In their hypocrisy, the Pharisees had added and manipulated the Law with the pretense of pursuing greater holiness. Jesus exposes their true wicked nature, showing that while they look holy on the inside, they are dirty on the inside. Incidentally, a different group who were the scholars of the Law, were also offended by Jesus’ statement. The scholars worked closely with the Pharisees in dealing with the Law. They were very respected because they were considered experts of the Mosaic Law, the central aspect of their society steeped in tradition (Ezra 7:6).

So Jesus was an uneducated carpenter from Galilee while this man was a recognized scholar. The scholar confronts Jesus saying Jesus insults them also. The word insult implies strong slander and great offense. This man is very upset and angry at Jesus’ words. This is intentional. In Luke 11, Jesus gives six woes. Who is the intended audience of these woes? It is the self-righteous church and the false Christians who should listen and be saved. This is an important message not only to the scholar but as a warning to all of us.

Jesus gives three reasons why they should be condemned.

False religion has no power to achieve salvation rightly with God. “For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear.” The scholars interpreted the law of God for the people and when they did so they kept adding additional restrictions until it was unbearable. The Law is good for by it we know what sin is. It tells us how to live. The law is actually full of God’s love. Yet they took the law and made it a heavy burden through lists and lists of extra laws in the Mishnah. They applied the Law to every corner of life to the point where the original law was completely buried under hypocrisy and legalism. The Mishnah controlled every little aspect of life with unbearable trivial rules.

What’s worse is that the scholars themselves will not help them with their burdens. They cause this suffocating suffering to the people but do nothing to provide relief. They just watch the people suffer and point out when they fail to obey. This is not God’s intent for the Law. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt to give them freedom, not to enslave them under a heavy burdensome law. A burdensome law has no power to change someone’s heart at all. The Catholic Church tried through the priesthood but failed and was exposed to corruption behind the scenes. Some fundamentalists in the modern church also try to control what a Christian eats or does. These extra laws attempt to get closer to God but instead drive people away through impotent burdens.

In Matthew 12:3-6, we see Jesus is greater than the Sabbath and the temple. David and the priests broke the Sabbath. Breaking the rule of law is bad but breaking the spirit of the law is much worse. The law shows us how to enjoy and love God. Jesus says come to me all who are weary, his yoke is easy and the burden is light. See how different Jesus’ call is from the scribes! His call is good, comforting, and superior. The call is for the Christian, to come and enjoy Jesus, to seek Him with childlike faith.

False religion produces death (Ephesians 2:1, Romans 8:8). That is because false religions operate from within the flesh. There is no new life or spirit. “For you build the tombs of the prophets, but your fathers killed them”. The scholars loved to build monuments for the OT prophets. Yet it was their fathers who killed them. By building the tombs, Jesus is saying they are not different from their fathers. Building a tomb for the prophets doesn’t mean they agree with the prophets because they didn’t condemn their fathers. They should have repented and believed instead of building a tomb. As proof, Jesus said this generation would also kill the apostles that He sends. False religion produces murderers. Jesus is the one who builds the true church that produces life. All other religions try to persecute and destroy the true living church. Jesus continues by saying “The blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, maybe charged against this generation”. Eventually, death and judgment came to the nation of Israel in the form of Roman soldiers and the whole generation paid the price. Ultimately final judgment will happen and they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented forever.

False religion has no savior. They have taken Jesus out of their religion and merely apply the truth generally. The scholars have taken away the key of knowledge. The key of knowledge is the last and highest hope, which is the key to entering the gates of heaven. Jesus is the key of knowledge (Matthew 16:19; John 1:1-2,6:46). Only those who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16,18). Luke 11:15 is an example where they tried to take the key away. They accused Jesus of being under the power of Satan. It is dangerous and wicked to hinder those who want to come to Jesus. They reject the key themselves. They also prevent others from coming to Jesus. Many churches have also removed the key and prevented others from finding it by preaching a different Jesus or a different gospel. This is the final and greatest woe! Woe to those who spread a false gospel and take away the key of knowledge of Jesus Christ and His salvation.

False religions have no power to rescue people, they produce only death and they have no savior because they reject Jesus. This is Jesus’ sixth indictment against false religions. Jesus lovingly and strongly warns us, “See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5). What is the best way to avoid being deceived by false religion? It’s not by studying the false religions and being wary of them. It is to focus on knowing the true Jesus Christ intimately. If you know the true Jesus then you will not be deceived by the imposters.

