Week 25 "The Finger of God"

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Text: This week we’re covering Luke 11:14-36 dealing with Jesus’ response to opposition at his ministry of release. Some marveled, some demonized him, some wanted to keep testing him with signs from heaven.  What do we do?

Other passages to read: We encourage you to read "horizontally" in these passages that are parallel to our text from Luke:

·         A Kingdom divided: Matthew 9:32-34; 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-27; Fulfillment of Isaiah 49:24-26?

·         Return of the Unclean spirit: Matthew 12:43-45

·         True Blessedness/ true family: Matthew 12:46-49

·         The Sign of Jonah: Matthew 12:38-42; Jonah; 1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12

·         The Lamp of the Body: Matthew 5:15-16; 6:22-23; Mark 4:21-25

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

• In the parallel passage in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 this episode regarding is cast in terms of the unforgivable sin? What is it about this “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” that makes it unforgivable?
• What are some things we can learn about demons (v. 24-26)? About Jesus’ power?
• What is Jesus’ main focus in these verses (v.14-36)? Is it simply to defend his deliverance ministry, to give tips on exorcism, to speak of the future of a nation that rejected him, or perhaps to challenge people to keep his words in their hearts? A combination of these? Or is it a collection of unrelated ideas?

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

• Where are we in this passage? Which group (v. 14-16) best describes our response to what Jesus does?
• Is there something Jesus wants to do in our life to which we are saying “No!” instead of obeying?
• What is it that we consider the greatest blessing? Who is our true family?
• How will we respond, even this week, to the “sign of Jonah”? What can we learn from the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh (v. 29-32)?

Pastor Randy’s Sermon Notes: The Finger of God (Luke 11:14-28)

1. Jesus believed that His power was greater than Satan’s power (v.14-16)
2. Jesus believed we are either on God’s side or on Satan’s side (v.17-23)
3. Jesus believed that getting rid of evil is never enough (v. 24-28)

Quotes & Commentary:

v. 15 “But some of them…while others”… the people were divided…

·         some marveled,

·         some demonized,

·         some tested/provoked

…the clear implication, in this context was that their kingdom would not stand.

v. 16

·         test= (peirazontes) “tempting” Imperfect active…they kept on testing him by keeping on seeking a sign.

·         a sign= (semeion) “they meant a great spectacular display of heavenly power such as they expected the Messiah to give and such that the devil suggested to Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple.” (Robertson, WPNT 2/161)

v. 17 He is not saying that Satan’s kingdom is not divided, but that their logic is flawed, it would be a stupid strategy to say that Jesus’ whole ministry was powered by Satan. Nevertheless, the devil’s kingdom will not stand. In fact Jesus as “the stronger man” had already taken “the strong man’s” castle as evidenced by his deliverance ministry.

v. 18 Beelzebul= “Baal the lord” a name that originally had been changed to “Beelzebub” referring to “the Lord of the flies” but had come to be a nickname for the source of personal evil, the accuser, Satan.

v. 20 Finger of God= “a phrase which Luke hopes will remind his readers of the powerful works which Moses did at Pharaoh’s court (Ex. 8:19), and which the magicians of Egypt could not copy. Jesus is acting like someone who has successfully attacked and tied up the strong man who was guarding his house.” (N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, 138.)

“God’s finger was touching them; God was speaking to them. What they had just witnessed was a direct, unambiguous, demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Now they must make life’s ultimate judgment; and they were at the point of making a decision which once deliberately made would be irreversible and would make deliverance forever impossible. Reject the Holy Spirit, call Ultimate Good evil, call Truth himself …a lie, and God himself has no further evidence left, nothing further to say… God himself is reduced to silence.” (David Gooding, According to Luke, IVP 1987, 223-224., quoted in Hughes 1/426)

v.23 To those who claim neutrality:

“Given the massive claims of Jesus, neutrality is a self-deceiving ruse. His claims are so great that protestations of neutrality are in fact declarations of disbelief. Further, no one’s life is neutral in its effects.” (Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, 1/429)

“The heart of the Pharisees and scribes was so hard they said in essence, ‘Yes, Jesus has done a miracle, but only because he is in league with Satan, the Lord of the flies, the God of dung and carrion.’ It was a calculated blasphemy of immense perversity.” (Hughes, 1/426)

v. 21-26 This is a picture of a people that had rejected to fill themselves with Jesus. He had delivered them in compassion, but they had not committed their lives to him in devotion. They had been cleansed but were empty. Emptiness has no ability to resist evil. We were made to be filled. What will we be filled with? Romans 6:12-13… Say no to sin by saying yes to Jesus. Where is our passion?

