Watch How You Watch

Luke 11:34-36 – Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Have you ever noticed how two people can view the exact same situation in two completely different ways? When laid off from a job, one person gets bitter, gets a gun, and shoots his previous employer. Another is disappointed, but understands the realities of business, and takes the opportunity to pursue a new career. Ten years later the first is in jail and the second is a successful manager, far better off than if she had stayed with the first firm.

So much of our wellbeing in life is not determined by what happens to us but by how we view it. In this passage, Jesus says how our eye sees determines what our whole body is like. The difference is how we look. Is it evil or pure?  The word translated healthy in the ESV above in Greek is aplous. It means sincere, genuine, with no selfish hidden agenda. The concept of the evil eye is still strong in the Middle East. You cannot go anywhere in Turkey without seeing a nazar – a blue, white, and black talisman designed to keep people with jealousy and selfish ulterior motives away.

Jesus is not urging us to get trinkets to change the motives of others. Instead, he commands us to watch our own eyes. Selfish prejudging of others’ motives will only cause us greater pain throughout our lives. Look for the good. Instead of seeing that person who cut you off in traffic, stole your phone, or lied about you to your boss as pure evil, see them as a wounded person in desperate need of grace, just like you and me.

No Pander Zone

Luke 11:29 – When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation.”

Current marketing and business strategies urge us to capitalize on our success. When our buzz gets hot, we need to pour more fuel on the fire and use that momentum to propel us to even further growth. We can hear what people ask for and give it to them to win them over. Sometimes this is fine and even wise. When people came to Jesus seeking healing and deliverance, he gave it out of a heart of compassion and to demonstrate the reality and power of the Kingdom of God. However, we can go to the extreme of seeking to pander to people’s whining to the point that it compromises our message and cripples our mission.

Jesus was never afraid to risk his popularity to speak the truth. Notice this passage: At the very time the crowds were increasing, he called them an evil generation. Why did he do that? In the next sentence he said, “An evil generation seeks a sign.” A few verses earlier Jesus had just completed another sign by delivering a man from demonization. As incredible as it was, it was not enough. No number of amazing, miraculous signs probably would have been enough. Jesus ultimately says the “sign of Jonah” would be the final sign he would give, and it would not be enough. Matthew’s account tells us that Jesus was referring to his three days in the tomb followed by his resurrection, fitting the pattern of Jonah’s three days in the fish. As incredible as his resurrection that first Easter was, most still did not believe.

Once we fall into the trap of pandering to whining, there will never be enough we can do to feed that hunger. We need to love, care, and serve but not to boost our popularity and not in slavery to public opinion. 

Live Through Yourself

Luke 11:27-28 – As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

If you are a parent, I am sure you want the best for your children. Most of us genuinely want to see them succeed because we sincerely love them and want them to have a good life. However, it is tempting to live through our children and measure our status and self-worth by their achievements. Think of the sacrifices the parents of Olympians had to make to get their athlete children there. When the camera comes on them as they cheer in the stands, do they not have the right to feel proud? Is not their child’s success do in large part to their efforts?

I am sure the woman in this bible passage meant well. She was probably a mother with high hopes for her own son. She imagined how proud she would have been if she was Mary watching the growing crowds cheering on her son. Yet, Jesus corrects her as he does us. It is not our status or position that makes us great. It is not our title or the achievements of our children. Hearing and obeying God’s word is what Jesus says really matters. Let’s not base our self-esteem on living through others. Let’s live through ourselves.

Spiritual Geography

Luke 11:24-26 – “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

These words of Jesus, recorded in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, have always fascinated me. Before I dive into their more subtle implications, let’s be sure we understand the context and the main reason Jesus said them. He had just exorcised a demon from a man, something he often did in his ministry. These words are a warning that once the demon is out, he may return, bringing more demons with him, making things worse than before. In other words: Get the house filled with something good. If you have been exorcised, invite Jesus to dwell with you. The absence of evil is not our ultimate goal as much as the full presence of good.

Although Jesus did not tell us everything we might like to know, he gave some insight about demons and how they function: 1) They are located within set geographical locations (“it passes through waterless ­”), 2) They desire dwelling places (“seeking rest”), 3) They are in relationship and able to communicate with other demons (“it brings seven other demons”), 4) There is a hierarchy of evil (“more evil than itself” – Read C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters), 5) They prefer to occupy people, 6) They can reoccupy people, and 7) They can be cast out.

To most in the Western World, demons are fine in movies, but we do not give much thought to their reality. Yet, they are a real force that can affect people in severe ways. Please make sure your house is not just cleaned, but also filled with the Spirit of God.

What Would It Take for You to Believe?

Luke 11:14-16 – Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.

