A Tale of a Prophet and a Light

The Story of a Prophet and the Lamp Within Us

(Luke chapter 11, verses 29–36)

When we last left off at verse 28 of chapter 11 of Luke’s gospel, Jesus had just finished describing to the apostles and the crowd around them what can happen when a demon is driven out of someone, only to later return. His point was that the apostles needed to either drive demons out or wait until they have sufficient faith and discernment to properly do so on the first attempt. Otherwise, the demon that possessed any given individual will turn on those trying to drive it out and kill them all. This has happened in the historic past, although I have no experience with such phenomenon myself, nor do I know anyone who has. And so today as we begin at verse 29, Jesus had a few things to say about those who ask him for a sign.

“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 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 hear 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 teaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.’” (Luke 11, verses 29–32)

In this first verse, Jesus was referring to the demands of the Pharisees to give them a sign, which we have studied previously. “None will be given except that of the prophet Jonah”, Jesus said to his apostles. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days a nights before the whale coughed him up onto the shore, Jesus’ resurrection also happened on the morning of the third day after his crucifixion when he emerged from his grave. Jesus told the apostles in advance that he would be put to death, but we have not yet gotten to that point in Luke’s gospel, which is why Christ didn’t mention that here.

Jesus’ reference to the “queen of the south” recalls the Queen of Sheba’s visitation to King Solomon during his reign (see 1st Kings chapter 10). The “men of Nineveh” Jesus mentioned are…