Luke 11:31-36

Luke 11:31 (KJB)
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Then Jesus makes a second comparison and that is to Solomon. After Solomon had made his famous decision concerning the child and the two women claiming to be his mother, his fame spread both far and wide. That is when the Queen of Sheba had come to visit Solomon to test his wisdom. (1 Kings 10:1-13) Sheba was located in the southwestern region of the Arabian peninsula which would be near modern Yemen. This queen of the south will also have the right to stand in the judgment and point an accusing finger at the present generation because of what she did to seek the wisdom of Solomon and the comparison as Jesus being greater than Solomon.

1) She came from a far distance. The distance from Sheba to Israel was about 1200 miles (1931 km). Jesus had come to where the people were and He was the one who made the journey from Heaven to earth.

2) Solomon had great wisdom. Solomon was given great wisdom but Jesus is the giver of that wisdom.

3) The queen of Sheba had stated that the wisdom of Solomon was more than she expected. Jesus came with great wisdom plus mighty works as no one ever heard anyone speak as He did.

4) Solomon gave the Queen many great gifts. The people Jesus ministered to gave Him very little to express their thanks and love, instead they gave Him hatred and the cross.

This is why the Queen of Sheba will have the right to stand in the judgment and condemn the generation which has rejected their own Messiah.

Luke 11:32 (KJB)
The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and Nineveh was noted for its wickedness. Assyria was probably the most powerful empire at that time. (Jonah 1:2 KJV) Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. The sins of Nineveh were full and it was time for them to face their sins so God sent Jonah to Nineveh but Jonah did not go because he hated the Assyrians and did not want to see them repent of their sins, so he fled to Tarsus and there God brought him back by means of the big fish. When Jonah finally obeyed and went to Nineveh, he preached the message of God’s impending judgment upon them and that resulted in massive repentance from the King all the way down the social line.

Here Jesus uses this event as a basis for comparison. He states that these wicked Assyrians heard the preaching of Jonah and repented of their sins. They will be able to rise in the judgment and condemn the present generation because they are hearing the message of their impending doom and they have not hearkened to the teaching but have rejected it. To rise in judgment is a legal method of openly accusing someone of something. A person would be called upon and they would rise from their sitting position and make their accusation in front of everyone present. Then Jesus tells them that Jonah, a prophet of God brought the message and was heeded. Here Jesus is stating that a greater than Jonah is here and their hearts are so darkened by sin and rebellious that have rejected the message.

Then we ask the question as to how is Jesus greater than Jonah:

1) Jonah was a prophet of God - Jesus was the Son of God
2) Jonah went to a people he hated - Jesus came to a people He loved
3) Jonah tried to go in the opposite direction - Jesus did not avoid any opportunity to preach the Kingdom and He faithfully went to the cross.  (Luke 9:51)
4) Jonah preached the message of Judgment - Jesus preached the message of the Gospel which included eternal life.

Luke 11:33 (KJB)
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

A person would not light a candle for the purpose of lighting a dark room and then go place the candle under a bushel or even in some hidden or secret place, thus quenching the light. A light is lit in a house for the purpose of lighting up the dark home. This is the same mentality the believer must have. He is not given the Gospel for the purpose of keeping it to himself but is given the Gospel for the purpose of sending it forth for all to hear. Just as a light illuminates everyone and everything in the house and is not biased as to who is receiving the light, the believer must send out the Gospel to as many as he or she can, not knowing whom the Lord has chosen for salvation. We send it forth without prejudice.

Luke 11:34 (KJB)
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

The word “single” in the Greek is only used twice in the New Testament and both refer to the present usage. It is the word “haplous” and carries with it the idea of “sincere, generous, sound, or free from wrong motives” in a positive way. As the verse states, that the light of the body is the eye, and if the eye is generous or single in purpose, then the whole body shall be filled with light. It speaks of a disciple who is single in purpose and that purpose is to be sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ and the propagation of the Gospel. If one focuses their life on the Kingdom of God, then they are living in total light and wish to fulfill the fact the we are the light of the world. (Mat 5:14 KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. This would refer only to a true believer who invests their life in the Kingdom of God. A true believer who still walks with the world will never give evidence they are the light.

Luke 11:35 (KJB)
Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

Here Jesus contrasts the saved person who has a body full of light to the one who has a body filled with darkness. Those who live in darkness can only see a little distance in front of them and therefore concern themselves with this world in contrast to those in light that can see a far distance, namely eternity. It is akin to those who are blind, their bodies walk in darkness because it can only go according to the way the blind person walks, normally with a stick or guide dog. If a person is unsaved, their hearts are in total darkness and this verse seems to be saying that as they continue in darkness, they try to become even darker. (1 John 2:11 KJV) But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. The unbeliever is also blinded to the truth and continues in the ways of the world.

Luke 11:36 (KJB)
If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

If a person is saved and totally committed to the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of their life, then that person will be a bright shining light. When they attend to the things of giving out the Gospel or other total involvement to get the gospel out to as many as possible, then they will be just like the shining of the candle which spreads its light out to everything and within the flame there is no darkness so it shines to its fullest as the believer does when they are witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

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