evil.
It is a matter of replacing evil with good. A house cleaned of demons is not a good
defense against Satan. A life ridded of
an evil is still vulnerable to the powers of Satan – in fact, it makes a
perfect place for Satan to return with even more power. Jesus continually emphasizes the importance
of doing the will of God. In this
context where Jesus is accused of casting out demons by Satan’s power, Jesus is
also making sure all understand the casting out of our demons is not the end of
kingdom work. While it is not directly
taught, the clear implication is to replace the life emptied of evil with
kingdom work. We need to hear this –
salvation is not accomplished by the ridding of sin from one’s life, the life
is cleansed so that it can be about the work of God!
At this saying, a
woman, overcome by the majesty of Jesus’ teaching, proclaimed a blessing that
sounds strange to us but would have been very much understood in Jesus’
day. It was a saying intended to honor
the one toward whom it was directed. By
proclaiming the mother of the one honored as blessed, clearly the offspring was
blessed. Jesus’ simple response is not
intended as a reprimand, but a clear conclusion to His teaching – especially
when you consider He was surrounded by non-believers by intent– the truly
blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Do not let the practical nature of this
teaching pass you by. This is true –
hear the word and do it and you will be blessed. Obedience is the path to a truly blessed
life.
Perhaps now it is
not difficult to understand Jesus being upset by those asking for more
signs. What more could be done that what
Jesus had already demonstrated? The
question was not of adequately demonstrating power. That had been done. It was ultimately about disbelief. The ultimate sign that would vindicate Jesus
would be the sign of Jonah - the resurrection itself! And woe to those who would not repent – they
will be judged by those who witnessed much less, but were awed by the
manifestation of God’s power.
As we conclude this
week’s study, let’s consider Jesus’ teaching concerning the eye of the
heart. The presence of God in Jesus’
ministry is clear! God has not hidden
it. God has manifested His approval of
His Son in every way possible. The
problem is not with the light on the lamp stand, but with the darkness in the
lives of those perceiving the light. For
there to be illumination, there has to be a willingness to let the light into
one’s heart. Now we understand why there
are non-believers. There is enough light
in Jesus to fill the heart of the believer!
If one’s perspective of life allows one to see Jesus for who He
obviously is – how great is the light the fills the entire body! It penetrates one’s life and changes it into
another illuminating light! But if one’s
perspective of life is unhealthy, it does not allow him or her to see Jesus for
who He clearly is, that light is absorbed into a deep darkness.
This reading has
left us with a clear choice. We are
either for the kingdom or against it. We
are either believers or nonbelievers. We
are either full of light or full of darkness.
Which is it for you? My prayer is
that your heart and mind would openly accept the light of Jesus, and that you
would be a lamp stand, “as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with
its rays”!
The Kingdom Perspective (Luke
After having read the study notes
from last week, answer the following questions:
1.
Why would anyone in their right mind accuse Jesus of working by the
power of Satan? Are there ways we can
make similar accusing judgements in our world today? If so, how?
2.
What is significant about Jesus’ declaration about the arrival of the
kingdom?
3.
Why is it important to understand Jesus’ exclusive claims (whoever is
not with me is against me)? How do we
present Jesus as the only way to God without seeming judgmental and arrogant?
4.
What is God’s ultimate purpose for us as we absorb the light of Jesus’
teaching and life?
Misguided Religiosity (Luke
Read Luke 11:37-44
1.
What amazed the Pharisees about Jesus’ behavior? Why did it amaze them?
2.
What was Jesus’ methodology of cleaning?
3.
What were the “woes” pronounced on the Pharisees?
4.
Make a list of modern day offences that would be comparable to the sins
of the Pharisees.
Read
1.
Why were the lawyers (experts of the Law of Moses) offended by Jesus’
words?
2.
What were the sins of the lawyers Jesus exposed?
3.
Make a list of modern day offences that would be comparable to the sins
of the lawyers.
Read
1.
Why do you think the scribes and Pharisees were so set against Jesus?
2.
What was the “yeast of the Pharisees” of which Jesus warned his
followers?
3.
What do you think Jesus was teaching when He said, “Nothing covered will
be left uncovered”? What should we do in
light of this teaching?
Read 12:4-12
1.
Who are we to fear? Who are we
not to fear? Why?
2.
What do we have to do with sparrows?
What should this comparison teach us?
3.
What do you think constitutes blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
4.
Does what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit in verse 12 have an
application to us today? Why or why not?