Introduction
Luke 11:24–36: In today’s reading, Jesus offers insight into the miracle of Jonah. The reading concludes with a teaching on filling one’s life with light.
Today’s Key Verse: Luke 11:36 GNT
[Jesus said:] “If your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be bright all over, as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness.”
Read
24 “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can’t find one, it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.’ 25 So it goes back and finds the house clean and all fixed up. 26 Then it goes out and brings seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning.”
27 When Jesus had said this, a woman spoke up from the crowd and said to him, “How happy is the woman who bore you and nursed you!”
28 But Jesus answered, “Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
29 As the people crowded around Jesus, he went on to say, “How evil are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle, but none will be given them except the miracle of Jonah. 30 In the same way that the prophet Jonah was a sign for the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this day. 31 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse the people of today, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon’s wise teaching; and there is something here, I tell you, greater than Solomon. 32 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah!
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a bowl;[a] instead, it is put on the lampstand, so that people may see the light as they come in. 34 Your eyes are like a lamp for the body. When your eyes are sound, your whole body is full of light; but when your eyes are no good, your whole body will be in darkness. 35 Make certain, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be bright all over, as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness.”
Reflect
Jesus teaches that just as Jonah was a “sign” to the people of Nineveh (verse 30), so too will Jesus be a “sign” for the people of his time. In what ways does Jesus serve as a “sign” for us today? Reread verses 33–36. What is your understanding of what it means for your whole body to be full of light? (You may wish to compare these verses with Luke 8:16–18 from the reading on September 1.)
Pray
Lord God, I delight in your word. Help me to hear and obey your word today and teach me to be a shining light that reflects your love. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Luke 11:37–54: Jesus confronts the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
