By Randall L. Broad
Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18
Luke chapter 11:33-36 reminds me of a very different world than we live
in today. In the Cold War Era the world was divided into two armed camps–east
vs. west; the United States vs. the Soviet Union. In hindsight, we know that it
wasn’t as simple as that sounds today, but nonetheless these verses in Luke
remind me of another time when the leaders of the world had the ability to make
us believe that our nations stood for something. Luke writes:
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or
puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where
its light can be seen by all who enter the house. 34 “Your
eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your
whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with
darkness. 35 Make sure that the light you think you have
is not actually darkness. 36 If you are filled with light,
with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a
floodlight were filling you with light.”
Luke 11:33-36
Verse thirty-three emphases two important elements of light. First, it
must be lit and then it can be seen by all. These verses remind me of an
America Ronald Reagan often referred to as a Shining City on a Hill which was a direct reference to this
biblical teaching. I cannot express his thoughts any better than he does in his
farewell address to the nation in 1989.
“I’ve spoken of the Shining City all my political
life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than
oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in
harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and
creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the
doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I
saw it, and see it still.”
Reagan was talking about America, but also a world blessed by God and
full of the promise of a people who carried the torch of hope and the promise
of opportunity. Places where people could worship God, educate themselves,
raise their family, build a business, and live by biblical principles. Reagan
envisioned a world built on the principles of God’s Kingdom. Places where God’s
light could illuminate the darkness of the rest of the world.
But unfortunately the World has not embraced that ideal.
When someone walks into a clinic to end the life of
an unborn child, the world gets darker.
When families are torn apart by addictions, abuse,
and the lack of trust, the world gets darker.
When Multi-National Corporations make record
profits while people lose jobs and homes, the world grows darker.
When the government is the ‘redistributor of
income’, because corporations won’t pay living wages, the world gets darker.
When gunmen walk into malls, theaters, and schools
to shoot our neighbors, teachers, and children, the world gets darker.
When people stand beside the rubble of a New York
sky scrapper, on the streets of Paris, or anywhere else terrorism strikes, the world
gets darker.
When nations hold, tortures, and imprison people
for years without due process the world grows darker.
When nations fight unnecessary wars for reasons they
cannot define decades later, the world gets darker.
It is important to remember this passage of Luke is not referring to the
blessing or promise of any nation–no matter how high minded the principles on
which the country was founded. Rather it is referring to the light brought to
the world through the life of Jesus Christ, the faith of every disciple, and
the Word of God. Read the One Year Bible and let your life light the darkness
wherever you are and as Jesus said “Make
sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you
are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be
radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light (v. 35-36).”
Walk
with the Lord …
Ephesians
1:17
(RLB250405)
©
Copyright 2019: Randall L. Broad
Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.
