EPISODE 33 Luke Chapter 11 ”Gentle Jesus Meek And Mild?”for Share The Word

Hi, and welcome to Share the Word, the best way to learn your way through the New Testament one chapter at a time. We know there are a lot of devotionals and encouraging thoughts for the day from the Bible available online, but our goal is a little more to honestly and systematically present the whole story of the New Testament. So let's listen in to today's lesson and go a little deeper. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Luke chapter 11. Here's a hymn written by a well-known hymn writer of the past named Charles Wesley titled Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.

Don't worry, I'm not going to sing it for you. But I wonder sometimes if Charles ever read the Gospel of Luke. I'm sure he did. But sometimes when we read the Bible, we take in what we like and conveniently kind of pass over the rest. I think his take on Jesus was maybe a little off, but he's certainly not alone. The popular conception of Jesus is that he was always meek and mild, serene above the fray, unperturbable.

That's the way he has usually been portrayed in the pictures, in the movies, right? But that's certainly not a complete picture of Jesus' character and personality. And if you haven't figured that out already from the Gospel of Luke, it's impossible to miss it here in chapter 11. The chapter begins with some teaching on prayer, which I'm not going to address today. We'll devote some lessons later entirely to that important topic. But as the chapter moves along, it gets into the deeper growing conflict that Jesus had with his detractors, the religious teachers and leaders in Israel at the time.

It's interesting to me that today, critics of Christianity often scoff at the Gospels because they contain so many examples of Jesus doing miraculous things. And of course, the critics mockingly say, We all know that miracles just do not happen. But the contemporaries of Jesus, people who were actually there, even the detractors who became his determined enemies, they didn't pretend the miracles did not happen. As you see here in verses 4 through 23, as well as in other places in the Gospels, that would have been impossible because too many people witnessed them during Jesus' very public ministry. So his opponents did not deny that Jesus did supernatural things. Instead, they said that he was some kind of magician or attributed his power to Satan, as here in chapter 11.

When Jesus cast out a demon from a possessed man, his detractors immediately attributed that miracle to the power of Satan. In reply to them, Jesus pointed out how illogical it was. How could Satan build his kingdom by destroying his own army? he asked them. That would be so self-defeating. I'm casting out demons by the power of God, and that should be proof to you that I am here on behalf of the kingdom of God.

If I have the power to enter Satan's domain and take what was his, doesn't that prove that I am stronger than he is, greater than he is? Of course it did. That was Jesus' logic. His display of divine power and authority over the evil one should have been another piece of clear enough evidence to cause his detractors to rethink their position on him. Jesus finished with a clear challenge. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Decide what side you're on, he told those onlookers who heard that exchange. Does it really make sense to you that I would be undoing the work of Satan by the power of Satan? As I would often say to my kids, Use your heads! One thing that noticeably frustrated Jesus was the constant demand for more and more signs, proofs. Many constantly kept up the chant of, Show us more miracles if you expect us to believe in you. Jesus had done miracle after miracle publicly and in many different places, yet this refrain kept up over and over.

Would they really believe in him because of one more sign? Or did they just enjoy the show and want to be wowed as if he were a Las Vegas magician there to entertain them? On this occasion, Luke says at verse 29, As the crowd was growing around him and some were taunting him about giving them more dramatic confirming signs, Jesus sharply rebuked them with these words: This is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Yes, the men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Can you hear the frustration in his voice? Can you tell he is exasperated with these people? He would not entertain them with miracles.

When he says, The only sign I have for you will be like the sign of Jonah, what do you think he meant by that? Are you familiar with that reference to an account in the Old Testament? There's an Old Testament prophetic book by the name of Jonah, which tells an incredible story about God calling a prophet named Jonah to go and preach a message of repentance to the great city of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which was an enemy and serious threat to Israel at the time. Jonah didn't want to go. He didn't want to preach to those wicked heathens.

He would much prefer to see them judged than to see them repent. So rather than obeying God's call, he boarded a ship heading in the very opposite direction. But once out to sea, that ship was overtaken by a terrible storm, which threatened to capsize it. Jonah was convinced that God was pursuing him and that the storm was because of his disobedience. He told the crew, Throw me overboard because the danger that is coming to all of you is on my account. They hesitated, of course, but as things got more desperate and the sailors and other passengers were in real fear for their lives, eventually they said, May God forgive us, and tossed Jonah over the side of that ship.

Then comes the part of the story that Jesus was alluding to. Jonah hits the water. Splash! I imagine starts doing whatever swimming stroke he knew best because there was no land in sight. But the storm suddenly subsides. The sea calms.

Didn't matter because he was suddenly swallowed up by a great fish. Gulp! I know what you may be thinking at this point, Ha ha, that's one crazy story. But wait, it gets even crazier. Jonah is gulped down by the big fish, but is miraculously kept alive in its belly. Three days later, God caused the fish to spit Jonah back up on the beach.

