Pastor Scott Andrews | September 7, 2025
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Luke 11:33-36
The signs were there. In fact, they were overwhelming. I’ve talked about this recently, so I won’t review the entire list – but for three years, He had healed people of every imaginable disease; delivered people from demon possession, whether there was one, seven or a legion of demons; raised people from the dead; and performed amazing nature miracles. No reasonable person could deny that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the Son of the living God. It was the primary purpose for the miracles – that both His words and His works would prove conclusively who He was.
But, there were those, in fact many, who denied Him anyway. In the midst of undeniable evidence, they closed their eyes, stopped their ears, and no doubt stomped their feet. The scribes and Pharisees – eventually all the religious elite to include the Temple Sadducees – would not only deny Him, they would actively oppose Him. We’ve seen that over the past couple of weeks – they blasphemously accused Him of being empowered by Satan. Jesus handled the accusation deftly – no kingdom divided against itself will stand. If I drive out demons by Beelzebul – it is self-destructive, his kingdom will be laid waste. But, if I drive out demons by the finger of God, it is proof – an undeniable sign that the kingdom of God has come.
Others were also not convinced by the overwhelming proof. Give us another sign – a celestial sign from heaven. Jesus handled that unbelief deftly as well. This generation is a wicked generation – it seeks for yet another sign, but only one more will be given – the sign of Jonah. Just as he was in the belly of the sea monster, the great fish, for three days and three nights, so also will the Son of Man be buried in the heart of the earth for three days. But He will rise again. Further, just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites in his preaching of repentance, so I am doing the same thing. And the people of Ninevah will therefore rise up – along with the Queen of the South – to condemn this wicked generation. You see, they were pagan Gentiles, but they listened and believed. Your condemnation at the judgment will be complete and just.
So, what is our response to be to the truth in this challenging text? It is very simply and clearly to believe in the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. What more do you need? You see, this text is actually a challenging warning. And so, our response should be faith that floods our entire being to transform us into His image. That’s what the text is about today in our continuing study of the gospel of Luke. Let’s read it – Luke 11:33-36.
What do we do with this text? We believe. Light is clearly the theme of those verses. I shared with you some years ago an experience exploring a cave with my sons back in Colorado Springs. We were part of a homeschool group and thought it would be fun to take our kids to Cave of the Winds for some spelunking – that is, exploring a cave off the beaten path. So, we donned our oldest jeans, sweatshirts and shoes – having been told we would get wet and muddy.
During our brief orientation, we were told how caves offer the best glimpse of total darkness, as if this were a selling point. Turn off the flashlights, the guide said, and you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face. So, we turned off the flashlights…and he was right. He also informed us when experienced spelunkers are planning to stay overnight in a cave, they bring glow sticks that radiate a small amount of light for about six hours. Without the glow stick, people are unable to sleep comfortably through the night. Of course, in a cave, who knows when it is night?
After several trips through some narrow, low passages, we made our way to an area well off the beaten path. This, the guide said, would require courage to go on. We gripped our flashlights more tightly and continued along a loop that necessitated crawling, climbing, twisting, bending, and even inching along on our bellies through water and mud. The claustrophobic stayed behind.
Upon returning to the starting point, the guide said, “There’s no way to get lost in the loop. There’s only one way in and one way out. So, if you’re brave enough, do it again – this time, without me, your guide, and without your flashlights.” After a few nervous moments, several foolish children plunged in, mine included. Not to be outdone, several foolish parents climbed in after them. I’m not sure what possessed me, but before I knew it, I found myself inching along a wet cave, barely large enough to allow me to pass, in total darkness. No one seemed to panic (I could hear the irritating laughter of children ahead). You can imagine my joy when, about fifteen minutes later, I was met with the brightest flashlight I’d ever seen.
What’s the point of the story? We are meant to walk in light – that crazy guide proved it through this ridiculous experience of navigating total darkness. And that is exactly the way the Scripture describes the person who does not know God – making our way through life in darkness. It describes all of us before we came to faith in Christ. And it perhaps describes some still yet – walking in darkness. While there may be seeming moments of clarity and direction, fulfillment and purpose, the fact is, without Christ, we walk in darkness. You see, by His words and works, He came to dispel the darkness. But you must believe.