Jesus healed and delivered many people in and around Israel for several years, but what then? What about after he died and rose again? He would continue to work through his church. But Israel as a nation, despite having enjoyed the benefits of the Messiah in their midst for those years putting their house in order, rejected Jesus in unbelief. Over the next 35 years things got very bad in Israel leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Some of the behavior by the zealots when they controlled Jerusalem can only be described as demonic. The people thought life under the Romans was bad…try death under the Zealots! Much worse than before…and so unnecessary!

So often we are victims of a naturalistic world-view…we don’t see the reality of the spiritual realm.

·      Do we see ourselves in a spiritual battle?

·      Do our actions matter?

·      Do our words matter?

·      Do our prayers make a difference?

·      How can we prevail? By surrendering to Jesus the Christ as our Great Desire!

If we don’t let God, in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, come and dwell in us and fill our lives with light…then we are in the end powerless in the face of evil.

v. 27-28 In this, what has been called “the Gospel of Women”, a woman cried out something true rather than slanderous…in fulfillment of Mary’s prophetic song (1:48)

“He did not reprove her speech but improved it. He said in effect, “What you have said is right, but there is a higher truth: she was blessed who bore me, but more surely blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” (Hughes, 1/431)

v. 29 “This generation”= Jesus repeats this phrase and spoke judgment on the generation of his hearers. Why did he do this? Because though they had great advantage they did not repent. They didn’t repent of their sins and didn’t put their trust in Jesus as their Messiah.

Evil=a connecting word between several of these episodes in Luke 11 (v. 4, 13, 29, 34). The word is used a couple of different ways:

1)    full of labors, annoyances, hardships

a)    pressed and harassed by labors

b)    bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble

2)    bad, of a bad nature or condition

a)    in a physical sense: diseased or blind

b)    in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

“The Sign of Jonah”: “The great and grand sign that Jesus gives to all, and especially those who think they need miraculous signs in order to believe, is the miracle of his atoning death, burial, and triumphant resurrection…the ultimate sign is ‘the sign of Jonah,’ because it makes Christ everything. Jesus was not interested in giving signs abstracted from his person. He is the sign. He is the gospel.” (Hughes, 2/15)

v. 31-32 The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12) had heard of Solomon and traveled from what is modern-day Yemen to listen to great wisdom. Yet in contrast, these men had not had to travel long and yet were foolish. She made quite an inspiring statement of praise in 1 Kings 10:6-9. Yet Jesus is greater than Solomon. Also, Jesus pointed out that the men of Nineveh listened to God’s messenger. Both examples here were Gentiles…and they both responded with repentance.

v. 33-36 Light & Dark; Good Eyes or Evil Eyes

Two considerations are key to making sense of this pericope:

1.    According to a physiology prevalent in Greco-Roman antiquity, the eyes do not function by allowing light to come in but by allowing the body’s own light to go out…pivotal issue is whether the eyes are sick or healthy…Jesus trades on this double entente in his description of one’s eyes—the one is medical, the other ethical—with the one sense folding into the other. This allows Jesus’ point, the identification of a “sick eye” as an indication of inner darkness (e.g., selfishness, covetousness, and rebellion), and a “healthy eye” as evidence of inner light (e.g., generosity and sincerity).

2.    The capacity of the categories of “good eye” and “bad eye” to address issues of ethical comportment…this has to do with the metaphorical use of the imagery of light and darkness throughout the Lukan narrative…”(Green, Luke, 465-466)

Previously on Ponderables:

• What is the main issue in the Mary and Martha passage? Is it busy-ness, hospitality, serving, or is it something else? It is something else. While all those elements may play a part, the main point is that Mary was taking to posture of a disciple. This may have been a cultural challenge to Martha, but Jesus defended Mary’s choice.

• Is there a connection between this shortened for of the “Lord’s Prayer” and the journey Jesus is on with his disciples? If so, what is it? It is most likely a teaching that Jesus repeated under several different circumstances.

• Why does the man in the parable go and demand bread at midnight from his friend? Because the honor of the village depends on providing appropriate hospitality to any guests. The point Jesus was trying to make by telling this story was that just as no one could ever imagine someone using such lame excuses but would get up and get the bread…how much more would God provide what we need to uphold his honor by providing for those in need?

• What is the prayer principle we need to draw from this parable, assuming it is not that God doesn’t want to get up and help us? Think, “How much more…?”

• Is it significant that the man in v. 5“calls” rather than “knocks”? Bailey comments that a knock in the middle of the night would have startled the man but calling let him know that it was his friend… a voice he recognized.

• In v. 10 it says that “everyone who asks receives” so how do we handle those times when we don’t seem to get the answer for which we asked? If we were to take the Matthew account by itself, we could possibly get the idea that this is about things…but Luke makes it clear that the “good gifts” are contained in the Holy Spirit. If we ask for the Holy Spirit then the Father will give Him to you!