Question
The Eye is the Lamp of Your Body
Luke 11:29-36
Key Verse 34
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Read verses 29 and 30. What did Jesus say as the crowds increased? (29) Why did Jesus compare the crowds with a wicked generation? What sign would be given to the generation as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites? (29b, 30)
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Read verses 31 and 32. Who will condemn the people of the generation at the judgment and why? (31, 32) What can we learn from the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh? In what aspects is Jesus greater than Solomon or Jonah?
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Read verses 33 and 34. Where do people put a lamp and why? (33) Why is our eye the lamp of our body? (34a). What will happen to our body when our eyes are healthy? (34b)
How can this truth apply to us?
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Read verses 35 and 36. What does it mean by “the light within you is not darkness’? (35) What will happen if our whole body is full of light? (36) How can we have light to the full?
Manuscript
Biblenote
The Eye is the Lamp of Your Body
Luke 11:29-36
Key Verse 34
“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.”
Introduction
Even though Jesus performed great miracles and preached the truthful words of God, people didn’t believe and repent. They were still in deep darkness, asking signs. Jesus was not fooled by the crowds, but called them ‘a wicked generation’ and gave them warning of judgment. And he taught them how they could be full of light of Jesus. How about our own times? We are daily inundated with information. We see web pages daily. Darkness will come into our hearts and we’re apt to be full of darkness. Unless we do not protect our eyes from corrupted world, our eyes will be dysfunctional and we will become children of darkness. But thank Jesus! When we fix our eyes on Jesus, God will open our spiritual eyes and we will become children of light and we will see God’s glory. May the Lord help us to be a light reflecting the true light through accepting Jesus in our hearts with humility.
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Read verses 29 and 30. What did Jesus say as the crowds increased? (29) Why did Jesus compare the crowds with a wicked generation? What sign would be given to the generation as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites? (29b, 30)
1-1. Read verses 29 and 30.
29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.
1-2. What did Jesus say as the crowds increased? (29)
“This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah”
1-3. Why did Jesus compare the crowds with a wicked generation?
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They didn’t believe Jesus and his word even though Jesus had performed great miracles.
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The purpose of the miracles was to help people to believe in Jesus and repent. But people just wanted to see more miracles without putting their faith in Jesus.
1-4. What sign would be given to the generation as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites? (29b, 30)
It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 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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Jesus compared the sign of Jonah to the sign of himself.
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Jonah was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and three nights and was saved after that.
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Jesus matched the sign of Jonah with his death and resurrection on the third day.
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After being released from the big fish, Jonah proclaimed God’s judgment in the city of Nineveh to urge the people in the city to repent.
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Jesus would also proclaim God’s judgement and urge people to repent through his death and resurrection.
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Jesus predicted his death and resurrection by mentioning the sign of Jonah.
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Just as God had sent Jonah to help people in the Nineveh to repent, God sent His Son, Jesus to people in his times to help them to repent and be saved.
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Jesus himself is the best and the most important sign that can help us to believe and repent.
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We should not miss the greatest sign, Jesus our Lord shown in the Bible. We should repent just as people of Nineveh repented and believed God’s word.
“When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (Jo 3:6)
“But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence”(Jo 3:8)
2. Read verses 31 and 32. Who will condemn the people of the generation at the judgment and why? (31, 32) What can we learn from the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh? In what aspects is Jesus greater than Solomon or Jonah?
2-1. Read verses 31 and 32.
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 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 something greater than Jonah is here.
2-2. Who will condemn the people of the generation at the judgment and why? (31, 32)
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The Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it
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The Queen of the South was the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13).
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She traveled 2,000km to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. She was a gentile woman and must have been busy as a queen, but had sought the wisdom eagerly and paid cost to get the wisdom.
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When she heard Solomon’s wisdom, she recognized the value of Solomon’s wisdom. She praised God for the wisdom that he had given king Solomon.
How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.” (1 King 10:8-9)
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But the people who heard the word of God from Jesus didn’t recognize Jesus and didn’t believe him even though Jesus was far greater than Solomon.
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People of Nineveh were gentiles, but when they heard the message of repentance, they believed the word of God and repented.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (Jonah 3:1-5)
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But people who saw Jesus’ miracle and heard his message of repentance (“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt 4:17)), they did neither believe nor repent.
2-3. What can we learn from the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh?
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Queen of the South was a gentile woman. But she made a long journey to hear the wisdom and invested her time and money to seek the wisdom.
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And when she heard Solomon’s wisdom, she recognized that the wisdom had come from God and praised God for his love for his people.
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Men of Nineveh quickly believed and repented when they heard the message of repentance.
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Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah proclaimed the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh for only one day with simple word, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
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Then the men of Nineveh quickly believed the word and repented.