Think about light. Right from the beginning of time – the very beginning of creation – light and darkness have played important and opposing roles. They are both literal and metaphorical concepts through Scripture, from the first chapter to the last. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” And right away, we know innately creation was not finished. It wasn’t bad, just not finished – something more was needed, and God was about to do something amazing with the darkness.
God said, His first recorded words in the Bible, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness – because, you see, light and darkness cannot coexist. Again, at this point, we know there was nothing inherently wrong with darkness, per se. God called the light day, and the darkness, night. In the daily rhythms of life, we know the day is given for work, the night for rest, unless, of course, you’re nocturnal, that is, a college student.
Day and night, dark and light were divided. And with the dawning of day, it seems light is always brightest when the night is darkest. Those of you familiar with the account of creation in the first couple of chapters know when God finished – it was all very good. But then, chapter 3 came – the Fall of humanity into sin. I can’t imagine a darker scene in history than the very evening of that day when Adam and Eve hid from God in the garden. I imagine they longed for the cover of darkness.
You see, they were accustomed to walking with God, basking in and reflecting the light of His glory. That evening, there was no basking, there was no reflecting. Earlier that day, the man and his wife had eaten of the only tree forbidden them. It was dark – very dark. When God appeared, knowing what they had done, He cursed His perfect creation. The serpent was to crawl on its belly; the man was to struggle with the cursed ground to produce food; the woman was to suffer in childbirth. They were plunged into a world now stained with sin, brokenness, and rebellion. And what’s more, both man and woman and their posterity would die. It was very dark, even hopeless.
But, in the midst of the darkness, God spoke light. He said to the serpent, Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Light pierced the cursed darkness. Hope was promised. You see, it was the first promise of the gospel through a Savior, who would come to redeem broken humanity. While Satan would strike His heel at the cross, Jesus would crush His head at the resurrection.
This coming of hope is what we celebrate at Christmas and Easter: light has come. It shines brightest when the night is darkest. We now no longer live in darkness, but by faith in God’s past actions in Christ, and by hope in His future return to make all things right. It is no longer dark for followers of Jesus. So again, we were created to walk in light. Further, a quick perusal of Scripture reveals darkness has become a metaphor for sin and consequent judgment:
John 3:19 –This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
Romans 13:12-13– The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
1 John 1:6 – If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth…
You get the point: darkness is clearly a metaphor for sin, and by further reviewing Scripture, we see everyone is in darkness. Everyone stumbles around in a life of sin, choosing, even enjoying sin and the deeds of darkness. And the truth is, as momentary as the pleasure of sin and darkness may be, we were not made to walk in darkness.
But walk in darkness is exactly what I, and you, did. We were born sinners, with depraved mind and heart, dead in transgressions and sins. Enemies of God, opposing His kingdom and His right to rule my life. And we even liked it. Sin seems fun, for a while. Until we find the momentary pleasures of sin give way to pain and sorrow – walking through life bruised and broken. Finding life doesn’t really work right. Because, we were not made for darkness. And so, conversely, light has become a metaphor for good and truth in Scripture. Again, a quick perusal reveals:
Psalm 18:28 – For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.
Psalm 27:1 – The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Isaiah 9:1-2, which speaks of the coming Messiah – But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish…[even] on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
And that happened, didn’t it? With the first coming of the Messiah, Light came into the world. The people of the Old Testament knew God was the God of light. They equated light with deity – the Shekinah glory of God, the brilliant, bright display of His glory – He manifests Himself as a God of light – God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. He is immortal, invisible, the only wise God, who dwells in unapproachable light. It’s all over the Bible.
