The Gospel of Luke 11:27-36

Luke

11:27-36

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

2. The Kingdom and Power, 11:1-12:34

iii] The sign of Jonah

Synopsis

A woman in the crowd offers a blessing for Jesus, but Jesus immediately changes the focus from his mother to those who hear the gospel and respond to it. Alluding to the desire of some in the crowd for a sign, Jesus points out that the only sign deserving of a sinful generation is the preaching of the gospel. Jesus supports his argument with reference to Jonah, pointing out that the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, "and now something greater than Jonah is here." Jesus supports his argument with three illustrative sayings linked by the word "light".

Teaching

The children of the kingdom are blessed, for they possess the enlightening power of the Word of God.

Issues

i] Context: See 11:1-13. The sign of Jonah serves as the third episode in a series of six covering the topic The Kingdom and Power, 11:1-12:34. In these episodes we see the disciples interacting with the power of the Spirit realised in the dawning of the new age of the kingdom. Each part of this six-layered Lukan sandwich provides a lesson on discipleship - first on prayer, then on overcoming the powers of darkness, and in this episode, bathing in the enlightening power of the Word of God.

ii] Structure: The sign of Jonah:

A woman offers a blessing, v27-28;

"blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

The sign of Jonah, v29-30:

"something greater than Jonah is here"

Two examples of the sign, v31-32;

The Queen of the South

Jonah

Illustrative sayings:

A lamp on a lampstand, v33;

a lamp goes on a lampstand for all to see

The light inside a person, v34-35;

"your eye is the lamp of your body."

Light enlightens, v36;

a body full of light has no dark in it.

iii] Interpretation:

Luke now addresses the second response to Jesus' exorcism, namely, the demand for a sign - an authentication of Jesus' messianic status, cf., 11:15. For a sinful generation, Jesus offers the sign of Jonah.

Luke sets the theme of this episode with a statement from Jesus: "blessed are those who hear the word of God and act on it (believe!!)", v28-29. Interestingly, many commentators link these verses with the preceding parable of the returning spirits, sometimes admitting that its connection is "unclear", Stein.

Then follows the sign of Jonah, v29-32. The sign of Jonah to the Ninevites is the same sign offered by the Son of Man to Israel, namely, the proclamation of divine wisdom / preaching of repentance / the communication of the gospel. In the day of Judgment, the queen of Sheba will condemn this generation, because she travelled halfway around to world to sit under Solomon's wisdom. The men of Nineveh will condemn this generation, because they repented in sackcloth and ashes on hearing the preached word of Jonah. Yet, something (pleion, neuter = Jesus' teachings / the gospel) greater than the wisdom of Solomon, or the preached message of Jonah, is here.

Luke now adds three independent sayings to develop the theme of the enlightening power of the word of God, "all with a bearing on spiritual perspicacity and dullness", Caird - the light shines like a lamp on a stand. Some are filled with light, but others remain in the dark. Those in the light enlighten.

First, a lamp on a lampstand, v33 (doublet 8:16-17??). At face value, the saying states that the function of a lamp is to give light so that we can see where we are going. Unlike Matthew in 5:14-16, Luke allows the context to dictate its meaning. Danker warns against allegorising the illustration, eg., "the lamp is the word of God, which is not to be concealed", Browning / "Jesus brings the light which must not be hidden", Black. The Matthean point that the disciples are to take up Israel's role to be a light to the nations may apply, but only by extension. Here, more generally, "light is a source of guidance", Bock, so possibly Luke intends something like the word of God / gospel is like a light shining for all to see.

The second saying, the light inside a person, v34-35, again leaves us struggling for a propositional truth. Luke seems to use this illustration of a person's physical ability to see in order to make a point about a person's spiritual apprehension of divine truth. So, in v35 Jesus asks us to consider whether we have taken in the enlightening truth of God's word, or, as if with a damaged eye, we have clouded the self with the shadows of this age. In a sense, Jesus is asking us to skopei, "make sure", we view the gospel with the eye of faith?