Prophet by this time, as you might well imagine, is now ready to obey rather than run from God's assignment. I can see him cleaning himself up in the surf and determining, against his own feelings, that to obey God now would be the wise thing to do. So he went to Nineveh, and he preached to them that they needed to repent of their wickedness or face judgment. And to Jonah's great surprise, and displeasure actually, many of the people in that great city listened to his message, repented, and turned to God. Before we return to what all this has to do with Jesus, did you know people have actually been swallowed by large fish or whales and lived to tell about it? I remember reading one such account about a guy named Mike Packard, who was a commercial lobster harvester working out of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

He was swallowed by a humpback whale while diving for lobsters. This happened about 20 years ago now, and Mike lived to tell about it. He said during a dive, he felt the whale suck him in and remembered the darkness and feeling the compression of the whale's throat muscles closing in on him. And then he was spit out by the whale, who apparently realized he didn't want to try to digest scuba gear. In his case, he was only in the whale for a minute or two, unlike Jonah. So Jonah's survival obviously was miraculous, and that was Jesus' point.

That's why it was a sign. What happened with Jonah certainly convinced him, and likely the people of Nineveh, that God was serious and his word was to be taken seriously. Jesus was suggesting something akin to what happened with Jonah would happen to him. And that it would be a sign to his generation. Clearly, he was referring to, predicting actually, his own resurrection on the third day after he was dead and buried. The resurrection of Jesus was the greatest of signs, as we saw in the Gospel of John.

He predicted it, and against everything known to be possible, it happened. That didn't cause those who were there at the time to believe in him. It's only because they were so hardened, nothing would cause them to believe in him. Jesus here reminds his listeners of another Old Testament event. He talks about the Queen of Sheba, who came from a great distance to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. This is back in 1 Kings chapter 10.

Yet he says, Someone greater than Solomon is here, and you won't listen to him. This wasn't brag, just fact. That queen wanted to hear the wisdom of Solomon, which he was so famous for that she traveled a great distance to meet him. But these people now had the Son of God right there among them and didn't want to listen to him. Jesus again comes down hard on these unbelieving listeners. The people of Nineveh who repented, and the Queen of Sheba too, they will rise up on Judgment Day to agree that this generation who saw and heard me and rejected me should be condemned.

That was a stinging indictment. Even more so when you realize Jesus was talking about Gentiles, the Queen of Sheba and those Assyrians who responded to God's message from Jonah, will be in judgment of religious Jews. That was a very sharp indictment of his listeners that day, and they definitely took offense at it. It's also another time our author, Dr. Luke, points up that Jesus did not come just to be a Savior for Jews. The grace of God will cover all who hear the word of God and respond in faith.

So don't close your eyes to the light that is shining on you now, Jesus warned them, and by extension, us. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild. Hardly. In the final third of this chapter, Luke describes a real uncomfortable dinner that happened later that same day, apparently. One of the Pharisees, who I guess was a glutton for punishment, invited Jesus to his house for dinner that night. Perhaps he imagined, there must be some misunderstandings here, and I'll see if I can clear them up.

Jesus was already obviously not in a good mood from what's gone on earlier in the day. Once there and ready for the meal to begin, Luke says the Pharisee noticed that Jesus had not washed his hands. Remember the hedge around the law we discussed a few days ago? This was a big no-no for them. It wasn't just about hygiene; it was about ceremonial religious cleanness, one of their rules. I'm not sure if the host commented on this or if Jesus could just tell he was thinking it, but that's all it took for Jesus to launch into what we would say is a rant.

You care about washing the outside of things, but inside you're full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Don't you think that the one who made the outside also made the inside? You tithe from the smallest herbs in your garden, but you neglect to do justice. You love to be respectfully greeted in the public places and to sit in the important seats in the synagogues, but you are like unmarked graves that people are walking over without even knowing it. Another of the guests who was there, who was an expert in the law of Moses, interjected, Whoa, Rabbi, you're insulting us.

Very astute. Jesus was insulting them, but over things that needed to be called out. You think anybody was enjoying their meal at this point? Turning on the man who said he felt insulted, Jesus continued, And you law experts, you pile on people rules and regulations they can never bear, and you yourselves would never lift a finger to help them. You piously build tombs for the prophets, whom your own fathers murdered. All the faithful men of God in the past who were killed unjustly by those who didn't want to hear their message, your generation is accountable for their blood.

You not only don't listen to the truth, but turn others away who would. You not only will not enter the kingdom of God yourselves, you block others who are trying. Yikes. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Is this maybe causing you to rethink your image of what Jesus was really like? He was a dinner guest, and before the first course, he's going off on his host and others who were there because he was frankly disgusted by their unbelief and pride.