In today’s text, Pastor Paul delves into the characteristics of the false religion exemplified by the Pharisees, as highlighted in Luke 11:42-45. Pharisaism was a religion rooted in a works-based approach, heavily dependent on meticulous adherence to the law of God. However, the fundamental flaw in this system is that no one, except for Jesus Christ, can fully keep the law. This impossibility leads to an inevitable hypocrisy within false religions, as the sinner’s heart remains unchanged and steeped in sin. As a result, these religions often emphasize secondary, petty issues, diverting attention from the more significant matters of faith.

Jesus denounces this false religion and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees through three woes in verses 42 through 44. The first woe focuses on the Pharisees’ failure to prioritize justice and the love of God. Instead, they are consumed by secondary and trivial matters, which is a hallmark of false religion. Because their hearts are corrupt, they cannot genuinely engage with justice and God’s love. This leads them to focus on external appearances, multiply symbolic acts, and get lost in minutiae, rather than cultivating a true relationship with God.

The second woe condemns the Pharisees for their love of recognition and honor within religious settings. They seek the chief seats in the synagogues and crave respectful greetings in public places. This pursuit of titles and accolades reveals the pride at the heart of false religion. In the Pharisees’ hearts, God is absent, and therefore, the Scriptures do not transform them. We can draw a parallel to modern-day false religions, such as the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church, where leaders hold grand titles that are meaningless in the eyes of God. In contrast, true Christianity calls believers to deny themselves, follow Christ, and seek to honor God alone through faith and obedience.

The third woe likens the Pharisees to concealed tombs, symbolizing their hidden hypocrisy and the danger they pose to others. Like unmarked graves, they spread defilement to those who come into contact with them, leading people astray without their knowledge. Jesus warns that the Pharisees will be judged not only for their own hypocrisy but also for the negative influence they exert on others through their false teachings.

In the cultural context of Jesus’ time, contact with a dead body or even a grave rendered a person ceremonially unclean, requiring a lengthy and costly purification process. The Jews were careful to mark graves to avoid accidental defilement. Similarly, the Pharisees, with their hidden corruption, defiled those who interacted with them without the people even realizing it. This defilement was spiritual, leading people away from the truth of God rather than toward it.

The text emphasizes that true knowledge of God is not based on outward appearances or external rituals but on a transformed heart. Genuine faith is characterized by a deep love for righteousness, God, Christ, Scripture, and humility. This transformation can only occur through the word of God, which is necessary, sufficient, and authoritative in all matters of salvation. Unlike the Pharisees, true believers reflect godliness and eternal life, offering spiritual nourishment to those they encounter, rather than defilement.

In conclusion, we must examine our own hearts and ensure that our faith is not merely external but rooted in a genuine relationship with God. By focusing on the essentials of faith—justice, love for God, and humility—believers can avoid the pitfalls of false religion and hypocrisy. The text serves as a reminder that true Christianity is about inner transformation and living out the love and justice of God in everyday life.

Every religion founded by man tries to address this aspect of man’s fallen nature called hypocrisy. The church is often accused of being hypocrites. People think hypocrisy is a matter of behavior but hypocrisy has to do more with God. Every other religion is hypocritical because they do not rightly understand God. That’s what’s amazing about the Bible. Through the Bible, we can get God right.

The scribes and Pharisees were experts in the Law of Moses and dedicated their lives to studying and practicing the Law. Initially, their intentions were good but by Jesus’ day, they were corrupt, especially in their understanding of holiness and purity. The Pharisees challenged Jesus and Jesus provides solutions to escape their damning hypocrisy. It would be good for us to also pay attention because all of us also fall under hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a very serious sin and heavy crime because even though we are Christians when we are hypocritical we act like the unbeliever. Hell is full of hypocrites. Non-Christians cannot help but be hypocrites because all their attempts at being righteous fall short. All their righteousness is acting. The Christians are the only ones that can fight off hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has two meanings: acting or pretending and in Hebrew it means godlessness. The Pharisees were both acting and godless but they could not see how bad they were so Jesus exposed them.

Previously Jesus accused the Pharisees of being spiritually blind, having eyes full of darkness. A Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal to entrap Him. The Pharisee is stunned that Jesus did not wash His hands before the meal because washing hands was a significant tradition and one of the best ways to be holy. It was unthinkable for Jesus to not wash His hands. Not washing your hands was equivalent to committing adultery (Talmud). Jesus intentionally does not wash His hands to help them see their damning hypocrisy which will lead them to hell.

What is hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is a false profession with empty vanity. It can also be pretending. Hypocrisy is like counterfeit money, which is fake currency, a very serious crime in all countries. So Jesus addresses the Pharisees with intent to expose their hypocrisy which Jesus knows will be the trigger for their conspiring against Him.