The third saying, light enlightens, v36. Again, this saying leaves us struggling, but Torrey, in The Four Gospels, argues that the Greek wrongly renders the Aramaic. He suggests that the saying makes the point "the man who is full of light (of the gospel), lights the world about him." A disciple, who has received the light of the gospel, will radiate that light to the world around them.

So, in assembling this source material, Luke reminds us that God's blessing is found in the enlightening power of the gospel.

iv] Synoptics:

See 3:1-20.. The opening two verses are unique to Luke and seem intended to introduce the sign of Jonah tradition, rather than comment on the parable of the returning spirits (contested!). Some commentators view the words as a Lukan creation, but as Nolland notes, the wording may be Lukan in places, but the sentiment "is thoroughly in accord with the historical Jesus."

The sign of Jonah tradition is paralleled in Matthew 12:38-42, with an abbreviated version in Mark 8:11-12. For Mark, no sign is given to a sinful generation. Both Matthew and Mark place the material in a similar context and introduce it with the request for a sign. Luke has already recorded such a request, and indirectly relates to the present episode, cf., v16b. As previously noted, Luke brings forward the parable of the returning spirits, 11:24-26, whereas Matthew has it following the sign of Jonah tradition.

When it comes to the attached three sayings, all linked by the word "light", v34-36, it is unclear whether they were linked to the sign of Jonah tradition during oral transmission, or whether Luke has attached them. Luke certainly uses them to enhance the word of God theme of this episode, although their relevance is not overly clear. The first saying aligns with Matthew 5:15 and Mark 4:21, and the second saying with Matthew 6:22-23. The third saying is unique to Luke, although note Matthew 6:23b.

Text - 11:27

The sign of Jonah, v27-36. i] Introduction - a woman offers a blessing, v27-28. A woman in the crowed offers a blessing for Jesus' mother. Sometimes translated "happy is she", but makarioV, "blessed", is something more than a feeling, so "favoured before God" is probably the intended sense. Jesus gently corrects her. The word menoun can be an affirmative, "indeed", or an adversative, "on the contrary", but here probably a corrective, "yes, but more so", "even more", HCSB. So, Jesus is saying something like, "Yes she is favoured before God, but more so is the person who takes heed of the gospel and sticks with it."

egeneto de "-" - but/and it happened. Transitional; see egeneto 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "as" - in the [he to say these things]. This construction introduces a temporal clause, contemporaneous time; "While he was saying this", Moffatt. The accusative subject of the infinitive is auton, "he".

ek + gen. "in [the crowd]" - [a certain woman] of [the crowd]. The preposition is used here in place of a partitive genitive.

eparasa (epairw) aor. part. "called out" - having lifted up [voice, said to him]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say."

hJ bastasasa (bastazw) aor. part. "who gave [you] birth" - [blessed the womb] having borne [you and breasts which you sucked]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "the womb." The woman is not pronouncing a blessing, nor is she praying for a blessing, but rather, she is recognising the divine blessing that has come to Mary; "How great was the blessing which rested on the womb that carried you", Cassirer. Of course, her words serve as an indirect way of offering Jesus a compliment.

v28

oiJ akouonteV (akouw) pres. part. "those who hear" - [but/and he said, yes but more so, blessed are] the ones hearing. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of an assumed verb to-be.

tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - [the word] of god. Technically, the genitive may be ablative, source / origin, or adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective. Yet, as Evans notes, when it comes to the sense of "the word of God", it is likely to refer to "the word Jesus preaches" = the gospel.

fulassonteV (fulassw) pres. part. "obey it" - [and] keeping, guarding it. The participle serves as a substantive, coordinate with "the ones hearing." In the OT, the word is used of a continued observance of the Law, but here obviously of a continued commitment to the gospel (durative present). God's favour is upon those who hear the gospel with understanding and persevere in their commitment to it. The translation "obey", NIV, CEV, ....., or "observe", NAB, ... reflects an old-covenant understanding of God's word to his people. Jesus calls for a commitment to the gospel of grace, not obedience to the Law; loving obedience is the fruit of grace appropriated through faith.

