Do you remember when you were a child in elementary school and the teacher would leave the classroom to go down the hall to the principal’s office?  She would say, “I will be back soon. While I’m gone I want reading group number one to read your story for the day. Group two may color quietly at your seats.”

After several minutes without a reappearance of the teacher, there would be some talking that increasingly interrupted the silence. And then Johnny would throw an eraser. Billy would toss it back. Pretty soon a riot was in full swing. And right at the very moment you raised your hand to throw a piece of chalk back at the class bully, the teacher walks in and looks at you.

Jesus Christ has gone to THE Principal’s office, and he’s still there. But someday the master teacher is coming back, and that is what our passage today is all about.

An exact identification of each element of these parables is debated to some extent, but the big idea is clear – it is about readiness. We cannot know the exact time when Christ will return, but we do know that we must be actively faithful, recognizing we are responsible for the blessings we have been given.

It is wrong for us to think that Christ surely has to come back very soon, given the crazy condition of our world, and therefore stop working and serving. And it is wrong to think that the Lord has delayed coming for so long that it certainly won’t happen in our lives, so why work hard in expectation of something we don’t think is going to eventuate.

In high school when I was a cross country distance runner, I was told that a college scout was going to come to my race. I was very excited about this; though when the race started, he was not there. At the end of the first of three laps on our course (of roughly one mile each), I did not see him. Likewise, no college coach after the second lap. I concluded he wasn’t coming and slowed down, finishing the race with a very average time. Yep, you guessed it – he was arriving as I began the third lap, and all he saw was a mediocre high school runner. I was no longer a recruit for that college.

An additional principle in the passage is that we are responsible and accountable for the giftings and blessings we have from the Lord. To whom much has been given, much is required. Have we all been given much?  Indeed, the blessings of life in the modern era give us innumerable ways of serving God and being a part of his worldwide effort of building the church. So let us be faithful … and ready.

Luke 12:35 – “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

A humorous moment in my early ministry years back in New Jersey was when I was visiting one of the many elderly shut-ins of the church. This particular lady was telling me about some of the challenges she had physically, and then she spoke about a fear of also developing some kind of dementia. She said, “I used to worry about getting Alzheimer’s, but then I just figured, ‘Oh, forget about it!’”  She wasn’t making a joke and looked surprised when I laughed at the remark.

The truth is that most of us worry about many more things than we should. I’m rather guilty of this one, more than most things I write about. When I’m worrying too much, and then I confront myself internally about it, the argument I give myself in return is, “Well, there really is something to be said for reasonable responsibility!”  And that is true. But still … worrying is over the top!

One time in my life when I did have some success in defeating worry was during my academic years in college and grad school. Between the two, there was a total of nine consecutive years of post-high school education. I was really into getting good grades, a mentality that drove me often into excessive worry and deep anxiety. After seven years of this, I finally wore out. Often, the difference between a B+ and an A- was double the effort. I told myself I had done well enough and wasn’t going to flunk out, that there were other life priorities I was not accomplishing well enough, and that I would henceforth do the best I could with a responsible amount of time applied to the academics. Beyond that, I wouldn’t worry if the grades were not of the “Dean’s List” category. It was a great relief. But I’ve had trouble applying this principle to other areas of life and responsibility. Being overly-competitive does not help!

Here are some points that Jesus made to his disciples on the issue of worrying, particularly about material assets and the supply of basic needs …

1. The meaning of life is not about keeping score on material things.
2. The God who takes wonderful care of the beautiful, natural world will certainly take care of his own people who are so much more valuable.
3. Worrying does not accomplish anything, quite the opposite.
4. Worrying about material things is the way the unbelieving world functions, and to worry means you are not kingdom-oriented.
5. When you put the things of the kingdom onto the top of your mindful priorities, you find that the things of this world tend to somehow solve themselves.
6. Things of this world can vanish and cause worry, things invested in eternity cannot perish – so obviously that should be a priority.
7. When you get your mind set on true treasures, your heart – including control of emotions like worry – naturally follow.

So, don’t worry!  It’s stupid to do that!  Stupid is as stupid does. I know something about this.

Luke 12:22 – Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Being wealthy is not all that it is cracked up to be!  Trust me, I know. Oh, no … did you think I was speaking of vast, personal riches? Not really, but I’ve often observed some wealthy people who have a lot of problems, simply because they are rich.