Jesus says their outside is clean like a cup, but their problem is inside. Their appearance looks great but they are hypocrites where everything is a pretend show and they hide their true nature. Judas who betrayed Jesus was also a hypocrite and no one suspected him until the very end. Hypocrisy is not a statement against someone’s appearance but their inside. Heaven on the outside but hell on the inside. Jesus says they are full of robbery. It is a great and unquenchable greed that pursues everything worldly. On the outside they are praised for their piety but inside they are a black hole of wickedness. But because they wash their hands, they think they can do what they want and take what they want.

On a related note, the church has two rituals, baptism, and the Lord’s supper. Baptism is a wonderful ritual and it represents our spiritual death to sin and our new life to God. Hypocrisy would rely on the ritual of baptism vs the actual spiritual life of Jesus Christ that baptism represents. Like washing hands, the ritual of baptism does not make you holy. The same applies to the Lord’s supper. The supper is a time to repent and remember the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are to be spiritually rejuvenated through practicing the Lord’s supper. How do you treat the Lord’s supper? Is it just a superstitious religious ritual? Sunday worship can also turn into a ritual for the believer. We must come to worship God with genuine faith and love. Do we experience Jesus in our fellowship or do we treat others as Christian coworkers? Examine your life and its desires and actions. Do you seek after Jesus like the deer pants for the water and walk in the light rather than the darkness? Ask these questions to determine whether you are practicing hypocrisy.

Jesus calls hypocrites “You foolish ones!”. This does not mean they are stupid or lacking knowledge. They were experts in the Law. They are foolish because they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah despite the fact He has done everything to prove that He is. They see His miracles without seeing God and they hear His teaching without understanding. They don’t realize reality therefore they are fools. 1 Samuel 16:7 says “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” They must understand that as hypocrites they stand condemned. They take their own way to be pure and holy. Hypocrisy can only be dealt with and avoided in Jesus Christ. This is the privilege of the Christian (John 3:16). The fool is the one who doesn’t understand their standing before God and their end will be destruction (Luke 12:20).

There is hope for the hypocrite and Jesus offers a remedy. “But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.” Jesus is not merely referring to giving their money but Jesus says give that which is within. They must give from a transformed regenerated heart. Man’s sinful nature cannot change on their own just as a leopard cannot change its spots (Jeremiah 13:23). The only solution is to surrender to Jesus Christ alone. If Jesus changes your heart and dwells in you, only then can you be truly selfless and help others purely. Zaccheus used to steal but after being saved by Jesus, he desired to help the poor (Luke 19:8-9). Christians change because they have a new heart that sees the world with new eyes and a new relationship with Jesus Christ. This inner change is what is most important. God hates hypocrites and we are fools if we think we can deceive God. But in Jesus Christ, we can be changed.

In today’s text, we learn that a clear eye symbolizes a spiritually vibrant and undivided heart. At conversion, every Christian receives the fullness of Jesus Christ, as He has given everything of Himself (John 1:14, 16-18). This fullness equips believers to face the world through faith, demonstrating God’s complete forgiveness of their sins. Those who remain in darkness, however, do not receive this forgiveness.

Living in the light of Christ indicates a transformation in nature, where the old self is replaced by a new one through God’s forgiveness. The gospel grants a new heart to those who repent and believe, filling them with desires to hate sin and love righteousness as the Spirit resides in them. Christians are guided by the light of Christ, avoiding distractions and confusion by focusing on the Lord. Following Jesus requires self-denial and daily commitment to bearing one’s cross (Luke 9:23), and aligning one’s will with God’s.

Worshiping Jesus exclusively is another result of being filled with His light. The indwelling Holy Spirit enables believers to worship God in spirit and truth, acknowledging that nothing compares to Jesus. Serving two masters is impossible; thus, Christians must wholly follow God’s will.

Evidence of possessing the full light of Jesus Christ is visible in a believer’s life. This illumination shines naturally and cannot be hidden, being a gift received through grace and faith. The world recognizes this light, much like the undeniable brightness of the sun. Believers don’t need to strive to make this light visible; it radiates inherently.

Christians, filled with light, are deeply connected to God’s word, which becomes their ultimate guide and source of life (Psalm 119:105). Knowing the holy God who saved them leads to humility and a genuine love for Him and others. Loving Christ means obeying His word and spreading the gospel. The believer’s primary mission is to make Christ known, fulfilling the Great Commission and leaving the results to the Lord.