v29

ii] The sign of Jonah, v29-30. The sign (divine authentication) of divine intervention for an evil generation is "the sign of Jonah", namely, the preached word of God, the gospel.

epaqroizomenwn (epaqroizw) perf. mid. part. "as [the crowds] increased" - [but/and the crowds] having crowded around, increased. The genitive participle, with its genitive subject "crowds", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV; "When the crowds were coming thronging to him", Barclay.

legein (legw) pres. inf. "-" - [he began] to say. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to begin."

ei mh "except" - [this generation is an evil generation; it is seeking a sign and no sign will be given to it] except. Introducing an exceptive clause which establishes a contrast by designating an exception. Mark explicitly states that no sign is offered a sinful generation, Mk.8:12, Luke (Matt.16:4) proceeds on the basis of an exception, the exception being the sign of Jonah. Yet, to the Semitic mind, the exception is no sign at all ("sign", in the terms of an authentication of Jesus' messianic credentials).

Iwna (aV a) gen. "of Jonah" - [the sign] of jonah. The genitive is adjectival, epexegetic, so Culy and Thompson.

v30

Attempts are often made to link the experience of Jonah with that of Jesus, ie., Jonah in the belly of the whale, Jesus in the tomb; Jonah freed from the belly, Jesus from the tomb, eg., "Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, because he appeared there as one sent by God after having been miraculously saved from the great fish. ..... So also Jesus will, by His resurrection, prove conclusively that He has been sent by God as the Christ, the promised Redeemer", Geldenhuys. Such would be an evidential sign, but the sign is actually a non-sign, namely, the preached word. To avoid this confusion, it is likely that Luke reworks Matthew's version of this verse, "As Jonah was three days .... in the belly ....., so the Son of man will be three days ...... in the heart of the earth", Matt.12:40. The sense is anything but clear, but this verse in Matthew is likely not comparing Jesus' experience with Jonah's experience, other than in terms of the suffering preacher; see Matthew 12:38-45. So, "the sign of Jonah" is the preached word, "the preaching of Jesus / his teaching", Marshall, also Bock.

gar "for" - for. More reason than cause, serving to introduce an explanation of "the sign of Jonah"

kaqwV ..... ouJtwV "as ..... so ....." - just as [jonah became a sign to the ninevites] so. Forming a comparative construction where the characteristics of one element are compared with another.

kai "also" - and. Adjunctive.

estai (eimi) fut. "will .... be" - will be. The tense is most likely not a real future, but a logical future, functioning like doqhsetai, "will be given", v29. "What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age", Peterson.

tou anqrwpou (oV) gen. "of man" - [the son] of man. For the genitive "of man", see oJ uioV tou anqrwpou, 5:24.

th/ genea/ (a) dat. "to [this] generation" - to [this] generation. Dative of interest, advantage; "for this generation."

v31

iii] Two examples of the sign, v31-32. A Gentile queen responded to the divine word, as did the citizens of Nineveh, but Jesus' generation ignores the "something greater", namely, Jesus and his gospel.

On the day of judgment, the Queen of Sheba will serve as a witness for the prosecution against those who call for a sign, for she travelled halfway around the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and yet they have heard something more profound than Solomon's wisdom. Note that Luke reverses Matthew's order of the two examples

notou (oV) gen. "of the south" - [the queen] of south. The genitive is probably ablative, expressing source / origin; "from the South."

egerqhsetai (egeirw) fut. mid./pas. "will rise" - will rise. Jeremias argued that the sense of the word here is of standing up to give testimony at a trial. This sense if followed by many commentators, eg., Marshall; "The queen of the South will come forward at the time of the judgment ....", Cassirer. Most commentators take the view that the word is being used of the Queen being resurrected in the day of judgment in order to give her testimony; "When the Queen of the South is raised on the day of judgment ....", Rieu.