What do these scenes in chapter 11 of Luke tell you about the real Jesus? When I look through this chapter, I realize there were easier, less controversial directions to go with a 20-minute commentary. But I promise you, we will never shy away from what's most obvious in the text because it may not fit with some people's sensibilities. Share the Word is about presenting the New Testament straightforwardly, honestly, in down-to-earth language. So when we're at a place like Luke chapter 11, that means presenting Jesus like he really was. Not how some have reimagined him to be, or even how we would like him to be.

I can tell you for sure, if I had been a guest at that dinner, I would have certainly been taken aback by Jesus jumping down those guys' throats like this. My eyes would have gotten real big, along with everybody else's who witnessed it, and you could probably have heard a pin drop in that dining room by the time he was done. So what does this tell us about the real Jesus? Well, for one thing, it tells us that he was very human. Humans get frustrated, and humans get angry with the right kinds of provocation. It seems to me like the interactions Jesus had with his detractors throughout this day kept building and building frustration and righteous anger inside of him until the, Hey, you didn't wash your hands comment became the straw that broke the camel's back.

Jesus was very human, and actually, it's very theologically important that Jesus was very human. He was not God pretending to be man, or God appearing to be man. He was the God-man, the absolutely unique Son of God, God among us as a real human being. Why does that matter? It matters because if Jesus was not really a man like us, he would not qualify to be our representative. Jesus, as a real man, lived righteously before God as our representative.

He suffered and died as a real man on the cross in our place as our representative. This is very much at the heart of the Christian faith. The apostles insist on this, as in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 18, where it says, Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. He was put to death in the body. That means as a real human being. But made alive in the Spirit.

So when we see Jesus acting like a real man, as a human being, we shouldn't be surprised. He was a real man. But maybe you're troubled by the fact that he got so frustrated with some people and, obviously angry in this case, angry enough to ream these guys out in public in a pretty savage way. Frustration is human, and it's not sin. Anger, on the other hand, while it's also very human, may or may not be sin. Since the Bible presents Jesus as the sinless Son of God who was completely righteous in God's eyes, we need to think hard about why Jesus' anger in this situation was justified.

Did those two men deserve to hear those harsh words? Did the people who were there overhearing this, like perhaps some of Jesus' disciples and others who were there at the invitation of the host, need to hear this? What do you think? I can't possibly underscore this enough. God loves us, the people of this world He created. He loves us so much that the extremely costly plan to reconcile us sinful creatures to Himself was developed.

Remember John 3:16. The divine plan called for God the Son to humble Himself, come down out of heaven and become for a time a real man, Jesus, a human just like us, and to live in our world and show us what God is really like, and then ultimately, most importantly, to one day lay down His life as our representative, as an atonement for our sins. There is no other way for any person, then or now, to be reconciled to God except through Jesus and the way He made possible by His perfectly sinless life and vicarious atoning death. But yet, in this situation in Luke 11, there are religious leaders, religious leaders, for crying out loud, actively doing what they could to turn people away from Jesus, to undercut his message, to blunt his influence. That's what got Jesus so angry. He said, You guys aren't content to reject the truth I've come here to share.

You want to take it away from others as well. You present yourselves as the gatekeepers of the kingdom of heaven, when in fact, you are blocking people from entering the kingdom of heaven. As John MacArthur comments on this passage, they had locked up the truth of the Scriptures and thrown away the key by imposing their own faulty interpretations and human traditions over God's Word. What could be a greater sin than to be a trusted religious leader and yet be confusing people about the truth of God's plan for their salvation? What could be more against God's purposes than for those posing as religious leaders to be, in reality, blocking people from listening to Jesus and responding to him in saving faith? Yet that's exactly what many of these Pharisees and law experts were determined to do, and Jesus was rightfully angry about it.

So upon reflection, we need to understand this. If Jesus is our example, it's not really being tolerant to let people spiritually mislead others and not call them out, to not expose wrong teaching that misrepresents Christ or confuses the message of salvation by faith. That would not be following the example of Jesus we have here, would it? He came to seek and to save those who are lost, and when people tried to prevent or confuse or sidetrack his mission, especially when they themselves were religious hypocrites, Jesus had no patience for that. So one thing I take from Luke chapter 11 is that those who turn people away from Jesus and the truth that he is the only way to be reconciled to God, then or now, should be exposed as false religious leaders, false teachers. We have to compare what any religious teacher teaches with the New Testament and Jesus' own claims.

If he is the only way to be reconciled to God, as he claimed, it is far too critical a subject to tolerate misinformation about. And to be clear, by not tolerating it, I don't mean some kind of physical confrontation or violence. That's never what Jesus modeled for us. Rather, we should have the courage to challenge wrong teaching and teachers, and clearly show how they are out of tune with the truth that Jesus taught, with the truth that's preserved for us in God's Word. That is what Jesus modeled for us, even if it means not always coming off as meek and mild. We hope you found this commentary both interesting and insightful.

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