There is an interesting legal case going on right now with a woman from New Hampshire who is the winner of a $560-million lottery prize. Known only now as “Jane Doe,” she is suing to remain anonymous. One could imagine this desire, though it appears to be against state law. It was also stated in one article that she is losing $14,000 a day in interest by waging this fight. She has to be thinking that her life was a lot happier before all of this happened.

Today’s passage features a person in the crowd who says to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

We don’t know anything about this person beyond his question. He clearly believed himself to be getting the short end of a family inheritance. We may presume his claim to be just and this man to be a victim, though we don’t know his attitude. Did Jesus know his heart and answer in light of that knowledge? Or did Christ just use the incident as a teaching point about temporary material concerns versus eternal spiritual values.

In any event, it was not the role of Jesus to arbitrate such questions (though rabbis of the time would be called upon to adjudicate legal affairs). Christ uses it rather as an opportunity to make a teaching point about greed and true values systems.

The parable is a simple one of a farmer who was very successful and could have a guaranteed income from his abundance for the rest of his life. He could take life easy and, to reference one of the most famous quotes of Scripture (one of those that many people use and don’t even know comes from the Bible and the words of Jesus) … “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”

There has never been anyone who knew for certain the length of his or her life. We have seen in many ways in recent days and months how, for all of us, our lives hang by a thread. So it is foolish to presume upon the future with certainty.

It all comes down to our internal values systems. There is nothing wrong with seeking to be very successful. There is every good reason to prudently plan for the future. It is not sinful to have 401K plans or IRA accounts and other investments.

The error is to trust in them over trusting in God. Beyond that, it is wrong to horde the blessings that have their source ultimately in God’s grace and not be generous is using those resources to bless others in the Lord’s name.

Perhaps the functional question to test our hearts in this matter is to ask what we find ourselves both thinking about, along with what we find ourselves giving our time and treasure toward. Do we find ourselves focused upon accounts, investments, stock futures and closing bell indexes of the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 more than upon our ministering and serving lives?  Do we find that we are forever planning and intending to serve God and be more generous someday – after we just get a bit more financially stabilized?  These things can become patterns, and the next thing you know, there you are at age 75, still hoping to someday make God and service a frontline value of life.

It is one of those primary life enigmas … one of those counterintuitive truths: the way to GET the most is to GIVE the most. The way to find material world pleasure is through spiritual world investment.

Luke 12:13 – Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

The current climate of political rancor in the USA has to be as bad as it has ever been. Accusations fly in every direction, and today’s leading voice may be tomorrow’s public goat for political exile – deservedly or not. Who will prevail in the end? With whom do you want to be identified?

As we saw yesterday, the divide between Jesus and the Pharisees was becoming more pronounced. The crowds, though still numbering in the thousands, were more often than not just curiosity seekers. They would not stick with Jesus to the end and be identified with him.

The time would come where it would be safer to not be identified with Jesus. The disciples needed to be prepared for this time. And as we know, they would not stand well in the darkest moments, though ultimately 11 of the 12 would go on to be effective witnesses near and far.

Being identified with Jesus was – both for them, and even for us – never going to be a popular stance with the masses of people. It could be fearful, for sure. And Jesus reminds the disciples to not fear human authorities who could even hold the power of capital punishment; but rather, they should have greater respect for the more powerful God who controls eternal punishment.

Even so, because of their relationship with God, their fear and respect was under the greater umbrella of God’s love and care. His love for them was the ultimate security – illustrated by being a God who cares even about the cheapest commodity of five sparrows who sold for 1/16 of a day’s wages. Even the number of hairs on their heads were known to God. So be confident; don’t fear.

The ones who should be fearful are the Pharisees who blasphemed the Holy Spirit (by attributing the genuine work of Christ to the power of Satan). Even those who denied Christ but later repented (such as Jesus’ earthly brothers) would be forgiven, but there was no hope for the Pharisees. This passage likely indicates that there was a work of the Spirit in them to convict them of the truth of Jesus as Messiah, yet even with that they rejected him.

Even when everything went poorly (humanly speaking as the disciples would be brought before human authorities for condemnation), the Holy Spirit would be with them and help them know how to respond in such a contingency.

It is not our natural joy or inclination to welcome being in the minority, particularly when our safety or security is threatened by our convictions. Yet this has been the common condition of God’s people throughout all of time. This is not something to fear. When keeping the larger, eternal picture in mind, there is no harm that can truly befall us. Even the worst thing that can happen is, in the bigger picture, the best thing that can happen. There is health in reminding ourselves of this truth on a regular basis, as we cannot know what all of the days of our lives may bring.