en + dat. "at" - in [the judgment]. Temporal use of the preposition; "on the day of judgment."

meta + gen. "with" - with [the men]. Expressing association / accompaniment.

geneaV (a) gen. "of [this] generation" - of [this] generation. The genitive is probably ablative, expressing source / origin, or partitive if "the men" are taken to be those who call for a sign.

oJti "for" - [and she will condemn them] because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the Queen will condemn them; "because she came ......"

ek + gen. "from" - [she came] from. Expressing separation; "away from."

thV ghV (h) gen. "of the earth" - [the ends] of the earth. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

akousai (akouw) aor. inf. "to listen" - to hear. The infinitive is adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order to hear ...."

SolomwnoV (wn wnoV) gen. "Solomon's [wisdom]" - [the wisdom] of solomon. The genitive is adjectival, either possessive, or verbal, subjective, "the wisdom exhibited by Solomon."

pleion neut. adj. "something greater" - [and behold] something greater [than solomon is here]. The adjective serves as a substantive, nominative subject of an assumed verb to-be. We may have expected the masculine person in order to represent Jesus, ie., "someone greater is here." Yet, as already indicated, the preached word, namely the gospel, is in mind, rather than the preacher.

v32

On the day of judgment, the men of Nineveh will serve as witnesses for the prosecution against those who call for a sign, because they repented in sackcloth and ashes at the preaching of Jonah, and yet those who call for a sign have heard something more profound than the message Jonah preached.

Niveuitai (ai hV) "[the men] of Nineveh" - [men] ninevites [will stand up]. Standing in apposition to "men"; "The Ninevites will stand up / rise up ...."

en + dat. "at" - in, on [the judgment with this generation and will condemn it]. Temporal use of the preposition serving to introduce a temporal clause.

oJti "for" - because [they repented]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the Ninevites serve as witnesses for the prosecution.

eiV + acc. "at [the preaching of Jonah]" - to = at [the preaching of jonah, and behold, something greater than jonah is here]. A rare use of the preposition to express cause, "because of / in light of / in view of the preaching of Jonah", Zerwick #98, 106.

v33

iv] Three independent illustrative sayings, v33-36. Unlike Matthew, Luke provides no guidance as to the interpretation of these illustrative sayings, other than context. So, given the context of "the sign of Jonah", it seems best to assume that the link word in the sayings, fwV,"light", represents the preached word of God, "the preaching / teachings of Jesus", Marshall, Bock, in particular, the news concerning the coming kingdom / the gospel. Even so, the many and varied interpretations of the sayings offered by commentators indicates that their interpretation remains contested.

Saying #1. A lamp on a lampstand, v33. Matthew in 5:15 runs a missionary line for this saying: "You are the light of the world ....... Let your light shine." Luke, on the other hand, in the doublet 8:16 (cf., Mk.4:21), goes on in v17 to make the point that truth will out; the gospel cannot be muzzled. A similar sense is probably intended here; the light of the gospel shines for all to see. Given this fact "it is wickedness to suggest that further signs are required", Thompson.

aJyaV (aJptw) aor. part. "lights" - [no one] having touched = having lit [a lamp puts it into a hidden place nor under the measuring basket]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal; "No one, when lighting a lamp, hides it in a cellar, or under a grain measure."

all (alla) "instead" - but [puts it upon the lampstand]. Strong adversative standing in a counterpoint construction; "not ....., but ....."

iJna + subj. "so that" - that. Introducing a final clause expressing purpose, "in order that ......." "He sets it on a table where it will brighten the room for everyone who enters", Junkins.

oi eisporeuomenoi (eisporeuomai) pres. mid. part. "those who come in" - the ones entering [may see the light]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to see."

v34

Saying #2, The light inside a person, v34-35. In Matthew 8:17-18, this illustrative saying is used to reinforce instructions on the proper handling of possessions; "You cannot serve God and mammon." Luke again allows the context, namely "the sign of Jonah", to make the point, a point which aligns well with 8:18, sitting, as it does, within the context of the lamp on a lampstand illustration, 8:16; "Be careful in what frame of mind you listen to God's word", Rieu. "Anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in the message of God, will be given more, while the person who, honestly, does not want to be bothered by it all, will lose what he pretends to have", Junkins. The light of the gospel shines for all to see, but be careful that it is the light that fills your very being, rather than, as if with a damaged eye, you are filled with nothing but darkness (like those who seek a sign!).