Remember when the children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt? God sent Moses to deliver them. Of course, Pharaoh wasn’t prepared to lose his labor force, so he refused to let them go, which gave the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the opportunity to show off – to demonstrate His superiority over the Egyptian gods through a series of ten plagues. The supreme god of the Egyptian gods was Ra, the sun-god. This is fascinating – this false god sought to imitate the true God of light. So, the ninth plague was that of darkness – there was darkness over the land that could be felt for three days. During that time, they couldn’t see each other – they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces.
A little later, after the tenth plague, the Israelites fled from Egypt, and were led by God Himself in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. God’s presence came to be symbolized by light – the Shekinah glory of God. When they built the Tabernacle and later the Temple, His presence was seen by light. And the Israelites remembered this God of light – particularly how He led them in the wilderness.
And so, during one of their annual required festivals, the Feast of Booths, they celebrated God’s goodness to them in the wilderness. They erected shelters out of branches and leaves and camped outside for a week to commemorate their wilderness wanderings. They had special ceremonies during the week to remember God’s provision. For example, there were those times God provided water from the rock – they loved those stories. So, to remember and celebrate and pray for continued provision of water, every day during the seven-day feast, the high priest would lead a procession to the Pool of Siloam and draw water in a golden pitcher. He would then carry the water back to the Temple.
At the Water Gate, on the south side of the Temple, the procession would stop. Three blasts would be sounded from the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. Isaiah 12:3 would be read, “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” The priests would proceed to the altar and the temple choir would sing the Hallel, Psalm 113-118. Then the water would be poured out as an offering to God. It was quite the visual ceremony, celebrating God’s provision of water.
Further, another tradition had arisen through the centuries – it was the lamp-lighting ceremony to remember how the God of light had led them through the wilderness in the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. This ceremony took place in the Court of Women at the Temple, which permitted both Jewish men and women. There were four huge oil candelabras in the court which were built quite high. Young priests would carry the oil up a tall ladder and dump it into a basin. The lamps were then lit on the first night of the festival. One historian says that the light was so bright, “There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect their light.” The people would then dance exuberantly through the night, holding blazing torches and singing songs of praise. There is some discussion as to how many nights the candelabras were lit, but there is general agreement they would be out by the end of the week. Which meant this: the nights that had been ablaze, symbolizing the presence of God, would now be dark.
And it was against this backdrop that Jesus, on the last day of the Feast of Booths in John 8, went to the Temple and cried out in a loud voice for all to hear, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Yes, it’s true My Father provided physical water for you in the wilderness, which you celebrate. But, if you come to Me, I will provide spiritual water, and you will never thirst again. I am the water of life – come and drink freely.
And then, as the candelabras were now dark, Jesus cried out again, “I am the Light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Everyone knew what Jesus was saying. The candelabras stood there, representing the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night – God’s presence which their forefathers had followed. They knew the Bible and stories – God was a God of light. They understood by following God, they would walk in the Light of His presence and truth. They would live in hope, in fulfillment of Isaiah 9 – those who walked in darkness have seen a great light. And Jesus stands up and says, “I am the Light of the world.” I am the God who will lead you into the light of life, eternal life, if you will follow Me.
That’s a lot of backdrop to prepare us for the text I just read in Luke. The light of the glorious gospel in the face of Christ is what we need. He had proven Himself, by His words that final day of the Feast of Booths, and by His works in healing the mute man. He had proven who He was. There could be no denying it. And yet, many did then, and many do today.
So Jesus, having dealt with the scribes and Pharisees accusing Him of being empowered by Satan; having dealt with those demanding yet another sign from heaven, Jesus talks about the light they already have. That’s what the text Luke 11 is highlighting. In essence Jesus says, the problem is not with the proof, the evidence, the light you already have. It’s on a lampstand for all to see. The problem is your darkness and refusal to believe. The light is here, see it. The text simply breaks down as follows:
- Jesus is the Light for All to See (33)
- People’s Response to the Light (34-36)
Now, we likely know Jesus used this concept of lamps and light and putting it on a lampstand for all to see before; it was apparently one of His favorite metaphors. But most of us know it from Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount. There, the truth being communicated was, as His followers need to be salt and light. Salt that has lost its saltiness is of no value – it simply needs to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. So also, light that is hidden under a bushel is of no value – it needs to be put on a stand for all to see. Meaning, as followers of Jesus, we need to be salt – moral preserving agents. And we need to be light – putting the gospel of Jesus on display for all to see.
