Luke 11:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."

NIV: 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."

NASB: Therefore if your whole body is full of light, without any dark part, it will be wholly illuminated, as when the lamp illuminates you with its light.'

CSB: If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you."

NLT: 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.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Jesus finishes this section on a hopeful note. Lawyers from Jerusalem and local Pharisees work hard to convince themselves that Jesus does not fit the Old Testament description of the Messiah. Their "seeing" is muddied because their hearts are filled with "greed and wickedness" (Luke 11:39). They follow the leaders in Israel's past who killed God's prophets because they didn't like their messages (Luke 11:47–52).

But, if they would reject their sinful attitudes, their thinking would clear and they would rightly perceive that Jesus is the Messiah. Light in their hearts would illuminate the truth. Accepting that truth in their hearts would cause them to emit the light of God's truth to the world.

The religious leaders don't quite get it. While Jesus is teaching, a Pharisee invites Him to dinner (Luke 11:37). The Pharisee sees that Jesus does not follow the extra-biblical regulations the lawyers imposed on the Mosaic law. In this case, that He does not ceremonially wash His hands before He eats (Luke 11:38). Jesus has just made the point that if you have light inside, you shine on the outside. The Pharisees think that if they shine light on their righteous acts, they must be righteous. But their "righteous" acts are nothing but attempts to look good and earn public approval (Matthew 6:5). Inside, they are filled with filth, like unmarked graves (Luke 11:39–44).

Luke 11:33–36 stands between the Pharisees' and scribes' rejection of Jesus (Luke 11:14–32) and Jesus' passionate condemnation of their works (Luke 11:37–54). Their eyes should see that He is their Messiah, and they should spread the message as a lamp spreads light. Instead, their refusal to see that He the Messiah reveals that they are dark in their hearts and their understanding. Jesus covers similar themes in Matthew 5:14–16 and 6:22–23.

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray and explains God's intent to give "good" to those who ask. He then exorcizes a demon and refutes the claim that His power is satanic. Jesus explains that unreasonable skeptics will only see the "sign of Jonah." He then criticizes the superficial legalism of the Pharisees. In response, they plot against Him.

In what some scholars refer to as "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27), Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and resurrection and the establishment of the church. The description begins with Christ teaching the disciples how to spread the news of the kingdom of God and reaffirming how they will be blessed, culminating in the Lord's Prayer (Luke 9:51—11:13). Luke 11 finishes with accounts of leaders who reject Jesus. The remainder of the travelogue gives a pattern of teaching on the kingdom of God, miracles, and explanations of salvation. Then Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.