The life of a Christian is markedly different from that of an unbeliever. This distinction is evident without the need for explanations, as the light of Christ influences their thoughts, speech, and actions, contrasting sharply with worldly behavior. Therefore, believers must continuously examine themselves to ensure they reflect Christ’s light in obedience, bringing glory to God.

Around Jesus were a few different groups. Some acknowledged Jesus and followed Him. Others were genuinely curious about who Jesus was and trying to learn from Him. There were also the scribes, who denied Jesus as the Messiah despite seeing all the miraculous signs and hearing His teachings. Jesus is God incarnate, who came to earth as fully God and fully man displaying power and teaching the truth. Jesus called the scribes and their group a wicked generation. He tells them they are spiritually blind and full of darkness.

Jesus uses a lamp as a metaphor for Himself. He is the light in the darkness (Luke 1:33). Similarly the eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is clear your whole body is full of light. A clear eye means you love Jesus and see Him as Your Savior and Lord. Christians see by faith, therefore If your faith is clear then your life and actions will also be faithful. Before being saved, Apostle Paul had no idea who Jesus was, and in fact, he hated Jesus and persecuted the church. After encountering the light of Jesus on the road to Damascus, Apostle Paul was completely transformed (Galatians 2:20). Because Apostle Paul saw the light, he lived a faithful life.

“But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness” – Luke 11:34 If your body is full of darkness then your new nature has not been formed yet. These are the people who just put on the religious uniform. There is no change on the inside. They claim to know Jesus and act like they know Jesus but do not possess Jesus. They are full of darkness. Notice how there is no middle ground. You are either in the light or in darkness. What is the reason people cannot see? Why do they still remain in sin? Jesus states it is because their eyes are bad.

What is darkness? Our darkness is not earned but inherited. As a sinner, everyone is born in the darkness. The darkness is our depraved sinful nature. Jesus is the light that is stronger than the sun. He came to earth to shine in the darkness, yet the people could not see (John 1:5,10). How do we know people live in darkness? They have evil thoughts and commit shameless sins (Mark 7:20-21, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:18). Just look at the world around us. Everything that man is involved with is full of sin and foolishness.

Why is this message important? Because people say that they have the light. However, Jesus says their light is darkness. So many claim to be Christian or good people or morally right but their light is actually darkness (Proverbs 14:12). This is why people don’t change. If they were truly in the light of Jesus then there would be a transformation from the inside and out. It is not the profession of faith but the possession of faith that saves. Do not be deceived, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). So many believe they are being led by the light when they remain in darkness. In fact, everyone is led by some set of beliefs that they believe is right. This is Christ’s strong warning to everyone. He is the only true light. The wicked are like bugs flying towards the light of a bug zapper. They are deceived and follow the light to their death (Romans 10:2-3).

Pastor met two Mormon missionaries in his neighborhood. They follow the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon. They are very devoted and sacrifice greatly for their false faith. Churchgoers also fall under this category of false light. The Bible says there are many who profess faith and do deeds in the name of Jesus but Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). This warning highlights the importance of repentance and sanctification as true signs of salvation because it is not easy to discern who is truly in the light of Jesus merely by their actions.

How do you know if you are being led by the false light? If you are ignorant of God. If you don’t know God then this is your primary problem. Do you know God wholly and completely according to the whole counsel of Scripture? Not just God is love but also God is justice. A skewed and false understanding of God misunderstands the gospel. All heresies begin with a wrong understanding of God. Do you know God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do you know God whose name is holy and not to be taken in vain? Do you know the God who knows all things, made all things, is eternal, and does not change? Do you know Jesus who lived a sinless life and came to suffer and die and rose again from the dead? Do you know Jesus as Savior and Lord? Do you love another gospel? Is the true gospel not enough? Do you need prosperity, Christian Nationalism, social justice, Islam, or psychology? These all lead to hatred and violence. True change is not behavior modification but an inner transformation by the life of Jesus Christ. People tend to focus on outward change. A mere outward change will not last and its true colors will reveal itself in the end(Luke 11:54).

Follow the true light, the true gospel of Jesus, and the Word of God. As Christians, if you are not changing, then your Jesus is fake and false. You need the real Jesus with the true light. Make sure the light in you is not darkness. (Luke 11:35) How can you make sure you are not entangled by the false light? Jesus says “Watch out”. To watch out is to ask yourself, “Is Christ in your heart? Is Jesus enough for you, are you satisfied in Him alone?” Guard your heart. Pray and meditate on God’s word daily. Listen to what others say about our spiritual life. Live with sound doctrine. This is how to guard your heart and follow the true light. Ask yourself if Jesus is your light? If so, then the Bible is actively working to shine the light in the darkness of our hearts.