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Both the Queen and the men of Nineveh were gentiles, but they recognized God’s words and believed and repented.
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But the people of Israel didn’t do that even though they heard from Jesus, the Son of God who is far greater than Solomon or Jonah.
2-4. In what aspect is Jesus greater than Solomon or Jonah?
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Solomon and Jonah taught and preached the wisdom and word of God that they had received from God.
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Jesus himself is the very wisdom of God and the Word.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)
3. Read verses 33 and 34. Where do people put a lamp and why? (33) Why is our eye the lamp of our body? (34a). What will happen to our body when our eyes are healthy? (34b) How can this truth apply to us?
3-1. Read verses 33 and 34.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.
3-2. Where do people put a lamp and why? (33)
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they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.
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The light refers to Jesus for he says, “I am the light of the world”.
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God sent Jesus to give the light to the dark world.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. (John 1:4-5)
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As the light of the world, Jesus didn’t hide himself, rather he revealed himself fully by preaching the word of God clearly so that people may know him and believe just as people put the light on its stand.
3-3. Why is our eye the lamp of our body? (34a)
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Our eye is the lamp of our body for the light comes into us through our eyes.
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If we are blind, the light cannot come into us and we remain in darkness.
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The eye refers to the spiritual eye that can discern the truth and accept it. We can have good spiritual eye when we seek right thing and serve right one.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Mt 6:21-24)
3-4. What will happen to our body when our eyes are healthy? (34b)
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.
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When we have good spiritual eyes, our heart will be filled with the light of Jesus and we can see the glory of God in and through Jesus.
Ephesians 1:16-23 read,
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
3-5. How can this truth apply to us?
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We need spiritual eye exam. We need to check if our heart is filled with the light of Jesus.
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If we check the condition of our spiritual eyes and our eyes are unhealthy, we can cure our eyes through deep repentance.
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In turn we can see clearly the light of Jesus.
4. Read verses 35 and 36. What does it mean by “the light within you is not darkness’? (35) What will happen if our whole body is full of light? (36) How can we have light to the full?
4-1. Read verses 35 and 36.
See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
4-2. What does it mean by “the light within you is not darkness’? (35)
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It means that the eyes of our minds are not blind and inside of us is not dark.
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The eyes of our mind could be blinded by partiality, prejudice, and sinful desires.
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Inside of us could be filled with darkness and we are not able to accept the light. So we first have to check our inner condition.
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Practically when we study the Bible and receive spiritual insight to see man and the world from God’s perspective, we are full of light.
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The blind can’t lead the blind. In John 8 and 9, Jesus who is the light of the world led the blind to the light.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5)
4-3. What will happen if our whole body is full of light? (36)
36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
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When we have healthy spiritual eyes, our whole body is full of light without any darkness.
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The best way to drive all the darkness inside of us is to let the light of Jesus shine into us.
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When we are filled with the light, we can shine the light of Jesus to others too.
4-4. How can we have light to the full?
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We clearly see through this passage that God really wants to reveal himself to us and to make us light reflecting the true Light, Jesus to the ends of the earth.
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God has given his words to be a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.
Psalm 119:105 reads,
“your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
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God puts his word on a stand and makes it most prominent for all to see.
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God also has a clear vision for all of us to be a light for the Gentiles.
Isaiah 49:6b reads,
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Matthew 5:14 reads,
“You are the light of the world.”
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Originally our college and university were founded to raise up a small light of Jesus such as pastors and Bible teachers.
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However as the time passed by, the original purpose tarnished as a result of gradual compromise.
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When a pastor Billy Graham one day asked the president of Harvard University about what is the most important word that could reveal the status of students, he answered “emptiness.”
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Young campus students are still looking for real relationship and fellowship with Jesus, the giver of life who can provide meaning and purpose in their lives.
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May the Lord help us to not give up praying to raise up 100,000 Bible teachers until America may be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Personal Testimony
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In my college days I was groping in fear and darkness because I was fatalistic about my life. I was a sorrowful man due to my human condition.
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In order to overcome my fatalism, I drank and chased after power and success in this world.
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But I became more empty and miserable. At that time Jesus called me and gave me his word through personal Bible study.
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Slowly the word of God drove out darkness from my heart and set me free from the burdens of sin and death.
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I was born again into the kingdom of God through the living word of God.
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Praise Jesus who shone his light to me so that I may accept Jesus as my personal Savior.
Conclusion
We are greatly privileged to know Jesus and hear his word through studying the Bible. We have to believe Jesus and his word and repent our sins with humble and believing mind. Otherwise we will be ashamed on the Day of Judgment. Jesus and the gospel of Jesus is the true light of this world that can drive out any kind of darkness. May God help us to be full of the light by having healthy eyes through repentance and faith. It reminds of 1John 1: 5-7. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
One word: Full of Light!