Luke 11:29-12:12 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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The Light of a Lamp Shines On You
Comments for Study 23

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Memory Verse: 11:36
Questions
Outline
A MAP OF JESUS' LATER MINISTRY TRAVELS
A MAP OF GALILEE
A MAP OF PALESTINE IN JESUS' TIME
A CHART COMPARING JESUS' PARABLES

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I. The Sign of Jonah (29-32)

>1. How does Jesus' words about his generation indicate why the crowds around him were increasing? (29)

* Luke 11:29 "As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."

* Jesus brought up the sign of Jonah more than once as Matthew 12:38-45 and Matthew 16:1-4 records.

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>Why might it be wicked to ask for a miraculous sign?

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>What is the only miracle Jesus promised to give them? (30)

* Luke 11:30 "For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation."

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>What was Jesus teaching about the difference between miracle seeking and believing in verses 31 and 32?

* Luke 11:31-32 "The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 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 one greater than Jonah is here."

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II. The Light (33-36)

>2. What does light have to do with the gospel and us? (33)

* Luke 11:33 "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

* Luke records a similar saying in Luke 8:16-18. Matthew 5:14-16 is the same as Luke 8. Matthew 6:22-23 in the Sermon on the Mount is the same as this passage.

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>How can light in a person be darkness? (34-35)

* Luke 11:34-35 "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness."

* Jesus speaks literally of a "single" eye versus a "bad" or "evil" one. A "single" eye normally meant a generous one. A "bad" eye in that culture could mean either a diseased one or a stingy one. Many people believed that light was emitted from the eye, enabling one to see, rather than that light was admitted through the eye; here it seems to be admitted through the eye.

* The Bible declares that God Himself is light. Psalm 27:1 says, "he Lord is my light." In Psalm 104:2, the psalmist testified of the Lord who "covered himself" in light. In John 8:12 Jesus, the God-man, said, "I am the light of the world." Such expressions make at least two things abundantly clear. First, the origin of light rests with God. Second, in some sense God Himself is the very essence of light. Such statements do not suppose that God is light and nothing more, but they do stress that God is the ultimate source of all knowing and understanding. To this end Psalm 119:105 informs us that God's Word is a "light" to one's path. Here the emphasis lies upon perception and understanding gained when darkness is dispelled and light revealed. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

* This last concept becomes even clearer in John 3:19; people love darkness better than light, because their deeds are evil. Such statements reveal that the character of light is to reveal and to provide understanding and purity, while the opposite of light or darkness is designed to obscure, to deceive, and to harbor impurity. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

* A small problem confronts the interpreter who discovers that Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5:14, "Ye are the light of the world." Yet in John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." What appears to be a contradiction is not one at all. The moon provides light for the earth just as the sun does. Yet, the actual source of light for both the sun and the moon is the sun. The moon only reflects the light of the sun. By the same token, Jesus, the God-man, is the source of all light. His disciples become reflectors in a darkened world, transmitting through their lives the true light of the eternal Son of God. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

* Lamps (lights) were used symbolically in the Old and New Testaments. Light depicted life in abundance, divine presence or life's direction versus death in darkness (compare Ps. 119:105; 1 John 1:5 with Job 18:5; Prov. 13:9). Jesus is depicted often in John as the light of the world (John 1:4-5,7-9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36,46). (Holman Bible Dictionary)

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>What does Jesus conclude with his teaching about light? (36)

* Luke 11:36 "Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."

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>What does this have to do with verses 29-32?

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III. Six Woes (37-54)

New Testament Jewish Sects

>3. Why would a Pharisee host be concerned about Jesus' hygiene? (37-38; Ex. 19:10-11)

* Luke 11:37-38 "When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised."

* Exodus 19:10-11 "And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people."

* Matthew 23:1-39 records seven woes as the last teaching in the temple before he left for the Mount of Olives where he was arrested. Luke's record of six woes and Matthew's record of seven woes are not the same event, though they have some similarity.

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>What did Jesus try teach him about cleanliness? (39-40)

* Luke 11:39-40 "Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?"

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>What did Jesus tell him to do and why? (41)

* Luke 11:41 "But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."

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>4. What was the first woe that Jesus spoke against the Pharisees?

* Luke 11:42 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."

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>What did he teach about rituals even if they were based on the word of God? (Mal. 3:6-12; Hos. 6:6)

* Malachi 3:6-12 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty."

* Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

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>What does seeking important seats indicate? (43; 1 Peter 5:5-7)

* Luke 11:43 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces."

* 1 Peter 5:5-7 "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

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>Why would walking over a grave be unwanted to the Jews? (44; Num. 19:11)

* Luke 11:44 "Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it."

* Numbers 5:1-4 "The LORD said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses."

* Numbers 19:11 "Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days."

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>What was Jesus saying?

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>5. Who were experts in the law that were be offended by Jesus? (45)

* Luke 11:45 "One of the experts in the law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."

* "Experts in the law" -Experts in the law were an authoritative interpreter of the Mosaic law. Characterization of the lawyers is especially harsh in Luke's Gospel: they rejected God's purpose for themselves by refusing John's baptism (7:30); they burdened others without offering any relief (11:45-46); they not only refused God's offer of salvation but hindered others from accepting it (11:52); they refused to answer Jesus' question concerning the legality of sabbath healing (14:3). Lawyer is used in the general sense of a jurist at Titus 3:13. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

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>What two things did Jesus speak out against them in verse 46?

* Luke 11:46 "Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them."

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>How can we be guilty of the same thing? (Col. 2:16-17)

* Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."

* 1 Corinthians 10:23-26 "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

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>6. Why might they build tombs for the prophets? (47-48)

* Luke 11:47-48 "Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs."

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>What is the result of such actions? (49-51)

* Luke 11:49-51 "Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all."

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>How were the teachers taking away the key to knowledge? (52)

* Luke 11:52 "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."

* Job 42:3 "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."

* Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

* Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

* Ecclesiastes 2:26 "To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

* John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

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>How is their response to Jesus to be expected? (53-54)

* Luke 11:53-54 "When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say."

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III. Warnings and Encouragements (12:1-12)

Jesus' Late-Ministry Travels

>7. Who did Jesus speak the next lesson to? (1) See what Jesus calls them in verse 4.

* Luke 12:1 "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

* Matthew 16:6 and Mark 8:15 records Jesus' warning about the yeast of the Pharisees.

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>What is the yeast of the Pharisees?

* "yeast" -Yeast is any of various small, single-celled fungi of the phylum Ascomycota that reproduce by fission or budding, the daughter cells often remaining attached, and that are capable of fermenting carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. More simply yeast is something that causes ferment or agitation.

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>What truth about themselves were the Pharisees trying to hide? (2-3)

* Luke 12:2-3 "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."

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>8. Why would the Pharisees produce fear in others that is unwarranted? (4-5)

* Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."

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>Why is fear of the Lord warranted?

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>What does verses 4 and 5 have to do with God love mentioned in verses 6 and 7?

* Luke 12:6-7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

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>9. What does Jesus promise in verses 8 and 9?

* Luke 12:8=9 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.""

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>What does this have to do with fear and love?

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>What does it mean to "blasphemes against the Holy Spirit"?

* Luke 12:10 "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

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>10. What promise does Jesus give in verses 11-12?

* Luke 12:11-12 "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

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>What can be applied to our lives from the teaching of fear and love found in this study?

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