But here, the metaphor is different. Here, we are not the light – Jesus is the light of the world, and He has proven it through His words and His work. The religious elite and the crowds had seen it. The lamp with its light had been clearly displayed. You see, Jesus didn’t preach His word, didn’t do His works in secret. He did them in public, as on a lampstand, for all to see. The glory of the gospel and the Son of God is clear for all see – if they would. He wanted them to see the light of who He is and what came to do. He wanted by His words and works to light the way for people to see and believe. This whole optical illustration points to spiritual sight.
But, you can have one of two responses to the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, keeping with this metaphor of light, Jesus now transitions to the idea of the eye being the lamp of the body. That’s simple enough to understand – the eye is the organ that allows sight – it allows light in – if it’s healthy, if its sound, if it works. If it is not dark.
You see, the people – the religious and crowds – had seen what Jesus did – at this moment when He delivered another demon-possessed man who could now see and speak. If their eyes were sound, healthy, they would have examined the evidence and allowed the light of the person and work of Jesus to penetrate their hearts and be transformed. “When the eye is clear, your whole body is full of light.” That makes sense. Do you see it – both metaphorically and spiritually?
But, if you were present then to see these amazing works of Jesus – if you are present now to see in your mind’s eye the work of Christ – but you shut your heart to the truth – if your eye is bad, literally evil, then you will not allow the light of the gospel to penetrate your heart. Satan has blinded you to the truth. And you will close your eyes, you will stop your ears, you will stomp your feet, and you will deny the truth. And as a result, your body – indeed your life and the life to come will be filled with darkness.
There is a sense in which Jesus is saying – I’ve taught, I’ve worked, I’ve performed miracles, I’ve proven who I am. It’s up to you now to see it and believe it or to see it and deny it. Will your sight be good and sound and clear, or will it be evil? You have a choice to make. It’s a warning – that’s why verse 35 says, “Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.”
You’ve heard the truth about Jesus – now believe. Paul said it this way in II Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” What will it take for you to allow the truth of the gospel to penetrate your heart and change your life?
Jesus said it again in John 12,46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” So there you have it – by faith in Jesus as the light of the world – the one who came to grant grace and mercy and forgiveness through His cross – through faith you can have life. You can have hope.
It’s a wonderful invitation to believe. And so I close with Jesus’ final words in verse 36, “If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, you will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with it rays.” This is what Jesus offers – by His life, death and resurrection.
Communion
Today – the first Sunday of the month is the Sunday we celebrate communion. To remember the death and resurrection Jesus for sinners. That’s interesting, isn’t it? You see, we do the same thing the Israelites did – we have this special ceremony to remember God’s goodness to us in the person of Christ. So, as we remember Christ, I’m going to suggest, first, for those of you still in your sin – still walking in darkness – maybe you’re finding life does not work. I give this invitation – Jesus is the light of the world. He can give meaning to your dark, confused, broken world if you choose to follow Him. If you believe, Acts 26 says, He will open your eyes that you may turn from darkness to light from the dominion of Satan to God – and you will receive the forgiveness of sins and receive an inheritance in heaven. You will have hope.
The invitation is, if you choose to follow Him, you will never walk in darkness. Remember how I said the theme of light goes from the first chapter to the last? In the last chapter of the Bible, we have a description of heaven, and we read these words, “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them: and they will reign forever and ever.” The promise is, if you choose to follow Christ, you will never walk in darkness – from now through eternity. I invite you to receive the light of the world.
And for those of you who know Jesus – who already follow Him as the light of the world – like the Feast of Booths which commemorated God’s light to the Israelites – so we also, through this memorial meal, remember His work on our behalf. You see, we eat the bread representing His body, the wine, His blood, and we remember – we look back to His first coming, and we long for His second.