The opening verse expresses the view of the ancients who thought that the eye let light into the body. With a sound eye the body is filled with light, but with a damaged eye the body is filled with darkness.

tou swmatoV (a atoV) gen. "of [your] body" - [the lamp] of the body [is the eye of you]. The genitive is adjectival, possessive.

oJtan + subj. "when" - when [the eye of you is sincere = healthy, and = then the whole body of you is bright, enlightened, full of light]. This construction introduces an indefinite temporal clause, which in this context is conditional. The then clause, the apodosis, is introduced by kai.

epan + subj. "when" - [but/and] when [ the eye of you is evil = diseased, and = then the body of you is dark, full of darkness]. The same construction as oJtan.

v35

"Examine your life to be sure that the light (the preached word of God / the teachings of Jesus / the gospel) in you is real, shining throughout every aspect of your life", Junkins.

oun "therefore" - therefore [see to it]. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion.

mh + ind. "not" - not = lest [the light in you is dark / darkness]. Marshall argues that mh plus an indicative verb (we would expect ou + ind.) is interrogative; "Ask yourself whether the light within you is not darkness", Rieu. Culy follows McKay G who argues that mh + ind. expresses apprehension; "Watch out then, or else the light in you may turn out to be darkness", Culy.

v36

Saying #3. Light enlightens, v36. This saying, "if your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, .....", is unique to Luke, but at the same time, it states the opposite of Matthew's conclusion to the saying The light inside a person, Matt.6:22-23; "if the light in you is darkness, how dense is the darkness", v23b. Luke's positive version goes on with what is virtually a tautological statement. Marshall, also Caird, Manson, .... follow Torrey, who, in The Four Gospels, takes issue with the Greek, suggesting it wrongly renders the Aramaic, so creating a tautology. He translates the verse, "If however, your whole body is lighted up, with no part dark, then all about you will be light, just as the lamp lights you with its brightness." So, Torrey argues that the point of the saying is "the man who is full of light, lights the world about him", p.310. This idea is very much in line with Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid." "Those who allow the light of God to enter their lives become a lamp to dispel the darkness for others", Caird.

oun "Therefore" - therefore. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion.

ei "if" - if, as is the case, [the whole body of us is full of light, then]. Introducing a 1st. class conditional clause where the proposed condition is assumed to be true. If Luke's positive version of the saying aligns with Matthew's negative version, Matt.6:23b, then the protasis is "if the body is flooded with light", and the apodosis is "then no part of it is in darkness." Most translations treat the whole verse as a single conditional clause.

mh econ (ecw) pres. part. "no [part of it]" - not having [certain = any part dark / full of darkness]. The participle is best treated as a periphrastic construction with an assumed verb to-be, "it does not have any part dark"; "no part of it is in darkness."

oJlon adj. "full [of light]" - the whole [will be bright, light / full of light]. Although serving as an adjective in the Greek modifying "light", Torrey argues that in the Aramaic it would have properly served as a noun, subject of the sentence, "the whole, everything" = "the whole world", Marshall; "all about you will be light", Torrey. Usually treated as the apodosis of the conditional clause, although it seems better to treat the clause in its own right; "The whole world around you will be enlightened, just as the lamp illuminates you with its brightness."

wJV "as" - just as, like. Here used to introduce a comparison.

oJtan + subj. "when" - when [the lamp]. This construction introduces an indefinite temporal clause.

th/ astraph/ (h) dat. "shines" - in = with, by lightning = bright shining [illuminates you]. The dative is instrumental, expressing means.

Luke Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

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