“No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.”

In the parable of the Lighted Lamp, the Lamp describes Jesus Christ who is the Light. Like the lamp that is a source of light in darkness, Jesus is the only resource available to those who are given eyes to see. He is the only one able to make a true difference to those who repent and believe in him.

The light of Jesus Christ is supernatural. In heaven, God’s light will illumine the day and the night will go away with all other natural lights no longer needed (Rev. 22:5). Unfortunately, sinners mistakenly think that the lights of this world are enough to find peace. But only the light of Christ is able to bring peace and make the sinner’s heart different.

Whoever has the light of Christ will reflect him in their lives and they shine forth his light to those around them. Christians are lamp stands and do not self-radiate their own light. They reflect Christ’s light.

“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light,”

At the conversion of every believer, they begin to see clearly and their blurry vision as sinners dissipates. When regeneration occurs by the Holy Spirit, conversion follows from being spiritually dead to being made alive to God. Conversion changes the heart and manifests the Christian’s new allegiance to Christ in outward change. Consequently, conversion leads to ongoing transformation as the Christian grows to be more like Christ.

The transformation is a result of the heart change and the heart’s expression is the eye or the body. The inner man is given spiritual eyes that are different from the physical eye of the body. The inner man is given the ability to discern and think of how to glorify God as they are given a new heart. God dwells in the believer. He continues to enlighten the Christian by manifesting himself and his truths through Scripture, which continues to sanctify the inner man.

In the prior life before Christ, the sinner remained in darkness and did not want the light. Their lampstand was void of any light. But having been delivered from darkness and into light, the light is given and will shine forever. In Paul’s conversion, the light of Christ only shone on him and his spiritual eyes were opened even though his physical eyes could no longer see (Acts 9:3-5, 8).

The difference between the unbeliever and the Christian is the believer’s conversion that leads to true transformation. The life of the truly converted must be radically different. It is different from behavioral modification because the heart is changed. Paul changed drastically from when he was Saul to the point where the Jews plotted together to put him to death (Acts 9:23).

The only thing that can make the sinner different is to be given a clear eye that makes the body full of light. The heart change leads to a life that is eternally transformed to be godly and righteous, reflecting the Holy One, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When the eye is clear, the Christian is given the gift of contentment to live a simple life of devotion to God, his word, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42). In addition, the Christian focuses on the things of the Lord because they become singularly fixed on glorifying Christ through faith. Their lives become more encouraged by the love of Christ and lead a life to loving him alone.

“but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.”

The Lord is referring to the wicked generation of unbelievers. But this text can also be applied to some believers who use their freedom to still disobey. Without walking with Christ, the heart can lead to darkness and make sinful decisions that result in consequences even for believers. The self or circumstances must not rule over biblical truth. When this persists, one might need to reassess if their heart has been truly converted because only a life of misery results. Repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can only provide true light that gives understanding leading to obedience and sanctification.

Jesus had proven continually that He was the prophesied Messiah through countless miracles and teachings. However, the Israelites and Pharisees demanded one more sign from Jesus to prove who He was. He had just healed a blind man but it was not enough. Jesus lays into them calling them a wicked generation with no hunger or thirst for the truth. They have no excuse to reject Him because they have seen so many signs. Even the lepers were healed, which was a very specific and telling sign of the Messiah. Yet they did not believe and they did not change. This is why Jesus says they will have no sign but the sign of Jonah.

We all know the story of Jonah, the angry and bitter prophet, who was swallowed by a big fish for three days and vomited back on the shore. This was the sign of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus claimed to Mary and Martha, “I am the resurrection”. The resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. All other doctrines flow out of the resurrection. We have life because of the resurrection. The resurrection is the ultimate sign by which our faith rests. Apostle Paul made it his mission to tell the world Jesus is alive (Acts 25:19). The resurrection is the sign of Jonah is greater than all the other signs and definitively declares Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus also compares this generation to the Queen of the South who traveled to see Solomon. She was the least privileged and least likely to seek God and yet when she heard from Solomon she believed. The Jews have all the privileges. They had their Jewish background and upbringing. They didn’t have to travel but Jesus came to them. They got to witness Jesus in person day after day. Solomon had a heavenly wisdom recognized by everyone (1 Kings 4:29-30,34). The Queen of the South traveled a great distance just to hear this heavenly wisdom. She realized that she needed to hear the truth of God, she needed to know how to be saved. Yet even though they heard Jesus preaching the gospel perfectly for over three years right in their own city, they remained unchanged. Behold, Jesus is greater than Solomon. The Queen was saved by hearing from Solomon. The Queen is no longer condemned but will condemn those who did not listen. If the Queen was saved by hearing Solomon, then what excuse is there when we have heard Jesus who is greater. Jesus perfectly explains who Yahweh is.