What would it take for you to believe in Jesus? If you saw a man who had never been able to speak suddenly begin to speak in response to a specific prayer by a Christian, would that be enough? If you saw your best friend’s life dramatically changed after making a commitment to Jesus, would you follow suit? If someone was able to answer every reason not to believe that you gave her, would that be enough? If someone rose from the dead in response to the prayers of believers, would that persuade you that God was real and Jesus is true?

This passage takes place after Jesus had done dozens, if not hundreds, or miracles. Thousands had heard his teaching. He was the buzz. In verse 14 he did one more miracle. Most of the crowd who watched marveled. Probably many believed, but notice the response of many others. Some accused Jesus of doing his miracles by the power of the devil. Others asked for more signs. In spite of the overwhelming evidence, they chose not to believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be. For some there was never enough. Even for many today, it seems there can never enough evidence or reason to believe.

Jesus will never force himself on you. Believing in Jesus always requires faith. There is plenty of evidence for his truth all around you. You just need to choose to believe. The day you do, you receive eternal life and power to change this one. You will never be the same. Stop holding back. Believe.

Two Aspects of Effective Prayer

Luke 11:8, 13 – “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs… If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Have you ever had a prayer go seemingly unanswered? This is one of the biggest challenges for many of us in spiritual growth: What does it take to get our prayers answered? Although, Jesus does not answer every question on why we do not always get what we request, in this extended passage on prayer he highlights two seemingly ironic things that get results in prayer.

At the opening of the chapter, he had just finished praying and his disciples asked him to teach them to pray. After laying out what we call the Lord’s Prayer (what the Catholics call the “Our Father”), he told the story of a man whose neighbor and friend asked to borrow some bread in the middle of the night to feed some unexpected guests. Jesus closed with the surprising words above: …he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend… In this case, the relationship is not the reason the neighbor gets what he wants. Instead, his nonstop, annoying, persistent begging accomplishes the goal.

Right after this story, though, Jesus uses another parable to say the opposite. We fathers give good gifts to our children because of our relationship with them. Which is the key to prayer, our relationship to God or our persistent asking? The answer is both. Anyone who has parented a small child understands this. Most children learn the skill of persistence early: “If I beg for the cookie long enough, I might wear daddy down, and he just might give it to me.” At the same time, we parents love our children and want the best for them. Sometimes we say no because we know one more cookie is not really the good gift the child thinks it is. A sweet snack just before bedtime or the twentieth cookie of the day are not a good thing, but a reward after three hours of yard work is well earned and eaten. 

I know we all want the quick answers to our prayers, but in my life and in those I have served and loved, I have seen many get their requests answered after hours, days, or sometimes years of prayer. Persistent prayer from God’s kids gets the attention and action of their loving Father. 

To Work or Not to Work?

Luke 10:41-42 - But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Most of us can identify with one of Lazarus’ two sisters. The people-focused types love Jesus’ vindication of Mary who left her sister to do all the work while she engaged in conversation with Jesus. We task-driven people know Martha’s indignation quite well. It isn't fair that we do all the work while the Marys of the world chat away. It is mind-boggling that Jesus honors the “lazy” Mary while rebuking industrious Martha. Is he really saying we should never engage in work and tasks of serving?

A thorough read of the New Testament shows that is definitely not the case. In the most subservient of tasks, Jesus himself washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper and told his disciples to do as he did (John 13:15). The Apostle Paul gave the command, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (II Thessalonians 3:10) Of course, it should be obvious that if no one worked, we would all get incredibly hungry and our whole society would come to a screeching halt. So, if Jesus is not saying, “Do not work,” to Martha, what is he saying?

As we see in the verses above, Jesus says that Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to his teaching is 1) necessary and 2) will not be taken away from her. A year later, the disciples probably did not remember what food Martha served that day, but time with Jesus learning and then living out his words formed and shaped Mary in ways that will last for eternity. Paul uses a metaphor of a fire that tests all we do in I Corinthians 3:12-15. Most of our efforts will get burned up, but some will last forever. Yes, we all have a lot of tasks we need to do, and we should not neglect them, but time spent with Jesus is necessary and its impact on us lasts forever.

Courage to Live It

Luke 10:25-28 - And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

The Good Samaritan is one of the most beloved of all Jesus’ parables. A man on a journey by foot is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two religious people – who should have known to help - pass him by on the other side of the road. The foreign Samaritan with seemingly no reason to help a Jew, gives up his own oil, bandages, donkey, money, and – perhaps more valuable than all the rest – his time to make sure the man is cared for and on the mend. We all would like to think we are like that Samaritan – doing the right thing at all times. Yet, unfortunately, those kind people are the exception.