Luke 12:1 – Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Imagine if your home community group, Bible study fellowship, or marriage cluster invited me to your house for dinner. After sitting down for a while and conversing on light topics like the Mueller investigation or in the inactive offseason of the Baltimore Orioles, I suddenly change the subject and say the following …

“You folks in this group, you claim to be great Christians and faithful to the church and its ministries, but in your hearts I know that you are evil to the core. Don’t you know that God wants you to not just act holy on the outside, but to be holy on the inside?  You are proud that you tithe to the church, but you have no personal generosity toward the poor or anyone else in need. While giving of your wealth, you should have given of the wealth of your time to serve others who have so much less. You sit up front where everyone can see you and you act very important, but you would never greet visitors or speak warmly to any you see as less worthy than yourselves … which is pretty much everyone!  You’re a bunch of empty shells. Nobody would miss you if you weren’t even there, and the church would be better off without your life dysfunction.”

Would that make for an awkward experience? One of the group would probably be sufficiently offended so as to speak up and protest that pronouncement. And then, I would double-down on your condemnation.

After this was over, you can imagine that you and your friends might be looking to form a pastoral search committee. But … but … and this is at least just a little bit of a stretch … what if I was the divine Son of God saying these things?  Would you then double-down on your irritation, or would you repent and recognize the truth of the condemnatory pronouncements?

This word picture perhaps can bring you into a sense of the setting in today’s passage about Jesus at the home of a Pharisee – at a dinner with other Pharisees and prominent teachers of the law. Jesus knows they are not doing this to fellowship with a dear brother or to even legitimately hear what he has to say. They are looking for entrapment. And Jesus does not play into their game, not even by the ritual washing before the meal. Knowing more than they know, he is even aware of their thoughts and is able to use their judgmentalism against them.

Though there were many things to applaud about my very conservative church background as a youth, there were also some problems of legalism. I was slow to invite or bring friends from school to my church, and that was because these friends might have had hippie hair, informal dress, and some colorful ways of expressing their thoughts. Though needing the gospel, they would have surely felt judged, out of place and unwelcomed.

Whereas there is the greatest of value on strict and accurate theology, strict religionists often fail in the matter of keeping the big idea, the big idea.

There are so many things that church people have fought about over the years that have simply not been worth the fight – stuff like musical styles and instruments, food and coffee, Bible versions, dress codes spoken and implied, and a focus upon the church as a spiritual country club for Christians rather than a lifesaving station from which to go out and save the lost.

And just as the Pharisees set out to exalt high values but ended up excluding people by the focus upon their supposed virtues, we may do the same if we do not keep our attention upon the main thing – proclaiming the gospel and a primary emphasis upon the stuff of eternal value and consequence. Woe to us if we fail in this regard.

Luke 11:37 – When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

To protect the guilty, I’ll not mention which of my sons did the following. He took his vehicle to the gas station, opened the cap, filled it completely and turned on the engine to drive away. But it was rather immediately obvious that something was terribly wrong. Only then did it hit him that his vehicle required diesel fuel rather than the regular gasoline he had absentmindedly just put into it. As I recall, this was a rather costly mistake.

Perhaps this illustration will, in the end, help us to understand this somewhat perplexing, brief passage …

Luke 11:33 –“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

In the previous passage, Jesus asserted that something greater than Jonah or Solomon was in their midst. This was referencing his presence and the coming fulfillment of the kingdom and all that was magnificent about this ultimate event in history.

Verse 33 is talking about how Christ is the light of the world, there in prominence for all to see.

In the next verse where it says Your eye is the lamp of your body, think of the eye as the conduit through which light comes into the body. This is not the idea of letting our light shine.

Then, the phrase When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light, this is speaking of the quality of the light that passes into your life. When you allow the truth of the splendor of who Christ is and what he has done come into your life, you are full of good light and spiritual health. When you let other sorts of light come in, you end up filled with darkness.

The pastor/theologian John Piper said of this, “… there is much that passes for light through the eye that is not light. There are many bright things in the world that keep us from seeing the true light of Christ—just like city lights keep you from seeing the stars.”

So many things in this world may appear, for a time, to be so very good and the stuff of genuine light. But in the end, it is of no more eternal value than total darkness. When in a room that is brightly-lit with many lamps, it may appear very bright … that is, until you open the door and walk out into the midday sunshine on a snow-covered landscape.

We don’t want to be like so many in that generation who had Jesus right there with them but did not appreciate the light in their presence. We want to be people with eyes wide open to receive the light of eternal truths on a daily basis. Don’t fill up on gasoline when you need diesel!

