These chapters are dense with both insightful instruction and more difficult themes that require hours of prayerful and thoughtful rereading and reflection to get a proper handle on them. And so today's accompanying notes just breeze lightly over the surface, only pointing out a couple of things that you may find helpful…
First, Jesus' disciples pray: they pray really and they really pray. As necessary as it is for those same disciples to eat, drink, sleep and breathe to keep body and soul together, so they also pray - with perhaps an even greater sense of necessity and compulsion (Luke 11:1) now that they are stirred up to pray by the Spirit (v13; see Romans 8:15-16, 23-26)… or least they should.
But it's so easy to get Christ-centred prayer wrong and that's why our Spirit-motivated prayer needs instruction about our prayers' content (Luke 11:2-4 - re priorities for praying and living), the manner of our praying (v5-10 - re persistence and 'holy' boldness) and proper expectation in response to our praying (v11-13 - we can be persistent because we can be sure God will graciously answer).
While the Holy Spirit is not actually mentioned in the paragraphs that follow, nevertheless it is the Spirit's ongoing work in the hearts of Christ's people that is behind and beneath the radical spiritual revolution and transformation that is going on in people's lives that Luke is highlighting in the rest of Luke 11-12. Salvation, graphically described in this instance as 'driving out demons by the finger of God' (Luke 11:20,) actually illustrates more generally the work of the Spirit (see Matthew 12:28), and is a demonstration that in Jesus God's Kingdom really has come (v20b). Jesus the Saviour-King, is the 'stronger man' who overcomes the strong man (Satan) who holds people captive (v21-22) to take possession of the house.
Jesus takes full possession of our lives when we hear His Word and obey it (v27-28). That's the proof that the new owner has taken up residence. That's real spiritual transformation, because (the Spirit) goes deep into our hearts and changes us. On the other hand, to claim to belong to Christ but not to submit to His Word is only external reformation and not real, internal transformation. The heart hasn't changed - there's no desire to obey, no longing to pray. To simply become more religious or more externally Law-obsessed is to harden our hearts against Christ and the saving grace and mercy He offers us in the Gospel. It is (metaphorically speaking) to leave our hearts open to any satanic spiritual squatters who are looking for a place to stay (v24-26). Once in, they're hard to budge.
Finally in Luke 12, Jesus is again speaking to His disciples. This time, the focus is on how they should live out their lives and minister in His name under the scrutinizing gaze of the watching public (12:1), while at the same time remembering the primary audience of One who we are aiming to please, that is, God. His exhortations include (a) don't be a hypocrite (v1-3), but be a genuine disciple of Jesus; (b) don't be fearful of those around you as you serve and live for Christ (v4-7); (c) don't compromise the message about Jesus for an easier life (v8-10); (d) in service, don't rely on your wisdom and giftedness, but on God (v11-12); (e) don’t be side-tracked by materialism, (v13-34); (f) don't be sinfully complacent, Jesus will return (v35-48); (g) don't expect your loved ones to appreciate your loyalty to Christ (v49-53); (h) don't think this teaching doesn't apply to you, the Judge will not let you off (v54-59).
First, Jesus' disciples pray: they pray really and they really pray. As necessary as it is for those same disciples to eat, drink, sleep and breathe to keep body and soul together, so they also pray - with perhaps an even greater sense of necessity and compulsion (Luke 11:1) now that they are stirred up to pray by the Spirit (v13; see Romans 8:15-16, 23-26)… or least they should.
But it's so easy to get Christ-centred prayer wrong and that's why our Spirit-motivated prayer needs instruction about our prayers' content (Luke 11:2-4 - re priorities for praying and living), the manner of our praying (v5-10 - re persistence and 'holy' boldness) and proper expectation in response to our praying (v11-13 - we can be persistent because we can be sure God will graciously answer).While the Holy Spirit is not actually mentioned in the paragraphs that follow, nevertheless it is the Spirit's ongoing work in the hearts of Christ's people that is behind and beneath the radical spiritual revolution and transformation that is going on in people's lives that Luke is highlighting in the rest of Luke 11-12. Salvation, graphically described in this instance as 'driving out demons by the finger of God' (Luke 11:20,) actually illustrates more generally the work of the Spirit (see Matthew 12:28), and is a demonstration that in Jesus God's Kingdom really has come (v20b). Jesus the Saviour-King, is the 'stronger man' who overcomes the strong man (Satan) who holds people captive (v21-22) to take possession of the house.
Jesus takes full possession of our lives when we hear His Word and obey it (v27-28). That's the proof that the new owner has taken up residence. That's real spiritual transformation, because (the Spirit) goes deep into our hearts and changes us. On the other hand, to claim to belong to Christ but not to submit to His Word is only external reformation and not real, internal transformation. The heart hasn't changed - there's no desire to obey, no longing to pray. To simply become more religious or more externally Law-obsessed is to harden our hearts against Christ and the saving grace and mercy He offers us in the Gospel. It is (metaphorically speaking) to leave our hearts open to any satanic spiritual squatters who are looking for a place to stay (v24-26). Once in, they're hard to budge.
Finally in Luke 12, Jesus is again speaking to His disciples. This time, the focus is on how they should live out their lives and minister in His name under the scrutinizing gaze of the watching public (12:1), while at the same time remembering the primary audience of One who we are aiming to please, that is, God. His exhortations include (a) don't be a hypocrite (v1-3), but be a genuine disciple of Jesus; (b) don't be fearful of those around you as you serve and live for Christ (v4-7); (c) don't compromise the message about Jesus for an easier life (v8-10); (d) in service, don't rely on your wisdom and giftedness, but on God (v11-12); (e) don’t be side-tracked by materialism, (v13-34); (f) don't be sinfully complacent, Jesus will return (v35-48); (g) don't expect your loved ones to appreciate your loyalty to Christ (v49-53); (h) don't think this teaching doesn't apply to you, the Judge will not let you off (v54-59).
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