Luke 11:33-36

Today our study returns to Luke 11, where Jesus has previously taught us about the form and function of prayer, spiritual warfare, the logical consistency of Christ, and the sign of Jonah. This chapter is chock-full of golden information, so I am addressing the Scripture in fairly small chunks. This chunk, verses 33-36, is the inspiration for many pieces of Christian art and music. Open your Bibles to Luke 11:33-36 and your copy of Take Every Passage to Prayer, Volume 2- The Gospels by Charles Wagner to page 188. We will use his insights from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus first used the metaphor that we are studying today.

Many of us are familiar with the Sunday school lyrics, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” Jesus compares our faith in Him to a light, a shining city, and a lamp numerous times throughout the Gospels. Beginning at verse 33, Jesus says that it is absurd to use resources to light a lamp, only to hide it under a bowl. Instead, the lamp is functioning properly when it is on a stand, allowing its light to illuminate every corner of the room. Wagner describes it as a spiritual brightness that casts other’s spiritual darkness. 

“Just like the lights of a city give hope to approaching weary travelers in the dark of night, so the disciples of Jesus give hope to those living in spiritual darkness. A disciple of Jesus is that voice of hope, faith, peace, joy, and optimism that draws the lost and weary to Jesus…It is useless to be a godly man or woman who hides his or her light under the bowl so no one will see it. A disciple of Jesus is that light volunteering on a food line, joining the school board, and coaching the youth soccer game” (Wagner 188).

Our light is not only an active display of our faith, it is also an example to our brothers and sisters on earth. Our light encourages the body of Christ to pursue righteousness. Our light is not simply letting people know we are Christian, it’s acting like it.

Jesus then goes on to compare our eyes to the lamps of our soul, calling us to real, tangible action. Our eyes are the primary way our brain filters experience, and Jesus is telling us to pay attention to how our eyes may reveal the status of our lamp. Wandering eyes and desires are a symptom of a deeper heart issue; a heart issue that means the fuel on our lamp may be running low. For example, when you are bored, does your mind start to go down rabbit trails? Do you ever go on your phone to check your email, but end up opening Instagram? When you pray, do you start to think about your anxieties and to-do lists? Jesus is acknowledging that those human tendencies to wander must be kept in check. Therefore, we must focus our ‘spiritual eyes’ on the good, the holy, and the righteous. When we fill our eyes and our desires with love, peace, patience, and the rest of the fruits of the spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23), our hearts are focused on the spiritual, not the physical. This recentering of spirit reignites and sustains our lamp, so that we may go out and be a light to the world! Let us pray and ask God to ignite our lamps and focus our gaze on Him.

Father, thank you for this beautiful fall weekend, and the moments of sunshine that you have let peek through the autumn storms. In the same vein, we ask that you ignite the light in our hearts, like putting a lamp on a lampstand, so that our faith is a shining example of your love and mercy. Lord, please fill our senses with what is good and righteous, and not what is evil, corrupting, and destructive. Fill our lamps with holy oil, and let your will alone sustain us. In your Son’s name we pray, Amen.