There were no television news reports, no videos to share on Facebook. There were no newspapers or radio communications. All that existed were word of mouth reports that spread slowly over time from village to village, from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Even so, more and more stories circulated about a preacher who performed occasional, incredible miracles. Oh yes … he was a pretty good teacher as well!  But, people coming out to see him, particularly for the first time, were especially hoping to see something extraordinary.

The religious leaders in the nation were increasingly annoyed by this distraction. The gospel writers all talk about how the leaders and the crowds were constantly asking for a sign – something extraordinary that was accomplished upon demand.

But the teaching should have been enough (though there was no shortage of the miraculous being witnessed by large numbers of people). We recently commented about how the leaders were going to attribute any sign or miraculous deed to being the power of the Evil One. And the peoples’ interests in miracles were more about their personal gains than about connection to the kingdom plan of God.

Today we see the irritation of Jesus come through as he considered the spiritual state of the nation…

Luke 11:29 – As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The only sign he says they are going to get is “the sign of Jonah.”  We recall the Old Testament prophet who went to Nineveh … well, he eventually got to that city after some days in the belly of the whale. Once there, he preached about the pending judgment of God, and the Gentile people believed and repented.

Likewise, another non-Jew, who was the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10), came from a great distance (likely 1200 miles away in what is modern Yeman) to see and meet Solomon. The amazing visit that featured the exchange of great wealth resulted in the Queen being convinced of the blessings of God upon Solomon.

These Gentiles who were removed from the history of the truth of God’s promises had more faith than the Jewish leaders and nation should have exhibited when hearing the words of Christ. They were physically present with something far greater, and that is the presence of the Kingdom in the person of Christ.

We are so often amazed at the lack of belief of Israel at the time of Christ. This should not have been, given all the blessings and advantages they had in their history and heritage. Though we don’t have the physical presence of Christ, we have for our day a tremendous resource in the completed word of God that reveals the completed work of Christ. So there is no excuse to not believe in the first place, and there is every reason to have great confidence for time and eternity in the truths of Scripture.

A technique that has been employed over the millennia to cast a horrid aspersion upon someone is to identify them with the most terrible person or thing imaginable. We will sometimes hear a person referred to as a Nazi or a modern-day Hitler. A traitorous person is referenced as a Benedict Arnold. And in our over-heated political climate now, all sides are throwing accusations against the other by saying their opponents are in collusion with the Russians.

Once again in our text today we see that Jesus performs an undeniable miracle. Something powerful is happening that cannot be denied. For the opponents of Jesus to take away from the awe of the display (and the possibilities that more people will believe and follow Christ), they make the claim that this power comes not from God but from Satan. The reference is to Beelzebul, a well-known name for a dark figure associated with the Devil, originally the name of a Philistine god. This was slander at its finest.

Jesus answers it logically by essentially saying, “So you’re arguing that Satan is casting himself out?  Folks, that doesn’t make sense, does it?”  No, it doesn’t – the old “kingdom divided against itself” thing. Beyond that, others who were witnessing all of this remained unimpressed – desiring to see some sort of sign from heaven. Really? What was seen was plenty impressive and clearly the work of God. They simply were hard-hearted and did not want to believe.

This entire passage – one with details that are difficult to explain simply – has the major idea that Jesus is stronger than Satan, and the evidence of that power is such as to prove that Christ is indeed from God. He is the Promised One who should be believed and trusted and followed. The people could not remain undecided, the time of accounting was quickly approaching.

The paragraph in verses 24-26 is believed to be referencing the man who just had the demon driven out – picturing his life as a house. The description is of that demon finding seven other demons to return to the reconstructed person/house, making his condition far worse. This would be because the man did not make the choice to follow Jesus, remaining neutral. In Matthew’s account of this same incident, he records one additional statement of Jesus – “That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”  Indeed, the nation would not receive Christ in spite of all the evidence, and this generation would be worse off for their rebellion.

The final verses are one of several times in Jesus’ life where his teaching creates an awkward situation, and then someone blurts out a loud and sanctimonious statement to break the mood. On this occasion it is a woman who says, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”  But Christ one-ups her by answering, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

We live in a wonderful time. We have the entire history of the work of Christ recorded for us in the word of God. Along with that we have countless resources at our fingertips such as has never before been available. For example, just from this passage today, any one of you reading this could, within seconds on your computer or phone, research the background to the meaning of the name “Beelzebul.”  There is no reason for us to not believe the word of God and obey it.

