Jesus or the Experience He Provides
August 7, 2023
Luke 11:29-36 | Psalm 42:4-5
Jesus isn’t impressed by numbers. When the crowds grew, he discerned their intent wasn’t so much the Kingdom as much as it was the spectacle of a miraculous sign.
He leans quite heavily on some Old Testament images here: Jonah and then also the Queen of Sheba. In both situations, people foreign to Israel saw or heard of a miraculous spectacle. The Ninevites knew of Jonah’s survival in the whale of a great fish. The Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem because of what she heard regarding King Solomon’s great wealth. Both came for the spectacle, but received the greater message once they got there.
Jesus is lamenting a lack of true, life-changing response by those who came to see his signs.
What a moment. It’s sobering.
Do we love Jesus for the experience he provides or do we love Jesus for who he is?
Luke 11:29-36
When the crowds grew, Jesus said, “This generation is an evil generation. It looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except Jonah’s sign. Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Human One will be a sign to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from a distant land to hear Solomon’s wisdom. And look, someone greater than Solomon is here. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they changed their hearts and lives in response to Jonah’s preaching—and one greater than Jonah is here.
“People don’t light a lamp and then put it in a closet or under a basket. Rather, they place the lamp on a lampstand so that those who enter the house can see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, see to it that the light in you isn’t darkness. If your whole body is full of light—with no part darkened—then it will be as full of light as when a lamp shines brightly on you.”
Psalm 42:4-5
But I remember these things as I bare my soul:
how I made my way to the mighty one’s abode,
to God’s own house,
with joyous shouts and thanksgiving songs—
a huge crowd celebrating the festival!
Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
Because I will again give him thanks,
my saving presence and my God.
Prayer
God,
In the stillness of this morning, I am grateful. I’m grateful for the stillness itself, the gentleness of tranquility. Soon enough, the day will rise and noise with it. Business and busyness will surface and pester for hours. But for now, it is silent.
I remember that story when you met Elijah on the mountain not in the fire or storm or wind, but in the silence. I’ve always liked that.
But soon enough, the hubbub will boil to the top. Actually, I kind of enjoy the hubbub sometimes. I like to produce things. But I know that I can get lost in it all.
So help me, God: Keep me mindful of your presence in all moments, quiet and loud alike.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.