Jonah is the foreshadowing of Jesus. Jonah preached the same message of repentance and warned the people of Nineveh. Jonah is a herald of Jesus Christ. Through Jonah, we learn that there is salvation in no one else but Jesus alone. He is the only and perfect Savior. The message of Jonah is fulfilled in Jesus. When we fail to see Jesus as He is then we fail at any chance to know who God is. Jesus is the last and final opportunity for salvation.

This is how God saves, through the preaching of Jesus and the gospel which leads to repentance. Jonah preached and the people of Nineveh repented. The people of Nineveh were Gentiles, just like the Queen of the South, yet they repented. The Jews hated any mention of Gentiles being saved so this must have infuriated them. But preaching is inflammatory. People will either repent or reject. The Ninevites, the gentiles, the unworthy, heard Jonah’s message and repented. The Jews hated Jesus’ preaching and tried to kill him. They couldn’t see the point Jesus was making. That He is greater, he is the complete and consummate picture. Solomon and Jonah were a picture and sign towards Jesus. He is the real deal. He is the Word in flesh, fully man, fully God, displaying God’s glory and He preached the Gospel directly to them (John 1:1-3,4). Jonah was a servant of Jesus. Jonah was sent and so was Jesus, but Jesus is the original. Jonah versus Jesus is beyond comparison. Jonah was a man but Jesus is God.

Jonah’s message was local and limited. It only applied to Nineveh. But Jesus’s message is universal for all men everywhere for all time. It is the heavenly gospel that has the power to save (Galatians 1:11-12). Jonah preached a message of doom and legalism. They had to correct their outward behavior unless they would be destroyed. But Jesus’ message is one of grace and compassion. Jesus changes your life from within by the power of His grace. That grace is received by repentance. By God’s grace, you are able to repent. Repentance leads to change which can only happen by God’s grace. “Repentance is a heartfelt realization of how dreadfully I have failed all through my life, to give God His rightful place in my heart and daily walk.” – A. W. Pink. From the beginning, God has been calling men to repentance. The faith of Abraham and Moses all began with repentance. Today we must heed the same message of repentance. (Mark 1:15; Romans 10:9) Without repentance we cannot be saved, without repentance, Jesus is not our Lord.

Many fail to repent biblically and only appear to be Christian. True repentance leads to leaving our sins and becoming more like Christ. Once you repent then you pursue obedience also known as sanctification. The true Christian seeks to be holy. Additionally, Jesus leaves us with His comforting presence. Today is a day of salvation because Jesus is here. This wicked generation has no interest in Jesus who died on the cross. They refuse to believe. But God is gracious to save. In Jesus, we have everything we need to know and believe. We simply need to trust and repent and God will give abundantly.

The passage reflects on the sovereignty of God as depicted in the Exodus narrative, particularly focusing on the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh during the Ten Plagues. These plagues, intended to display God’s glory and power, serve a dual purpose: to judge the wickedness of the Egyptians and to deliver the Israelites from bondage, ultimately leading them to the promised land of Canaan where they can worship Yahweh freely.

Central to the discussion is the concept of God’s absolute sovereignty, which means He has ultimate authority and control over all things. This idea can be unsettling to many in the modern world who cherish personal autonomy and struggle with the notion of a deity who exercises such unrestricted power. Despite this discomfort, the text emphasizes that God’s sovereignty is not just a doctrine but a fundamental aspect of His identity as Yahweh.

In the narrative, Yahweh explicitly states that He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This hardening is crucial because it ensures that Pharaoh continues to resist Moses’ demands to release the Israelites, thereby setting the stage for the subsequent plagues and demonstrating God’s power over earthly rulers and circumstances. Despite God’s active hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, the text clarifies that this does not imply God causes sin. Rather, it underscores His sovereignty in orchestrating events according to His divine plan.

The passage addresses theological challenges posed by God’s sovereignty, such as reconciling His control over events with the existence of evil and human free will. It argues that God’s sovereignty does not negate human responsibility or excuse sin but rather works in conjunction with it to fulfill His purposes. Even in the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, God remains just and holy, using Pharaoh’s actions to display both His wrath and His mercy.

Moreover, the narrative stresses that God’s sovereignty serves a redemptive purpose. By demonstrating His power through the plagues and the subsequent deliverance of the Israelites, God reveals Himself as the sovereign Savior who acts for the salvation of His people. This theme underscores the broader biblical narrative where God’s actions throughout history, including in the Exodus, point toward His ultimate plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.

