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Continuing our short studies in Luke, this week we are completing chapter 11. Please read verses 29-54 every day this week and, if possible use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 11:29-32 (NIV)
‘As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of 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 listen to 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 preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.’
Many, many years ago, I was employed as a piano teacher in a private Piano School. I can’t say that I was a good teacher at all but there were a few pupils who excelled despite my teaching! I had the privilege of teaching a vast spectrum of people from young children to old men. Some were very receptive to what I had to say, others were only there because they were being forced to attend by parents wishing that they themselves had learned when they were younger.
On occasion, it was hugely frustrating because you knew that whatever you asked the child to do, they were taking no notice and would not practice anything. Week after week they would attend without doing a shred of work in between the lessons. They were going through the motions of learning but there was no visible sign of willingness or desire to improve or change.
Jesus was drawing huge crowds and there was an increasing demand being made from some quarters – ‘Give us a sign from heaven’. I’m not sure what they really expected. Perhaps they wanted their names written in the clouds. It could be that they were asking for the stars to move on demand. Whatever it was, Jesus was adamant. No such sign would be given. He called them a wicked generation because they just weren’t listening to what he was saying. Just like some of my pupils who refused to learn, Jesus was saying that these people were the same.
The people of Nineveh, who were very wicked, listened to the warning of Jonah and repented. Throughout our studies in Luke, Jesus has said repeatedly “Don’t just listen to my words, put them into practice, do something about them”.
Some people refuse to believe in Jesus unless they see something miraculous. They are constantly looking for a sign in order to believe. The message today is that WE are a sign of God’s grace, WE are a reflection of forgiveness, WE are a message of hope. May our lives shine brightly in this dark world.
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