In Beautiful Souls, Eyal Press studies people like Paul Grueninger, a Swiss customs official, who defied his country’s laws many times to enable Jews who would otherwise wind up in Nazi concentration camps make it to safety. He was tried and convicted alone by his government for his good deeds and died in poverty, yet hundreds of lives were saved. Had we known them, we probably would have considered the other Swiss border guards who obeyed their orders and returned Jewish refugees to Nazi Germany as “good people.” We would probably have said the same about Grueninger’s supervisors and the judge who convicted him. They were “just obeying orders,” doing what they thought was right.

It takes unique courage to go against the flow of culture and peer pressure and do what is truly right. That is what makes the Good Samaritan so good. The lawyer who questioned Jesus thought he was good (“…wanting to justify himself…” Luke 10:29). Jesus admitted he knew the right answer (“You have answered correctly.” Luke 10:28), but knowing and doing are two different things. May each of us be of the courage few who do what is truly right.

The Limits of Knowledge

Luke 10:20 - In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.”

I am an educator. I firmly believe in the value of higher education and lifelong learning. I believe the Bible says, “Study to show yourself approved…” (II Tim 2:15) for good reason. I have benefited greatly from all of my teachers and a life of study, but some things are so obvious they can get blinded by our pursuit of understanding. Knowledge and research have their limits. It is interesting that our technological advances have enabled us to design communicating computers we can stick in our pockets, but we still have not eliminated conflict and abuse.

In Luke 10:20, Jesus makes an ironic statement: God reveals things to children that he hides from the learned. I have heard many testimonies of children having near death experiences who return to consciousness claiming to have seen Christ. Children are more open to faith. We adults may be tempted to dismiss this as childish ignorance, but Jesus says this is by God’s design.

How fair would God be if he required people to have a master’s degree before he allowed them to come to faith? A huge percentage of the world’s population could never receive eternal life. Instead the truth of the Gospel is simple, obvious, and available to anyone. The complex, beautiful, interoperative world we inhabit is evidence of a designer. Our continual failings and selfishness are irrefutable evidence that we need saving. The empty cross is evidence that the price has been paid for any willing to receive the One who died in our place. Simple. Powerful. True. No degree required.

Better than Power

Luke 10:20 - Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

There are two unhealthy extremes when it comes to spiritual power. One is to ignore its reality. In II Timothy 3:5, Paul warned that more and more people would deny the power of God as times got worse. Some deny God’s power in ignorance. Some suppress it in fear of excess. Some have seen power abused and try to stay as far away from it as possible. Yet, we miss a great deal when we hold to this extreme.

Jesus sent his followers out with authority and power to heal diseases and cast out demons. They saw real, tangible results as they exercised that power. People were set free from life controlling issues for which there was no other cure. God still works when his people pray in faith. How many issues do people around us face that could be helped by God’s power if we were willing to exercise it?

These seventy-two that Jesus commissioned in Luke 10 were truly excited about the life change God worked through them. Jesus rejoiced with them. However, Jesus also warned them of the other dangerous extreme: obsession with power. When God’s Spirit works through us in mighty ways, we can start to seek miracles for our own glory. We can put our faith in the miracles rather than their Source. We can get focused on the immediate rather than the eternal.

So, Jesus tells us what he told his followers: miracle-working authority and power is good and important, but there is something much more important: Your eternal destiny. This is the main reason Jesus came: to pay the price we all owe through his death on the cross, overcoming death and hell through his resurrection and granting eternal life to all who believe in him. If you have not received Christ yet, simply invite him into your life today. There is nothing better.

Some Will

Luke 9:61-62 -  “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

I have a problem. It is my biggest weakness: I want everyone to like me. I expect that if I do the right thing in the right way everyone will agree with it, there will be no conflict, and I can be everyone’s hero – or at least no one will be angry with me. Jesus here lets me – and anyone else who suffers from anthroareskosis (people-pleasing) – know that the best decisions and actions will produce opposition.

Luke has been showing a progressive increase in Jesus’ mission from calling a few followers in Chapter 5, to larger crowds and miracles through Jesus’ own hands through Chapter 8, to multiplying Jesus’ ministry through the hands of the Twelve Apostles in Chapter 9. Now, in Chapter 10 Jesus’ mission multiplies again through seventy others with the urgent call for more workers for the Lord’s harvest (Luke 10:2). That harvest was the twofold mission of helping people with tangible, physical needs through healing and the verbal presentation of the more critical Good News of God’s Kingdom (Luke 10:9). Yet, no matter how good the news was or how real and helpful the healings were, Jesus gave all those messengers specific instructions, especially what to do when  – not if – people rejected them and their message (Luke 10:10-15).

It is so tempting to look for a physical report card in people’s reaction to us and our message. Even when we try to help, some will reject us and our efforts. However, Jesus’ message is also clear: some will receive us and our message. Some will listen. These and their eternal life change will make it all worthwhile.