The passage concludes by urging readers to embrace and acknowledge God’s sovereignty, not just for theological reasons but also for personal salvation. It encourages a deeper relationship with Yahweh, emphasizing that knowing God is the most profound and fulfilling pursuit one can undertake. The story of Joseph forgiving his brothers despite their betrayal serves as a poignant example of how God, in His sovereignty, can turn even evil intentions into opportunities for redemption and life-saving grace.

Overall, the passage from Exodus and its theological reflection emphasizes God’s sovereignty as a foundational truth that shapes both the biblical narrative and the Christian understanding of God’s character and actions in the world. It challenges readers to trust in God’s wisdom and goodness, even in the face of difficulty and uncertainty, knowing that His sovereign plan ultimately leads to salvation and reconciliation with Him.

The major purpose for Jesus performing miracles is to prove what He said is what He meant and to verify who He is. The people had accused Him of being the son of Joseph and Mary implying He was not the Messiah. In Luke 11:29-32 Jesus explains that what He has done is enough to prove that He is the Messiah. He has cured so many diseases and performed so many miracles. Ironically the people responded with such great joy that those very signs actually became an indictment against them (Luke 10:10-15). They have been privileged and spoiled to witness these miracles, so much so that others would have already repented if they had experienced the same thing. Yet instead of repenting, they accuse Jesus of being a servant of Satan. The same can be said of the modern American church. We are extremely blessed and materially spoiled but we are dead in spirit, complaining and asking for more signs.

In Luke 11:31, Jesus continues comparing this generation to the Queen of the South in the time of King Solomon. Jesus says I am superior to Jonah and Solomon. I am more than a prophet or a king, I am the Son of God, the promised Messiah.

The Queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba. Jesus says she will rise up at the judgment. This judgment refers to the judgment of the great white throne at the end of time. The fact that she will rise means she became a believer and was saved. She will condemn them doesn’t mean the Queen is the judge for only God is the judge. However, it does mean she will not be condemned herself and she will shame those who are. She was not a Jew but an idol-worshipping Gentile woman. Originally she was the most condemned. She didn’t see any miracles but by hearing the wisdom of Solomon she became a believer and saved. What an accusation against patriarchal and traditional Jews. The Queen of the South not only avoided condemnation and shamed those who are condemned, but will also receive a great reward (Luke 11:31). Salvation is more than avoiding condemnation and hell but a heavenly reward with Jesus Christ.

How was the Queen of the South saved? She made an effort to go see Solomon. We don’t know where exactly she came from but we can assume she came from a very far place that took a great time to travel. As a Queen, she left her domain and responsibilities, which required great effort and sacrifice, to hear the wisdom of Solomon. In contrast, we don’t have to travel far or sacrifice much to hear the word of God. In comparison, we have no excuse. Where is our effort to know God? We have so many resources readily available to us. If we wanted to know God we easily could but so many of us don’t put in even the slightest effort.

The Queen of the South desired to hear about Yahweh from Solomon (1 Kings 10:1). The Bible says people are saved by hearing the Gospel. The Queen wanted to hear true wisdom from Solomon. Indeed, Solomon truly was a wise man of wisdom who had received divine wisdom from God when he was a child. He wrote three books of wisdom in the Bible (Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes). Solomon tells us that “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7)

After hearing from Solomon, the Queen believed and responded with praise to God and blessing towards Solomon (1 Kings 10:9). This is why rejecting Jesus is inexcusable. Jesus declares “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.“ Even though Solomon was supernaturally gifted with knowledge and wisdom beyond normal men, he was still just a mortal and local king who had many faults and sins. Jesus is the King of Kings, fully God, and full man. Jesus is perfect, mighty and never failing; to Him be the glory and the might forever and ever (Revelation 1:5-6). Jesus is the supreme ruler of all creation (Colossians 1:15). If Jesus is your King, then you must surrender and listen to Him. His words and ways are our blessing and truth (Mark 1:8).

Solomon is one of many sons of David but Jesus is the Son of David (Mark 10:47), the promised Messiah. He is the true Savior of His people and the eternal King. Without Jesus, we cannot see the light. We are blind in our sins, but in Jesus, we can see (John 9:25). Jesus provides for our most fundamental needs. He gives us salvation and freedom from our sins through the love and grace of God. We do not need health wealth or worldly wisdom. These do not satisfy us because they don’t meet our real needs. We need Jesus! In Jesus, we have all the wonderful blessings of God.