Luke 11:14 – Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

How much do you pray? How much should you pray? And how much do you need to pray?

I like to think of prayer as a sort of continuous conversation with God. The Holy Spirit lives within us and travels with us at all times, being right there when everything is going well or turning disastrous. So why not be praying in an ongoing fashion?

Throughout the gospel narratives we see that Jesus was regularly and continuously going to God in prayer. Now there is a model for us; if Jesus saw it as that necessary, we had best learn a first lesson simply from that pattern.

The disciples made note of this frequent discipline and one of them asks Jesus about how to pray, recalling that John had given his disciples some manner of specific instruction.

Luke 11:1 – One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

The answer of Jesus could be divided into five parts. Prayer should have an interest in God’s glory, his kingdom work, our basic needs, our relationship with him (through forgiveness), and our need for his help to avoid situations where sin may abound…

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread.

4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Jesus goes on to use a couple illustrations about prayer. The first is one of those humorous stories that provokes quite a mental picture. A fellow goes to a neighbor at night because he has a special need: he is embarrassed that another friend has come from a journey and surprised him, and he has no food in the house. It is late. And if the petitioned person (likely in a small house with everyone sleeping in close quarters) is to help, it is going to wake up everyone, including the kids!  Yet if the petitioner is persistent, the friend will surely help him – maybe not first and foremost because of friendship, but rather because the persistence demonstrated a genuine need.

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

The application is all about persistence. That is how we should be in prayer.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Some people are troubled by this story of the persistent friend. The homeowner with the children is obviously representative of God, but the picture would seem to be of a crotchety old fellow who is stingy and only willing to give up something after substantial pestering. Here is a point to remember about stories and parables: they are to teach a single, big lesson in particular. And not every point is to be taken in detail as a one-to-one exact representation. The big idea of the story is that a person with a genuine need will be persistent, and that true persistence will pay off. So pray openly and boldly.

The second story is a simple one. Even an average father cares enough about his children to meet their genuine needs. A dad is not going to replace a needed gift with one that is harmful instead. So if even sinful fathers are gracious, imagine the good heart of the heavenly Father to answer!

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

So, as you read this, how much conversation have you had with God so far today? Are you cognizant of his blessing? Are you looking to be rightly connected anew to him on this day? Are you trusting him for your needs and expressing your heart’s desires to him? If it is a genuine need, God is going to answer, though it may not always be in the exact way we imagine it. And if it is not a genuine need but is rather a desire to consume upon self, that awareness is likely to come to you through the ongoing conversation and the work of the Spirit in your life.

But more than anything else from this passage today, know of the rightful need and privilege to be a person of constant prayer with the sovereign God and heavenly Father who loves you more than anyone else ever has. He wants to hear from you. He desires your dependence, and he takes joy in supplying your genuine needs.

We can use the great words of Scripture today to describe this kind of prayer conversation: shameless audacity!  That is awesome!

Surely you have heard it said of siblings who have very different personalities, “How can they be from the same family?”  Apparently the sisters of Lazarus – Martha and Mary of the village of Bethany – would have had such comments made about them.

I have heard it said that there are essentially two types of people in the word: paper people, and people people. Paper people are those who are oriented toward organization, detail, and doing things properly and in order. People people are about relationships and just hanging out with other folks. Martha was apparently a paper people, while Mary was a people people.

Those of you who are reading this and are nearby the church and conversant with our current activities know that this past weekend saw us have to call off an evening fellowship activity with our new fellowship of mostly African-American churches, due to the weather. I was really, really bummed about this – was so highly looking forward to everyone meeting my new friends and building upon this unique, new relationship. That was the Mary side of me.

The Martha side was really worried about food preparations and other details to make the event a success. I don’t actually like doing those sorts of plans, and I hate asking anyone to do much of anything. The food and drink elements of our church fellowships always seem to work out, though the mega-Martha types would say that is because they are there to make sure the merry Marys – like me – don’t forget the most obvious details.

We need both types of people in the world and especially in the church community. Thank God for Martha types who get the work done that needs to be done sooner or later. And the Mary types are indispensable in so many ways for interpersonal connections both within the church family and to the outside world.

The bottom line however is that the highest priority is to value the word of God so highly that it is the top priority in life. The food and hospitality can wait. Gatherings around the things of God with the people of God is about spiritual connection, growth and enrichment. It is not primarily about eating and the things of the material world. There is a time for these details to eventuate, but nothing is more important than growing spiritually.

Luke 10:38 – As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”