The very first thing I am reminded of in Chapter 11 of Luke is when Jesus is teaching the disciples to pray and he reminds them to have impudence - persistence.
Persistence requires some tenacity on our part. I know that when I pray, I many times I think, "one time is good enough and God hears and begins to work."
So Jesus elaborates on it further by saying ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be open to you (Luke 11:9-10)
Persistence in prayer requires trust on our part that we do not lose heart and give up so easily. But if God knows what we need, why do we have to keep on asking? I think that goes back to trust and in Hebrews the writer says that if we are diligent, God is going to reward us.
The next thing I'm reminded of in Luke 11 is Jesus was not passive. His words in Luke 11:23 drew a pretty good line in the sand when he said, "whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." This is not the voice of a meek, humble servant. Rather the voice of one who has authority and is asking you to make a decision.
The men of Nineveh are going to be able to be at the judgment and condemn the generation and subsequent generations able to hear and see and respond of the voice of Jesus and his call.
The next passage was firmly convicting in this: our eyes are the lamp on our body. When our eyes healthy, our whole body is going to be full of light, but when it is bad, our body will be full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness
I read the following passage replacing the Pharisees with my name and it was pretty accurate. "Now you, Andy, you clean the outside of your cup and your dish, but inside you're full of crud." Luke 11:39
In Luke chapter 12, Jesus is staying pretty aggressive with the Pharisees and he warns everybody to not fear those who can kill the body and do nothing after that; rather fear the one, who after you have died, has the authority to send you to hell- "But why would Jesus send me to hell?"
Do we really need to go over this elementary teaching again? We are sinners sinning in a sin cursed world.
The next thing that jumped out at me in Luke 12:15 was a gentle reminder my life and your life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions, awards, accolades, wins, championships, etc.
And then Jesus goes on to talk about our hearts and anxiety, reminding his disciples and us that life is more than food and the body is more than clothing. We are more valuable than the things God has created that fly and are on the ground and grow.
Finally, Jesus gives a solid charge: "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes in and knocks"
Luke 12:35-36
There are days where we have sat around our house in pajamas and there comes a knock on the door. We scramble to go give the appearance that we are indeed ready by dressing in the days clothing. Jesus is saying, "When I knock it's probably going to be too late for you to change your clothes."
We've all seen comedy shows and movies of the person in the room scrambling and trying to buy time to either clean up their apartment/house or go and get on their clothes. It's funny and we all know what that person is doing but Jesus wants us to be clothed and ready, proactive.
He says in Luke 12:40 to be ready for he is going to come at an hour we do not expect.
That is sobering.
And perhaps finally at the end of chapter 12 Jesus says something that is a bit disconcerting: he did not come to bring peace, but division.
"I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled... Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts and people have said that he is a gentleman, but I do not see that here. I see a savior full of passion and it burns for you and I. He does not mince his words and he clearly tells us there is going to be some friction in our lives and tension when we come to the crisis of belief in Him.
Jesus closes up chapter 12 by somewhat ironically pointing out that we know how to read the signs in the sky, such as when there is going to be rain or a hot day but we cannot figure out how to interpret the appearance of this present time in terms of eschatology.
It has been said that I do not read the Bible, but the Bible reads me-it continues to be true and is always convicting, encouraging, illuminating, and sobering.