Jesus is the source of wisdom. If you don’t have Jesus then you are not wise despite how much knowledge you have. Wisdom is the ability to see reality as God sees it. That is only possible in Jesus Christ because Jesus is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption personified (1 Corinthians 1:30). We are not wise on our own, but every Christian has access to all the wisdom in Jesus (Colossians 2:3). The smartest and brightest in the world are foolish without Jesus. The atheist is a fool because they deny God (Psalm 14:1). Jesus came to earth to explain who God is, our Heavenly Father who is full of grace, truth, love, and power. The wise believe in Jesus and trust His words.

There is also the unrealistic fool found in 1 Corinthians 1:18 who perish in their foolishness. They reject the crucifixion as God’s means of salvation. They think the cross is a nice gesture and Jesus was a nice man and a good teacher. But they do not realize that there is no other way to escape the wrathful judgment of God towards sinners and be forgiven except through the cross. This is the reality of salvation.

The independent fool does not depend on the cross but depends on their own works and religion (Matthew 7:21-23). They have confidence in their own deeds versus what Jesus did. They rely on their tradition when they possess no hope or life.

The head knowledge fool only appears wise but lacks obedience. They know the truth in their head but do not live it in their heart. It is merely lip service and not true wisdom. Jesus obeyed to the point of death. He not only spoke the truth but obeyed.

There is also the Christian fool. “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken”. The Christian knows what the Scripture says but they fail to trust in God. The wise Christian lives according to every word of God in every circumstance. Jesus went through every moment according to the Scriptures (Matthew 26:51,56).

The world is a flood of worldly wisdom. However, they are lost without Jesus Christ. He is superior to Solomon because He is real and genuine and everlasting. He is with us. Listen to His Word through the Scriptures. Ask the Lord in prayer to reveal Himself to you.

Jesus’ ministry was full of signs and wonders that pointed to him as the Christ and Savior. This discourse of Jesus in Luke 11 concludes that there is no more excuse as he laid out clearly that he is the only way to the Father. Jesus states how evil this generation is and how it eagerly seeks a sign, not out of a genuine heart of wanting to believe in Jesus, but rather to find a way to dismiss and reject Jesus as the Savior and Lord he is.

“This generation” Jesus alludes to implies the wicked and evil people. It does not speak specifically of the people during Jesus’ time but speaks of people in general. These people actively seek evil and what is harmful just as the people continually committed evil during Noah’s time leading to God’s judgment (Gen. 6:9, 11). God’s solution to these evil and wicked people is his judgment and punishment. Jesus indicted these people as they did not seek forgiveness and salvation. These people sought to entrap and destroy Jesus.

Moreover, “this generation” describes all sinners since Adam and unbelievers today who find any excuse to push away Jesus Christ. The Apostle John made it clear that those who believe in Christ are not judged but those who do not believe are judged and indicted already because they did not believe in Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:18).

So what sign did these evil sinning people seek that Jesus states (v. 29). First, we must define what a sign is. A sign is something significant and points to something. Jesus showed many signs and wonders to point to himself as the promised Messiah, the God-incarnate, and Savior (Jn. 10:24-25). Despite the many signs, the evil people say they are inadequate and continue to demand more. These people might be religious and externally upright, but they lack the regeneration to the heart and completely miss the source of the sign, Jesus Christ.

The sign that these people sought was a different Messiah who fit their idea of who would rescue them from the Romans and their current state. They wanted a Messiah who was a conqueror and a warrior. They sought any other sign but the one that Jesus continued to show through the gospel. Jesus continued to declare that he must suffer and die so that sinners can be saved. They refused to believe in this kind of Messiah and rejected him. In the end, what the evil generation is guilty of is that they have no more excuse for their unbelief. Jesus has demonstrated sufficiently to believe and be saved.

Jesus showed that no other sign was necessary and exposed their delay to surrender and believe in him. He, then, goes on to show the perfect and final sign; that is, the sign of Jonah (v. 29b-30). Jesus said, “For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation” (v. 30). Not only does Jesus recognize Jonah as a historical figure but he points to his death and resurrection in drawing a comparison between himself and Jonah (Matt. 12:40).

What happened to Jonah? Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish and remained in the belly of the fish for three days and spat out. In the same way, Jesus is pointing to his death on the cross and being raised up on the third day.

Jesus is the Son of Man. The God who became man and offered up himself as a sacrifice for many so that they would avoid judgment and wrath of God.

In other words, the Son of Man would be punished by God just as Jonah was as he refused to obey God. But just as Jonah was rescued, Jesus pointed to his resurrection. His resurrection is the final act that would bring eternal salvation to all those who would repent and believe in him.